[OSList] waveriding in Oz / Stories

[Hege Steinsland]

Thank you Harrison, for sharing ingihts and litterature :-)

All the best from 
Hege
27. nov. 2013 kl. 16:38 skrev Harrison Owen <hhowen at verizon.net>:

> Hege ... Stories are wonderful, and as I have remarked, We are the stories
> we tell. So telling stories and hearing the stories of others is critical to
> a deepened understanding of self and community. Not to bore you with a lot
> of reading, but if you want more on my understanding of the power of story
> (one might also say, myth), take a look at the opening chapters of my book
> "Spirit: Transformation and development in Organizations." Out of print, but
> you can download a copy at http://openspaceworld.com/Spirit.pdf I have also
> dealt extensively with stories in a book that is still in print called "The
> Spirit of Leadership" (Berrett-Koehler)which comes in a digital version.
> 
> So stories are definitely important, and if you think about it, Story
> Telling is in some ways the heart and soul of Open Space. That's what
> happens, not as a special program, but as perhaps the core activity. I don't
> think it is pushing too far to say that every issue group is a storytelling
> circle. And when the stories get really juicy, the spirit flies. Or
> something like that.
> 
> Sometimes it can become truly powerful to formalize the story telling, and
> the night before an Open Space is a great time to do that. But you don't
> want to make it too formal, I find. So I have had great luck by inviting the
> participants to randomly create self-organizing story circles right there on
> the floor. Just find 5-6 people, more if you like and sit in a circle. The
> rules are simple: Tell your story, one person at a time. A talking stick
> helps. And of course the Law of Two Feet is critical. If the story becomes
> old and tired, move on. I never have a schedule (time periods) because you
> can never tell how long a good story(s) will take, and all our stories are
> different. It also turns out the good stories can also be told in silence.
> 
> ho
> 
> Harrison Owen
> 7808 River Falls Dr.
> Potomac, MD 20854
> USA
> 
> 189 Beaucaire Ave. (summer)
> Camden, Maine 04843
> 
> Phone 301-365-2093
> (summer)  207-763-3261
> 
> www.openspaceworld.com 
> www.ho-image.com (Personal Website)
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> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: oslist-bounces at lists.openspacetech.org
> [mailto:oslist-bounces at lists.openspacetech.org] On Behalf Of Hege Steinsland
> Sent: Wednesday, November 27, 2013 4:31 AM
> To: Michael Wood
> Cc: oslist at lists.openspacetech.org
> Subject: Re: [OSList] waveriding in Oz
> 
> Thank you so much Michael, for this long and detailed reply. It s a gift!
> You`ve given me another gift in your article about Christian leadership,
> Theology and emergence. I`ve really learnt a lot from that! In this article
> you describe Open space and dialog circle as two very helpful and rich ways
> of working. Im quite familiar with Open Space, but I`m eager to hear more
> about ways to use storytelling or dialog circles ( is this two words for
> more or less the same thing?)
> 
> In the Church of Norway there is quite a lot of frustrations and insecurity
> nowadays, due to different things. One of them is big changes in the
> relations between the state and the church and discussions and processes
> about how to set the new church organizations. This leads to discussions and
> arguments more than conversations, and a lot of focus on structure more than
> on purpose and care for the system more than the person in the system. Many
> of the people in the church are suffering, and there is, In my experience, a
> lac of openness and trust and more conflict, frustration and disillusions.
> (There are also wonderful things going on, especially in the work with
> children)
> 
> I`ve been a part of the church system for 22 years myself as a lay leader (
> a system that is special in Norway where we have a lay leader next to the
> clergy with wide responsibility for work in the church). I left this
> position and started as an consultant three years ago. Every now and than
> I`m contacted by churches that find themselves in trouble. 
> 
> I think Open Space can be a very good way of working, but maybe we need some
> storytelling as well? Leaders are afraid to open up, because they dont know
> what will come out in the open, and what to do with it?
> In storytelling, as I understand it, we tell our stories to each other,
> without arguing og commenting, but just to listen to it? As a kind of
> greafwork.
> 
> I would love some shared experience, and some backup on how to think about
> the use of this method, if you have some more to share?
> What kind of questions are useful for the dialog circle? how many people?
> how many stories? What do we do after the stories are told? And wow do we
> prepare?
> I know I´m very detail oriented in this phase of exploring a new tool, but
> that´s how it is to be inexperienced and gaining courage to do something new
> :-)
> 
> If you can find time to share some more, I´m most grateful.
> 
> All the best from
> Hege Steinsland
> 
> 27. nov. 2013 kl. 02:55 skrev Michael Wood <michael.wood at uwa.edu.au>:
> 
>> Hello Hege,
>> 
>> The design for the program that Brendan does here in Perth is different to
> the one I have been doing with church leaders in Brisbane. For my part, I've
> made quite a long reply  to you, Hege, about what I've been doing in
> Brisbane. The group is comprised of both clergy and laity, which I think is
> always a good combination (i.e. trusting that whoever comes are the right
> people). 
>> 
>> I'd be interested in hearing more about your question on Open Space and
