[OSList] Open Space by the book?

Sat Nov 15 09:07:42 PST 2014

John – Sorry for the mess. I confess it doesn’t look like the standard executive announcement or whatever. I suppose, if there is any excuse it is that I am forever a story teller. And story tellers, as you doubtless know, have a very light regard for the (historical) truth. Furthermore, they rarely come to the point quickly. More usually it is a trip around the barn before you get to the heart of the matter...

Anyhow I am a little curious about the “critical testing” of the Principles. I guess I never  really thought about it – but if I had, the answer might be...Certainly, and they have definitely stood the test of time. Each one of them has been extensively dissected,  perhaps even vivisected  to say nothing of discussed here on OSLIST. With a little Googling you can find most of that. And after a number of years, we always seem to come back to where we started. Which raises another question: Where was that?

It is probably important to know that The Principles were never intended as prescriptions for behavior – as in “things that should be done.” They were/are quite simply observations of what seemed to be happening anyhow. In a word, they are descriptive. It is true that the original formulation was mine, and you can certainly critique the grammar, which is atrocious, but over time there appears to be a consensus that they accurately reflect some of the stranger experiences in Open Space. Will that always be so? Who knows. 

Actually one of the stranger happenings regarding the Principles has been their appropriation by folks who seem to think that they describe Indian Spirituality. How and why all that came about, I don’t have a clue, but if you are interested check out:

http://yogi--anand.blogspot.com/2011/03/four-principles-of-indian-spirituality.html  

And if you want more just Google “Four Principles of Indian Spirituality” It goes on for a bit.

So how’s that for a trip around the barn? And if you are still wondering what the point of my story was, go to the last paragraphs. In the way of stories, things only come together in the final reel. Or something.

“I can see the possibilities, but I doubt seriously I would change. Senile sentimentality for sure, AND I actually have another concern which I think may be determinative. I suspect that OST (simple version) may be the best Training Program going when it comes to the introduction of folks to the High Arts of navigating a self organizing world. And best of all it is Experiential Learning from the start. Training and Doing are absolutely united. It is not talking about self organization it is being intentionally in that mode. And any added complexity/parallel program will tend to obscure the central mind bending fact – It’s happening all by itself.”

Harrison

PS -- I don’t think I ever said that OST was “mainstream.” If you read that part again, I think you will find that my reference was to the growing awareness of self organization as fundamental reality In our world. An awareness that most folks are not very comfortable with. Oh Damn, I did it again. Un-grammar... ending with a participle. But Winnie was right, marvelous story teller that he was. Saying it “correctly” would be “errant pedantry, up with which I shall not put.” 

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From: OSList [mailto:oslist-bounces at lists.openspacetech.org] On Behalf Of John Baxter via OSList
Sent: Saturday, November 15, 2014 2:09 AM
To: paul levy; World wide Open Space Technology email list
Cc: Harrison Owen
Subject: Re: [OSList] Open Space by the book?

Nice reflection Harrison.

You've unfortunately created too many loose ends to inspire a neat reply.  So here is a messy one.

Regards the simplest recipe for Open Space, to what degree have the Law and N Principles (and the animals) been critically tested?  To be honest, these have never really resonated for me and I've always used a different variation each time searching for something that feels right (and no longer than it needs to be).

I think it's a long bow to describe Open Space as mainstream, or anywhere near it.  It has spread to all corners of the globe perhaps, but it is still the System A alternative, islands within a System B world.  I would hazard 90% of those who have been to conferences and meetings and like gatherings have not heard of it... (speaking at a conference on cocreation and placemaking recently, I requested a hands-up and had a whole TWO of hundreds confess to acquaintance)

and even if 90% had, I'm sure less than 1% of the gatherings they attend are consciously designed to unlock self organisation.

What you describe of the permutations of the practice matches what I see (though I'm too new to know differently), but I can't see how this could be because of a tipping point as the practice is mainstreamed.

Maybe that's just where I participate.

Regards the permutations and combinations... bring them on!  This thread could quickly follow all sorts of rabbit holes on this one, so I might save those thoughts for another day.

Cheers

John Baxter

Cocreation Consultant & CoCreate Adelaide Facilitator

 <http://www.jsbaxter.com.au/> jsbaxter.com.au | CoCreateADL.com

0405 447 829

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@ <http://twitter.com/jsbaxter_> jsbaxter_

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On Fri, Nov 14, 2014 at 5:37 AM, paul levy via OSList <oslist at lists.openspacetech.org> wrote:

The problem with sticking with things is you might just end up stuck.

Ho hum.

Paul Levy 

On 13 Nov 2014, at 18:14, Harrison Owen via OSList <oslist at lists.openspacetech.org> wrote:

Open Space, in its “original” form is sparse simplicity to say the least. Ten to fifteen minutes introduction, and it is off the races, or in my case, off to take a nap. The evolution of this format followed a simple dictum: “Think of one more thing NOT to do.” Over time in my practice I simply removed one more element. The first to go were so called, “warm up exercises.” But it went down from there. My surprise was that the less I did, the better it got... which seemed to be the exact opposite of many of my colleagues’ experience with the methods and approaches they had created. Their simple guide books gave way to 400 page Manuals with additions and extensions. Of course, there were times when people remarked to me that OS was so simple it couldn’t possibly work. But it did. Simply sit in a circle, create a bulletin board, acknowledge the 5 principles and the Law – and Go to Work! That’s it. That’s all.

I confess that I do love elegant simplicity, and so there is a large part of me that would stick with the “original” for that reason alone. To this may be added the fact that this “elegant simplicity” apparently violated essentially all the principles and practices of management that I knew about. To some extent this was a source of no small amount of embarrassment, for after all when what you see, do, and think is at odds with the Received Wisdom there are obvious questions about your grasp of reality. But, the disparity between what I was witnessing and what  (I was told) I should be experiencing has led to a marvelous quest into the strange new world of self organizing systems. Rich and rewarding indeed.

Now it seems that the world is changing (or at least our perception of that world) such that the strange environment of self organization is no longer so strange. What appeared odd, counter-intuitive, impossible is now almost mainstream. Not quite but getting there. And if so, perhaps it is now time to let go of that old “elegant simplicity” in all of its appealing purity... and plunge into the marvelous world of combinations and permutations. And why not? It could be a lot of fun.

I can see the possibilities, but I doubt seriously I would change. Senile sentimentality for sure, AND I actually have another concern which I think may be determinative. I suspect that OST (simple version) may be the best Training Program going when it comes to the introduction of folks to the High Arts of navigating a self organizing world. And best of all it is Experiential Learning from the start. Training and Doing are absolutely united. It is not talking about self organization it is being intentionally in that mode. And any added complexity/parallel program will tend to obscure the central mind bending fact – It’s happening all by itself. 

We have talked about this “ training” function before, usually under the heading of Chris Corrigan’s notion of Training Wheels. That is definitely good start, but only a start. We can do more, and it could be a real kick. 

So I plan to stick with the original – with the hope and intent that lots of new people will drop by to experience the incredible, productive freedom of losing control, and then come to understand that it is actually their birthright. They only have to claim it.

Harrison

Winter Address

7808 River Falls Drive

Potomac, MD 20854

301-365-2093

Summer Address

189 Beaucaire Ave.

Camden, ME 04843

207-763-3261

Websites

www.openspaceworld.com <http://%20www.openspaceworld.com> 

www.ho-image.com

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