[OSList] Open Space and Boundaries
Michael M Pannwitz
mmpannwitz at gmail.com
Tue Apr 8 11:11:04 PDT 2014
Dear Harold,
in my os-facilitation practice I have never spoken of "rules" and
actually don't think there are rules.
There are some principles that I prefer to call "facts of life" such as
"whenever it starts is the right time".
And the "Law" is in fact just a suggestion on what one could do and that
it honors the group to leave it when someone feels they neither learn
nor contribute... and that is in fact most importantly honoring oneself.
In many culural settings this is a real no-no (leaving a group), so
creating a "Law" opens the possibility to step outside of that cultural
norm and to widen the space for high learning and high play.
"Asking" folks to come to a breakout session at the beginning and not to
leave before the event might appear to be out of the spirit of an OST
event. Some might find that a useful "condition" others rather not.
What would have happend to someone coming in the middle of the session
(one of them bumblebees) or leaving after 5 minutes? Be publicly
chastised, put on a black list...???
Of course, you can put the convener with such a "rule" into the "space
invador" box... but remember, there are "wicked" space invadors and then
there are "innocent" ones.
Greetings from Berlin
mmp
> Thanks for adding in Kurt Lewin, Arno. I'm not sure I fully understand
> his topological method. Would you say more about how you see it working?
>
> The "privacy regulation model" from Altman is quite interesting.
>
> I've seen some criticize Open Space as not being friendly to introverts
> - yet as an introvert myself I found Open Space incredibly liberating
> because it empowers me to regulate my interactions with the group - to
> move towards privacy when I need it - including going for a walk alone
> or taking a nap - and re-engaging when I feel motivated.
>
> I also remember being fascinated at an Open Space with Harrison Owen -
> the Leadership in a Self-Organizing World conference at the Sleeping
> Lady resort in the mountains east of Seattle a few years ago - watching
> these circles of very different intensity. As I was buzzing around, some
> were inviting or relatively porous in letting in new participants.
> Others circles had boundaries that seemed so intense it felt like I'd be
> an intruder if I tried to enter. Different membrane constructions - all
> self-organized. I also remember someone at that conference setting up a
> more formal membrane that asked participants to come at the beginning
> and not to leave. I didn't go, but it seemed to work and not harm the
> other circles, even though the convener was in a sense "breaking" the
> rules of open space and the Law of Two Feet. There were so many
> professional facilitators at that conference - not all of them were big
> fans of OST. I was a bit of a newbie back then. I spent a lot of time
> being surprised!
>
> Harold
>
>
>
> On 4/8/14 2:42 AM, Arno Baltin wrote:
>> Dear All!
>>
>> I like this discussion.
>> I wonder if this border topic could be visualized (for example with
>> something like Kurt Lewins initiated topological method). How to
>> represent visually the border...no border...wall...fence ... container
>> ... around individual or group or both ... What forces drive people to
>> close or open the border. An example of descriptive approach here is
>> theprivacy regulation model
>> <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Privacy_regulation_theory> from social
>> psychology (I. Altman and others) where the social subject is
>> regulating its border with environment trying to find equilibrium
>> (optimum) between isolation and crowding. The cell analogy is often
>> used in this context as the cell is defined by its border (membrane)
>> and the communications with its environment goes by and through this
>> border. In privacy regulation model the border is a means to develop
>> and keep subjects identity and integrity.
>>
>> Be well!
>>
>> Arno
>>
>>
>> **
>>
>>
>> 2014-04-07 4:33 GMT+03:00 Michael Wood <michael.wood at uwa.edu.au
>> <mailto:michael.wood at uwa.edu.au>>:
>>
>> Thanks, Harrison, for your response to my question on
>> 'boundaries', particularly your paraphrasing of my question -
>> which was spot on. One thing I've taken from this brief
>> conversation is that although considering the boundaries can be
>> useful, we also need to accept that boundaries are never entirely
>> clear, always moving on a spectrum from clear to uncertain/murky
>> and if we, as a sponsor or facilitator, get overly bound up with
>> boundaries then we might have moved, once again, into being too
>> controlling.
