[OSList] Organising a Buddhist Way

[David Osborne]

Michael,

I am of the belief that there is a "container" in open space. I ask the
following questions in a spirit of curiosity. If there isn't a
container.....what holds the people together? What is the facilitator
holding when they're holding space? Why would you need a facilitator in the
first place. I would suggest there are three important elements present in
any open space. A container, differences and exchanges. Glenda Eoyang's
work and for me a brilliant theory.

David




On Fri, Feb 28, 2014 at 8:58 AM, Michael M Pannwitz <mmpannwitz at gmail.com>wrote:

> Smiling back at you, Bhav!
> After reading page 15 I felt that open space the way I practice and
> understand it goes way beyond "light structure". In addition, I keep trying
> to stay in the practice of "doing one less thing" after each os event I am
> involved in. Furthermore, I feel that 99% of structure in os events is
> selforganized by the assembled system.
>
> Thinking back 18 years, thats 1996 when I began to work with os, I
> remember how I quickly abolished my original habit of having small posters
> in the break-out sessions with notes on the various roles that could/should
> be filled for the group work... and how I gradually got rid of all
> references on how to interact (in page 15 a number of guidelines are
> mentioned that seem to come out of the "in the know" stance).
>
> Perhaps I am missing something here when I keep thinking that OST needs
> neither "light structuring" nor is a "container". I do pay attention to the
> space in reference to fresh air, daylight, luscious food, professional PAS,
> etc but not to the style of communication... in fact, I can easily imagine
> and have experience the value of interruption, persuasion, disrespectful
> language, questions of all kinds, etc. In my experience, the
> system/participants appear to quickly establish the kind of communication
> they need to work on their issues. No training required.
>
> I am very curious what the things are that you and the others listening in
> have cancelled/dropped/removed from your repertoire... or added... in
> facilitating os events.
>
> Have a great weekend
> mmp
>
> On 28.02.2014 14:08, Bhavesh Patel wrote:
>
>> Hi Friends,
>>
>> I was reading the attached article and loved the way they articulated
>> 'open space' and wanted to share it with you below. The whole article is
>> attached.
>>
>>
>> Smiles Bhav...
>>
>> ---------------------------------------
>> *Page 15*
>> I want to use the term 'light structuring' to make a contrast with forms
>> and practices that could be described as already knowing and already
>> fixed. What I am calling light structuring gives more space for
>> emergence and improvisation (see, for example, Barrett, 2006; Clegg,
>> Kornberger and Rhodes, 2005; Weick, 1998) or unfolding. One might say
>> that light structuring makes space for 'being in the now' rather than
>> 'in the know'. I see light structuring, in this sense, as an important
>> aspect of dialoging and participatory ways of knowing. Light structuring
>> might mean that participants are invited to try to follow certain
>> guidelines that help them to learn whilst practicing what Isaacs called
>> the 'collective discipline' (Isaacs, 1993) of dialogue. These usually
>> include guidelines such as: do not interrupt, do not attempt to persuade
>> others, use respectful language, ask questions only for clarification,
>> listen to your listening and so on (e.g., Chasin, Herzig, Roth, Chasin,
>> Becker and Stains, 1996).
>>
>> Such 'minimal' or 'light' structures help to block or interrupt already
>> solidified patterns and, in this way, can help to open up new
>> possibilities and what I have called 'soft' self-other relations. The
>> idea is to provide enough but not too much structure: to provide a
>> container, so to speak, that invites and supports the gradual emergence
>> of slow, open, coherent, in-the-present-moment performances. In this way
>> it becomes possible to be 'relationally responsive' (McNamee, Gergen and
>> associates, 1999) to whatever comes up in any particular moment and
>> possible to make space and be open for multiple, ongoing, local realities.
>>
>>
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> --
> Michael M Pannwitz
> Draisweg 1, 12209 Berlin, Germany
> ++49 - 30-772 8000
>
>
>
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--

David Osborne



www.change-fusion.com | dosborne at change-fusion.com | 703.939.1777
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