[OSList] Open Space Economics? Be Prepared to be Surprised!

Tue Oct 1 20:34:42 PDT 2013

I can't ever remember "attempting to circumvent power dynamics," Bui.
 While it's quite common when people talk about sitting in a circle they
say things like, "...the circle makes everyone equal."  I always disagree.
 The circle gives everyone equal access to all the others in the circle,
the markers and paper and microphone at the center, and the bulletin board
gives everyone the same access to all of the info that is generated.  It
doesn't make them equal, the ceo has an entirely different set of skills,
resources, experiences, concerns than the new intern.  But as a
facilitator, I give everyone the same job:  learn and contribute as much as
you can, from wherever you are, with whatever you have at your disposal.
 serve the common purpose.

none of this attempts or requires any circumventing.  i think ost works in
spite of whatever the power structure might be, once people show up.  maybe
the invitation tweaks the power structure -- but if the invite comes from
the top, then it's the top giving power away -- hardly a circumvention, and
certainly not the facilitator attempting.  if the invite bubbles up from
somewhere below, then it's the lower ranks claiming power for themselves.
 so i think any shifting of power arises because invitation exists as an
option, not because anything we do in the process of 'opening space.'  i
think ost is just one way of pointing out that invitation is possible and
the ost story is pretty much the same in all kinds of different "power"
distributions.

or maybe i just don't understand.  what do you do to notice and recognize
power imbalances?  and how have you seen this improve the ost experience
for people?

m

--

Michael Herman
Michael Herman Associates
312-280-7838 (mobile)

http://MichaelHerman.com
http://OpenSpaceWorld.org

On Tue, Oct 1, 2013 at 5:06 PM, Bui Petersen <bui.petersen at gmail.com> wrote:

>  Michael, I guess we'll have to disagree. I see OST's temporal attempt at
> circumventing power dynamics (e.g through the the empowered of the the law
> of two feet) as one of the beauties of the process.
>
> One of the reasons that the liberal view of market economics is
> problematic is that it doesn't account for power imbalances. While you
> can't take away all structural power, I think the OST experience can be
> enhanced by at least some awareness and recognition of such powers.
>
> Bui
>
>
>
> On 30/09/2013 10:56 PM, Michael Herman wrote:
>
> i don't think ost is trying to "take away structural power," bui -- not
> even temporarily.  i think it's more about acknowledging the distribution
> of knowledge and choice (power) that already exists.  the law of two feet
> isn't something special we enact at the start of an event, it's something
> we just notice and point out, for instance.
>
>  m
>
>
> --
>
> Michael Herman
> Michael Herman Associates
> 312-280-7838 (mobile)
>
> http://MichaelHerman.com
> http://OpenSpaceWorld.org
>
>
>
> On Mon, Sep 30, 2013 at 10:21 AM, Bui Petersen <bui.petersen at gmail.com>wrote:
>
>>  Interesting discussion. When I have described OST, some people have been
>> skeptical as it to them has has sounded to "neo-liberal" and not taking
>> power balances enough into consideration. Obviously what the "structure" of
>> OST is trying to do is to take away structural power temporarily. But some
>> people are still skeptical about OST's potential to do this. My own take is
>> that OST does not always fully succeed in this regard.
>>
>> Still it is very interesting theoretically. Both there is a lot of other
>> (than economics) theoretical perspectives that better deal with power.
>>
>> Bui
>>
>>
>>
>> On 26/09/2013 5:33 PM, Michael Herman wrote:
>>
>>  I share your concerns, Jeff, but found this piece to be mostly not
>> about politics.  And where he comments on current views and policy, I was
>> less bothered by what he was saying than by my tendency to agree in many
>> cases. But mostly this is interesting and useful totally separate from his
>> politics, I think.
>>
>> On Thursday, September 26, 2013, Jeff Aitken wrote:
>>
>>> thanks Michael!
>>>
>>> It's unfortunate that I have a lingering dislike for Mr. Gilder, who was
>>> famous for awhile around 1981 when the Reagan administration rolled out its
>>> economic agenda, and his work was considered one of its intellectual
>>> pillars.
>>>
>>> Twas a long time ago, and no doubt the man remains a hard thinker and
>>> clear writer, perhaps with more heart than I experienced back then.
>>>
>>> With that caveat, I'll dig into this when I have a chance. Thanks for
>>> sharing.
>>>
>>> Jeff
>>> San Francisco
>>>
>>>  On Thu, Sep 26, 2013 at 12:25 PM, Michael Herman <
>>> michael at michaelherman.com> wrote:
>>>
>>>>    Here's a long one, friends… But maybe an important one.
>>>>
>>>> What follows is an excerpt from a markets newsletter I've read for
>>>> maybe 10 years by a financial expert and best-selling author Named John
>>>> Mauldin.  He describes and then shares an article by a guy named George
>>>> Gilder, Who seems to have been writing "important" books for at least a few
>>>> decades.
>>>>
>>>
>>
>> --
>> Michael Herman
>> MichaelHerman.com
>> (312) 280-7838 <%28312%29%20280-7838>
>>
>> Sent from my iPhone
>>
>>
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