> story telling. If you mean, could you use Open Space to enable people to
> share stories, then why not? I think the same principles would apply. If
> it's you who are interested in hearing the stories, then you are the
> 'sponsor'. Develop an invitation outlining the theme of the story telling
> sessions and invite whoever wants to come to be there - to either tell
> stories or listen to them. Sounds like fun.
>> 
>> Here's the outline of the Brisbane program with Anglican Church folks:
>> 
>> On Day one, start with a 'check in' talking circle. Brainstorm some ideas
> about 'crucial questions I'd like to sponsor conversations about in my
> church'. Get people to red-dot-vote on questions that most engage them.
> Come up with an overarching 'question' for an real-play OST meeting. Ask one
> of the group to be in the role of Sponsor. We then run a short OST meeting
> (3 x 30 min conversations and a short action planning sessin). All of this
> takes us through to mid afternoon on Day 1.
>> 
>> After they have experienced a 'real' OST meeting, I invite them to get
> into groups of 3-4 for about 20 min to reflect on two questions ('what did
> you notice about the process' and 'what questions are emerging'). I ask them
> to write one question per piece of A4 paper with marker pens. Then we come
> back into the main circle and throw the questions on the floor. As a group
> we constellate the questions into themes. Generally the themes tend to
> naturally fall into about three main areas (i) preparation work with the
> sponsor (ii) set up and facilitation on the day (iii) convergence and post
> open space. The constellated themes then form the 'agenda' for the next full
> day day. I also keep a little 'check list' up my sleeve to ensure we cover
> most important things for a faciliator to know, and I encourage them to buy
> Harrison's book, 'OST - a user's guide'. Interestingly we just about always
> end up covering all the areas on my check-list from the question which
> people put on the floor at the end of Day 1. 
>> 
>> On Day 2 we work through all the practical questions mentioned above.
>> 
>> On the third day we take a look at the underlying themes of self
> organising systems rather than just the 'mechanics' of OST process. Some of
> the diagrams from Peggy Holman's book 'Engaging Emergence' are very helpful
> , along with the eight principles from Harrison's book 'Waverider'. Day
> three includes some self organised conversations on how to be a Waverider in
> every day parish life i.e. how would people use Wavering principles in
> pastoral care, governance, education, worship, mission, outreach ete etc.
>> 
>> Because this is a Chrsitian group we also spend a couple of hours, on 
>> the third day,  reflecting on the question, 'Was Jesus a Waverider?' 
>> This has been a really important and deepening part of the learning 
>> process. I have an article on this theme on my web site which I am 
>> happy to develop and add to and receive feedback on. In fact Chris 
>> Corrigan just shared another great thought on the story of Jesus 
>> walking on water (symbolic in Jewish thought of  'chaos'. So what does 
>> it mean for us to walk, in faith, through chaos?)
>> 
>> On the last afternoon it's back into a short OST on the question,
> 'Waveriding in the Sunshine State - where to from here'. This is to provide
> space for people to think about what they are actually going to do back in
> their parishes or agencies to apply OST and Waveriding principles. 
>> 
>> We finish with a closing circle, send poeple on their way, and then meet
> again after three months. At that follow up day we have a look at one case
> study in depth (something that someone in the group has tried) and then the
> rest of the day in OST on the question, 'what have we been learning and
> where to from here'. So this is basically giving the group a pattern for an
> ongoing community of practice. I think this follow up day has been really
> crucial in keeping monentum going - without which people simply get absorbed
> back into the 'business as usual' culture of command and control.
>> 
>> Lisa Heft has a very good 'Open Space Ideas Book' which I understand she
> is happy for people to use with appropriate acknowledgement to Lisa (I make
> an honorarium donation to Lisa when I use this resource).
>> 
>> Michael Wood
>> www.michaeljohnwood.com
>> A warm sunny day in Perth, Western Australia Ph. 0435 065326
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> Date: Sat, 23 Nov 2013 17:05:46 +0100
>> From: Hege Steinsland <steinslandhege at gmail.com>
>> To: World wide Open Space Technology email list
>>       <oslist at lists.openspacetech.org>
>> Subject: Re: [OSList] Wave Riding in OZ
>> Message-ID: <48FBA4E4-E75F-445C-A975-8E6DE257EB65 at gmail.com>
>> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="windows-1252"
>> Wow. I just love this story. And I?m so glad every time I hear about open
> space and self organization used in the church. I?m trying to make this
> possibility known in the church of Norway as an approach that can make
> people less stressed out, more happy and more concerned with the really
> important things in church and life :-) I love this Dean, that have made the
> wisdom in the principles and the law a way to live and work.
>> I`m looking for more shared experience with story-telling. How to invite,
> who to invite, do you still need an sponsor and how do you frame it? I wold
> love to learn from others experience here.
>> I would also love her more about Michael and Brendans program. Is it an
> training program in Open space for clergy?
>> All the best fro
>> a cold and windy night in Norway.
>> Hege
> 
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