[OSList] OST Foundations again (Was: Re: Dealing with conflicts)
Artur Silva
arturfsilva at yahoo.com
Sat Jul 28 22:53:53 PDT 2012
Thanks for your
clarifications, Peggy.
In what concerns
trust, I was not thinking so much about trust between de participants (this is
like the principles - it happens naturally if the space is really open) but
about the trust (or not) of the sponsor in the participants.
As Kerry put in
another thread: If a sponsor
insists on limiting the discussion, we walk away. In this situation we
ask them directly "do you trust your employees/members/supporters?"
As you all know, I also agree with
Kerry in what concerns the so called "givens"...
Artur
________________________________
From: Peggy Holman <peggy at peggyholman.com>
To: World wide Open Space Technology email list <oslist at lists.openspacetech.org>
Sent: Saturday, July 28, 2012 7:54 PM
Subject: Re: [OSList] OST Foundations again (Was: Re: Dealing with conflicts)
Yup, speaking loosely. The principles describe what is always happening.
And complexity science has shown us that initial conditions matter. Context has an impact on whether a fight breaks out or people connect (both of which can lead to breakthroughs, though I think connection is almost aways the more productive path). I find naming the principles and the law contributes to setting the stage for productive engagement.
BTW, I don't think trust is a necessary pre-condition. Practically speaking, a willingness to show up is necessary. I think that generally occurs because participants are attracted to the intent of the session. Still, they don't need to trust each other. More often I find that is an outcome of discovering that people different than you share some common desires and humanity.
And thanks for mentioning diversity, Artur. For me, the heart of pre-work (which can be simple or complex depending on the situation) is about getting clear on the intention and doing the outreach to invite the people who care. Doing the work to consider who makes up the diversity of the system and reaching out can be the most challenging and time consuming work of all.
While the intention doesn't need to be stated as a question, I've gotten in the habit of doing so because I find it's does the powerful work of providing direction while making it clear that no one has all the answers. I think great questions are a form of humble leadership.
appreciatively,
Peggy
_________________________________
Peggy Holman
peggy at peggyholman.com
15347 SE 49th Place
Bellevue, WA 98006
425-746-6274
www.peggyholman.com
www.journalismthatmatters.org
Enjoy the award winning Engaging Emergence: Turning Upheaval into Opportunity
"An angel told me that the only way to step into the fire and not get burnt, is to become
the fire".
-- Drew Dellinger
On Jul 28, 2012, at 4:25 AM, Harrison Owen wrote:
Hi Artur – The good old academic at work once again! Your interpretation certainly reflects my experience. The Initial conditions (real issue, diversity, etc) pave the way for the 4 principles and 1 Law to swing into operation…Peggy will have to speak for herself, but I suspect she was simply speaking loosely. Then again she could have come up with a new and better idea!
>
>ho
>
>Harrison Owen
>7808 River Falls Dr.
>Potomac, MD 20854
>USA
>
>189 Beaucaire Ave. (summer)
>Camden, Maine 20854
>
>Phone 301-365-2093
>(summer) 207-763-3261
>
>www.openspaceworld.com
>www.ho-image.com (Personal Website)
>To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options, view the archives of OSLIST Go to:http://lists.openspacetech.org/listinfo.cgi/oslist-openspacetech.org
>
>From: oslist-bounces at lists.openspacetech.org [mailto:oslist-bounces at lists.openspacetech.org] On Behalf Of Artur Silva
>Sent: Saturday, July 28, 2012 5:36 AM
>To: World wide Open Space Technology email list
>Subject: [OSList] OST Foundations again (Was: Re: Dealing with conflicts)
>
>[Now what I intended to say... Artur]
>
>-------------
>
>Harrison, Peggy, all:
>
>Harrison said: “(...) trust the people to do what they need to do given the time/space to do it".
>
>Peggy commented: "(...) providing fertile initial conditions (4 principles, 1 law, and a goodquestion) engages people (...)"
>
>Are these two equivalent statements? I may be wrong, of course, but I don't think so…
>
>Apart from the preconditions for a successful OST that HO stated many times (*), I would think that what is needed is: enough diversity, careful preparation (pre work), adequate theme (not necessarily a question), a circle, a bulletin board, a market place, the law, adequate time, trust.
>
>The principles are not, IMHO, a precondition (or foundation) but something that always happens given the previous preconditions.
>
>What do you all think now? (Now because this has been already discussed in the past...)
>
>Regards
>
>Artur
>
>(*) For instance, in the "OST Non Guide", page 7:
>1) A real business issue of great concern.
>2) High levels of complexity in terms of the elements of the issue.
>3) High Levels of diversity in terms of those involved.
>4) The presence of actual or potential conflict.
>5) A decision time of yesterday -- i.e. an urgent need for improvement.
