[OSList] Open Space by the book?

Mon Nov 17 14:29:22 PST 2014

That's a great reminder Michael! Made me smile ;) Mostly because it brought
some relief from the frequent emphasis I do put on thinking about "how"
things can be done better in open space!

Recalls to my mind when I worked on a crisis and suicide intervention
hotline. We had a big sign hanging up reminding us, "It's not about you".

Tricia Chirumbole
US: +1-571-232-0942
Skype: tricia.chirumbole

On Mon, Nov 17, 2014 at 5:21 PM, Michael Herman via OSList <
oslist at lists.openspacetech.org> wrote:

> All of us as facilitators would do well to remember that people are not
>> coming to a meeting to be wowed by a process that you personally love.
>> They are coming to get work done.  And so it behooves us to put a lid on
>> our passions for the mechanics of the process and simply open space so that
>> work can get done.  Later on you can reflect on WHY it happened like that.
>
>
> yes yes yes, chris.  it may well be that the, shall we say, "traditional"
> story of 4 principles, one law and a couple of bugs is ready to go the way
> of voting.  there is still something to be said for talking about the
> purpose, and something to be said for not knowing what will happen.  i
> always liked that fr. brian used to put "be prepared to be surprised" at
> the entrance to the space.  and something to be said for giving people a
> chance to think about what they want to do/post, before the chaos of
> writing and announcing begins.  probably this "time to think" is the most
> important part about talking about principles and bugs.  the higher the
> stakes and/or the larger the group, probably the more time for pre-soaking.
>  guess that's the art of it really... just enough, but no more, in the
> briefing.  and in whatever way that we don't create a distraction from
> which we cannot escape.  the better we know the group and the issues,
> probably the easier it is to do this.
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> --
>
> Michael Herman
> Michael Herman Associates
> 312-280-7838 (mobile)
>
> http://MichaelHerman.com
> http://OpenSpaceWorld.org
>
>
> On Mon, Nov 17, 2014 at 4:03 PM, Chris Corrigan via OSList <
> oslist at lists.openspacetech.org> wrote:
>
>> I have opened space many many times without ever mentioning the four
>> principles, the law or any other assorted wisdom associated with WHY the
>> process works.
>>
>> My basic practice is to explain HOW we will organize ourselves, pointing
>> out the tools we have to do so: paper, markers, bulletin board.
>>
>> I talk about passion and responsibility “Please only post a topic you
>> will personally show up for…” and I mention the freedom of choosing and
>> moving.
>>
>> That is all that people need to get into Open Space.  I’m not sure the
>> principles or the law or anything else are necessary pre-conditions for the
>> appearance and deployment of Open Space in a meeting.  I think they help
>> explain what is happening, and I think they help people let go of control a
>> little.
>>
>> All of us as facilitators would do well to remember that people are not
>> coming to a meeting to be wowed by a process that you personally love.
>> They are coming to get work done.  And so it behooves us to put a lid on
>> our passions for the mechanics of the process and simply open space so that
>> work can get done.  Later on you can reflect on WHY it happened like that.
>>
>> As for the idea that OST is mainstream, well perhaps not yet.  But within
>> the world of people who think a lot about this sort of thing it is widely
>> known.  I feel like these days people call and ask about OST having
>> experienced it whereas in the 1990s and early 200s people were calling
>> because it seemed like a good idea, but they had never experienced it.  So
>> not mainstream per se, but widely accepted and known in a small part of the
>> world.
>>
>> At any rate it has been a long time since I have asked the question at
>> the start of a meeting and seen zero hands go up.  There seems to be at
>> least one person who knows Open Space.
>>
>> Whether we use the original instructions or modifications or innovations,
>> whatever you do, do it very very well.  Be very conscious, model good
>> leadership and never stop embodying invitation.  Lots of people have
>> witnessed poorly planned Open Spaces run by facilitators who are too
>> nervous to let go of their control of it.  We all owe it to our clients and
>> participants to meet their needs well with a process that helps them get
>> unlocked from the stuck places they get into.
>>
>> Here’s my book again for you to download.  I hope it inspires your
>> practice.
>>
>> The Tao of Holding Space
>> <http://www.archive.org/details/TheTaoOfHoldingSpace>
>>
>> Chris
>>
>>
>> On Nov 14, 2014, at 11:09 PM, John Baxter via OSList <
>> oslist at lists.openspacetech.org> wrote:
>>
>> 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*
>> jsbaxter.com.au <http://www.jsbaxter.com.au/> | CoCreateADL.com
>> <http://cocreateadl.com/>
>> 0405 447 829
>>  | 
>> @jsbaxter_ <http://twitter.com/jsbaxter_>
>>
>> *Thank you to everyone who came, helped or spread the good word about
>> City Grill!*
>> *Summary and links: cocreateadl.com/localgov/grill-summary/
>> <http://cocreateadl.com/localgov/grill-summary/>*
>>
>>
>> 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
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
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>>>
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>>>
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>>>
>>>
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>>>
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>>>
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>>>
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>>>
>>>
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>>>
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>>>
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