>>
>> Michael Wood
>> Perth, Western Australia
>>
>>
>> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
>>
>> Message: 1
>> Date: Thu, 03 Apr 2014 12:01:40 -0400
>> From: "Harrison Owen" <hhowen at verizon.net <mailto:hhowen at verizon.net>>
>> To: "'World wide Open Space Technology email list'"
>> <oslist at lists.openspacetech.org
>> <mailto:oslist at lists.openspacetech.org>>
>> Subject: Re: [OSList] Open Space and boundaries
>> Message-ID: <000301cf4f56$00776480$01662d80$@net>
>> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII
>>
>> It has been common for us to speak of Containers and Boundaries as
>> somehow essential to Open Space. I can't quite find the place, but
>> I do remember saying something like that myself, as in, "The role
>> of the facilitator is to create the container..." It certainly
>> made sense at the time, but I always felt a little uncomfortable
>> with the image. Too mechanical, coercive... too something. And
>> Michael has brought the subject up again. "So...here we have a
>> situation where the 'boundaries' are actually in a state of
>> complex flux and uncertainty. The financial 'givens' are
>> ambiguous; there is no 'locum'
>> pastor in place because of legal uncertainties with the existing
>> pastor...etc." You might call it "messy boundaries" -- and he
>> raises the question whether one should press ahead with Open
>> Space, or wait until the "mess" is settled down. On the one hand,
>> Michael "hunches" that one should press on -- Open Space. But his
>> hesitation comes, I suspect, from the prior notion that fixed
>> boundaries/containers are necessary for an effective Open Space.
>> What to do?
>>
>> Some thoughts (new ones for me): Containers are great for cooking
>> soup, but are unneeded and maybe even problematical in Open Space.
>> It is all about holding things together. In Open Space groups of
>> people come together to deal with their issues. At the very least
>> that would mean gathering in some common time/space, be that
>> physical or electronic. It would seem that this co-location could
>> be facilitated were some suitable "container" provided, presumably
>> by the sponsor/facilitator. This certainly makes sense, and as a
>> rough way of speaking, it seems to describe what is going on. But
>> as I think about it, I think we may be missing a most important
>> point. Coming together in Open Space happens because people care
>> to come. And they continue their connection as long as they care
>> to do so. (Law of two feet)
>>
>> >From the "outside" it might look as if they were held in place by a
>> container, but that is illusory. The actual dynamics are
>> centripetal, the force is mutual attraction... people are "there"
>> because they care to be there and not because they are contained
>> by some external structure. In a word, we as facilitators really
>> don't do a thing, and creating a container is the least of what we
>> DON'T do. The people, from the beginning, do it all.
>>
>>
>> Of course, there are situations where groups come together under
>> orders, mandates, whatever. And they are definitely "contained."
>> It is also true that the tighter that container, the less likely
>> self organization will take place. If true, providing a container
>> is not only unnecessary but also destructive. In the name of
>> Opening space, we effectively close it. Or so I suspect it might
>> be. Just thinking...
>>
>> Anyhow Michael, should my mental peregrinations lead anywhere
>> useful, it would seem that your "hunch" was spot on. Forget the
>> boundaries/container.
>> Just invite the space to open.
>>
>> Harrison
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> 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 <http://www.openspaceworld.com>
>> www.ho-image.com <http://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>
>> [mailto:oslist-bounces at lists.openspacetech.org
>> <mailto:oslist-bounces at lists.openspacetech.org>] On Behalf Of
>> Michael Wood
>> Sent: Tuesday, April 01, 2014 9:59 PM
>> To: 'oslist at lists.openspacetech.org
>> <mailto:oslist at lists.openspacetech.org>'
>> Subject: [OSList] Open Space and boundaries
>>
>> A Case Study....
>> One of the principles that I have generally worked with in Open
>> Space is helping the client get clear on the 'boundaries' of the
>> space that's being opened. For example, helping people who come
>> into the space to know 'what up for grabs here and what isn't?
>> What decisions have already been made?'
>>
>> So picture this (purely hypothetical of course)....a church
>> community in which the pastor has (in many peoples' opinion) run
>> off the rails and the main church body is in the process of trying
>> to dismiss him; the church is in compete disarray and completely
>> conflict ridden, many people have left; the pastor who holds all
>> the keys, banking passwords; church telephone connections etc etc,
>> has taken legal advice and had hunkered down in the church owned
>> house where he continues to hold the reigns of power (via some of
>> his 'allies' in the church) despite not formally being the Pastor
>> of the church anymore....
>>
>> So...here we have a situation where the 'boundaries' are actually
>> in a state of complex flux and uncertainty. The financial 'givens'
>> are ambiguous; there is no 'locum' pastor in place because of
>> legal uncertainties with the existing pastor...etc etc.
>>
>> So in terms of 'Opening Space', do we wait a bit longer until some
>> of the legal boundaries are clarified, OR open space right away in
>> the midst of the mess....my hunch is the latter, but any thoughts
>> from anyone?
>>
>> Cheers
>> Michael
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>
> --
> Harold Shinsato
> harold at shinsato.com <mailto:harold at shinsato.com>
> http://shinsato.com
> twitter: @hajush <http://twitter.com/hajush>
>
>
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--
Michael M Pannwitz
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