>
>
>
>________________________________
>
>From: Peggy Holman <peggy at peggyholman.com>
>To: World wide Open Space Technology email list <oslist at lists.openspacetech.org>
>Sent: Thursday, July 26, 2012 4:17 PM
>Subject: Re: [OSList] Dealing with conflicts
>
>Harrison,
>
>I think a powerful lesson that you made visible is providing fertile initial conditions (4 principles, 1 law, and a good question) engages people to work through challenges to what matters.
>
>Peggy
>Sent from my iPhone
>
>On Jul 26, 2012, at 6:58 AM, Harrison Owen <hhowen at verizon.net> wrote:
>
>> Marie said -- "And Harrison, our own Krishnamurti. No fluff, just open
>> space! I admire your trust - which is why you're so bold."
>>
>> I am not so sure I was being "bold" -- but I surely trust the people to do
>> what they need to do given the time/space to do it. And they have always
>> come through. As for my part, I think it has much more to do with my
>> profound sense of limitations. There is no way in the world I could possibly
>> control the situation if only because I completely lack the ability to
>> figure out the complex interactions, to say nothing of the history of the
>> group involved. Only they are fully expert on their lives and living. So
>> rather that "bold" -- maybe humble? Maybe cowardice?
>>
>> ho
>>
>> Harrison Owen
>> 7808 River Falls Dr.
>> Potomac, MD 20854
>> USA
>>
>> 189 Beaucaire Ave. (summer)
>> Camden, Maine 20854
>>
>> Phone 301-365-2093
>> (summer) 207-763-3261
>>
>> www.openspaceworld.com
>> www.ho-image.com (Personal Website)
>> To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options, view the archives of OSLIST
>> Go to:http://lists.openspacetech.org/listinfo.cgi/oslist-openspacetech.org
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: oslist-bounces at lists.openspacetech.org
>> [mailto:oslist-bounces at lists.openspacetech.org] On Behalf Of Marie Ann
>> Östlund
>> Sent: Wednesday, July 25, 2012 5:08 PM
>> To: World wide Open Space Technology email list
>> Subject: Re: [OSList] Dealing with conflicts
>>
>> Wow, thank you for all your responses and wonderful stories. Thank you
>> Peggy, that's a great example, and Christine - that's an interesting
>> process.
>>
>> I wanted to do something 'constructive' with everyone open enough to meet,
>> as many felt hopeless about the situation. The issue now was acute but they
>> had a 20-30 year history of difficulties and conflicts.
>> I only had a few hours so convened a circle and planned a short AI and World
>> Café, so that they would have some sort of exchange. The floor was
>> 'high-jacked' though by someone that had important new revelations to
>> communicate, and I let it be for some time before asking those wanting to
>> speak about this to convene somewhere else. Those that stayed convened in a
>> circle and I gave them a talking stick. That went well.
>>
>> I was pondering over how it would be to open space in this situation.
>> As Harrison says, when there is conflict, open space.
>>
>> In regards to having an agenda, Brendan, as a mediator I understand that
>> it's hard for people to hear each other when they are very angry or upset,
>> at the same time it's important for people to be able to express just how
>> angry or hurt they are. With OS I'm learning to trust people to do what they
>> need to do, and that they will manage themselves. I just wasn't sure if
>> opening space would really be advisable, even if I thought it might work.
>> There's nothing like truth, but still I don't want people to get hurt.
>>
>> And Harrison, our own Krishnamurti. No fluff, just open space! I admire your
>> trust - which is why you're so bold.
>>
>> Michael, yes do send me Practice of Peace (in english!). You're right that
>> it's all very much about convincing oneself, and writing to you all is part
>> of that process for me.
>>
>> Thank you Craig for trying to elicit some failure stories from the OS folks.
>> In conflicts people at least care enough to be in conflict, and OS is all
>> about what we care about so will have to work.
>>
>> Thanks!
>>
>> Marie Ann
>>
>> On Wed, Jul 25, 2012 at 3:55 PM, Harrison Owen <hhowen at verizon.net> wrote:
>>> Good point Craig. We always learn from the exceptions/anomalies. In 27
>>> years of opening space, often in genuinely “hairy” situations, I have
>>> never personally encountered a situation where “it didn’t work.”
>>> “Working” for me is a fairly pragmatic definition. Folks got together,
>>> dealt with their issues, and either found solutions or recognized that
>>> for reasons totally beyond their control, no solution was possible in
>>> the moment. All of this was done with a high degree of civility, respect,
>> and economy of effort.
>>> More often than not, participants will report that they even “had fun.”
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> I have heard of situations that were less than positive. In every case
>>> the fundamental problem seemed to be that the sponsor/facilitator
>>> tried to “play it safe.” This could mean restricting the time/space
>>> for discussion, limiting the issues to be discussed (placing them off
>>> limits), and/or intervening along the way with some form of mediation.
>>> Some people tried to prepare the way by sharing “Handy Rules for
>>> treating each other nicely.” I don’t suppose that hurt, but I never
>>> saw that it made any difference. Truth is in the heat of discussion
>>> folks don’t seem to pay much attention to rules, except those that are
>>> generated internally and are integral to the conversation – which is what
>> I think happens in Open Space.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Harrison
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Harrison
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Harrison Owen
>>>
>>> 7808 River Falls Dr.
>>>
>>> Potomac, MD 20854
>>>
>>> USA
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> 189 Beaucaire Ave. (summer)
>>>
>>> Camden, Maine 20854
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Phone 301-365-2093
>>>
>>> (summer) 207-763-3261
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> www.openspaceworld.com
>>>
>>> www.ho-image.com (Personal Website)
>>>
>>> To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options, view the archives of
>>> OSLIST Go
>>> to:http://lists.openspacetech.org/listinfo.cgi/oslist-openspacetech.or
>>> g
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> From: oslist-bounces at lists.openspacetech.org
>>> [mailto:oslist-bounces at lists.openspacetech.org] On Behalf Of Craig
>>> Gilliam
>>> Sent: Wednesday, July 25, 2012 7:49 AM
>>>
>>>
>>> To: oslist at lists.openspacetech.org
>>> Subject: Re: [OSList] Dealing with conflicts
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> I do a great deal of conflict work professionally. I am a
>>> practitioner of OS as well.
>>>
>>> Rather than hearing only success (and I know that the definition of
>>> success
>>> varies) stories of OS and conflict, I am also interested in those
>>> times when someone felt OS did not work in a conflict situation, or
>>> did not work as well as he/she thought it would and what did you learn
>>> from those encounters.
>>>
>>> Thanks,
>>>
>>> Craig
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>> Date: Wed, 25 Jul 2012 13:13:58 +0200
>>>> From: mmpanne at boscop.org
>>>> To: oslist at lists.openspacetech.org
>>>> Subject: Re: [OSList] Dealing with conflicts
>>>>
>>>> Dear Marie Ann,
>>>> the gathering Harrison describes (Israelis and Palestinians in Rome)
>>>> got him to write a book on why os events are so peaceful even in
>>>> highly conflicting situations.
>>>> If you like, I will send you a copy of "The Practice of Peace"... of
>>>> course, you can also get the german version I was involved in: "Raum
>>>> für den Frieden".
>>>> In my own experience there have been a number of highly conflicting
>>>> situations for which sponsors chose Open Space Technology. The
>>>> biggest job I had was to convince the sponsors that you need nothing
>>>> but open space and it worked every time (Israelis and Palestinians
>>>> meeting in Switzerland, Parish Board and church workers at issue with
>>>> each other, Board of Directors and Marketing Department of a Food
>>>> Corporation at issue, Welfare Organisation with all subsystems at
>>>> "war", Highschool with opposing factions of teachers...you name it).
>>>> Come to think of it, at the beginning of my OSpractice after 35 years
>>>> of OD consulting, I actually had to convince mainly myself that
>>>> highly conflicting situations is what os-events run on (one of the
>>>> five preconditions)... unlearning the old approaches (still very much
>>>> in
>>>> vogue!!) was the hard part.
>>>> Greetings from Berlin
>>>> mmp
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> On 24.07.2012 22:35, Marie Ann Östlund wrote:
>>>>> Dear all,
>>>>>
>>>>> I just spent a week in a community in France that is divided by
>>>>> quite a large conflict. Have anyone of you used OS with a group of
>>>>> people where the conflict is at its hight and emotions are still
>>>>> strong? I can see that OS can be used in complex conflictual
>>>>> situations, but wonder whether you would first spend time bringing
>>>>> down their emotions to a 'manageable' level before attempting to
>>>>> bring them together into an OS.
>>>>>
>>>>> Do you have any experiences in this regard? I'd be very interested
>>>>> in your reflections!
>>>>>
>>>>> Thank you,
>>>>>
>>>>> Marie Ann
>>>>> _______________________________________________
>>>>> OSList mailing list
>>>>> To post send emails to OSList at lists.openspacetech.org To
>>>>> unsubscribe send an email to OSList-leave at lists.openspacetech.org
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>>>>> g
>>>>> .
>>>>>
>>>>
>>>> --
>>>> Michael M Pannwitz, boscop eg
>>>> Draisweg 1, 12209 Berlin, Germany
>>>> ++49-30-772 8000
>>>> mmpanne at boscop.org www.boscop.org
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> Check out the Open Space World Map presently showing 388 resident
>>>> Open Space Workers in 67 countries working in a total of 143
>>>> countries
>>>> worldwide: www.openspaceworldmap.org
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