[OSList] An invitation for future invitations to WOSONOS

[Harrison Owen via OSList]

Pernilla – It always amazes me how simple things complexify and
happenstantial acts suddenly become “intricate tradition.” 

 

Back in the day, long ages ago, having an Open Space on Open Space (OSONOS)
seemed like a  fun thing to do. I think it took me all of 4-5 hours (total)
to organize it, and the “fee” for attendance was $25. Actually, truth to
tell, I did charge something like $200 for the first one on the grounds that
there was some value added on my part. But after  the first one, when it
became quite clear that I really didn’t do a thing... we got back to
something reasonable. That was $25 to cover Post-its, magic markers, News
Print, etc.  And when it came to figuring out where it was going to “happen”
next – the process was indeed elaborate. Some nice soul just said, “Come See
us.” If two people had similar inclinations, but different places in mind,
who ever spoke second covered the following year. No fuss, no bother and in
10 minutes time the essential arrangements were made. 

 

I don’t know when or how,  but things started to drag on. I am sure a lot of
folks didn’t see it the same way I did, but I have to confess that I found
my two feet working if the discussion of “next place” lasted more than about
10 minutes... being a person of very short attention span. I have been to
most OSONOS’s and loved every one. But a few years ago it did seem to me
that we were working much too hard. It also seemed that having THE (W)OSONOS
was somehow a strangely competitive situation. Definitely working too hard!

 

As far as I was concerned anyone, anywhere should invite whomsoever to
wherever. OSONOS all over! And just to make the point I tried two such
things in Camden Maine. OSONOS-by-the-Sea, I called it. I think I broke my
record when it came to organizing time. If I said 3 hours, that would be
stretching it. We were filled out in about 48 hours and the fee was $25,
most of which I gave to Lisa for her good work. When it came to
accommodations, I just provided the website of the Chamber of Commerce, and
suggested that anybody who was coming might check it out and find a nice
bed/meal/front porch. A local parish let us have the use of their Hall (for
a small fee) – and we were in business. Actually the fee that they proposed
was so ridiculously low that I doubled it – and we still gave most of the
money to Lisa! Go figure.

 

Maybe it is catching? I notice that Andrew Rixon is welcoming folks to
Melbourne and I am looking forward to joining Mrs. Song and friends in
Beijing shortly. And then of course Manila is upcoming. And what’s happening
in Sweden?

 

This seems to have gone on for a bit. And I do have a bottom line: If it
ain’t fun, don’t do it. And if you are working too hard, that definitely
begins to cut into the fun. So Pernilla, in an odd sort of way, I just want
to get back to basics – Would that be tradition? Make it fun. Make it
simple. Open Space wherever you can, and amazing things always happen. The
more the merrier!!!!

 

Harrison

 

From: OSList [mailto:oslist-bounces at lists.openspacetech.org] On Behalf Of
Pernilla Luttropp via OSList
Sent: Wednesday, September 30, 2015 3:04 PM
To: OSList at lists.openspacetech.org
Subject: [OSList] An invitation for future invitations to WOSONOS

 

Hi all!
At the inspiring WOSONOS in Kraków there were some learning conversations on
how this community  goes about when expressing and accepting invitations
from countries/places to host the upcoming WOSONOSes.
 
In the big circle there were voices that expressed some confusion and
discomfort with the process. Others said that whatever happened, they would
trust the process. There was also the mentioning of ‘traditions’ and the
ways things are usually done at a WOSONOS. And the reminder that traditions
are made in every single now and ‘Whatever happens is the only thing that
could have’.
 
If you are new to WOSONOS
This is how it’s usually done (I think): the countries that wish to host the
next WOSONOS makes an invitation at the closing circle of the WOSONOS and
the participants are free to accept any of the invitations. The process of
accepting the invitation is sometimes done by some kind of ‘voting’
procedure in order to agree on one place. There is often someone who reminds
everybody that the only way to ‘vote’ in Open Space is by applying ‘The law
of mobility’. There is no need to only have one WOSONOS, there could be
multiple since ‘Wherever it happens is the right place’.
 
My view
I am personally very uncomfortable to use the words ‘voting’ or to ‘make a
collective decision’ within an Open Space. One of the beauties with Open
Space is taking responsibility for your own engagement. If we all share the
same engagement we will walk in the same direction, eventually. But
sometimes it takes time for things to emerge.
If a group decides on voting there are many good methods and it’s of outmost
importance for those present to understand what they are about to do, in
order to make an informed decision. Is it a majority decision? How many is
the majority? What happens if some vote no? Is it possible to have a ballot
vote? Is it the role of the facilitator to sum it up and make the final
decision? In my view, we can only express our appreciation for the
invitation at the Open Space, offer help if needed and make use of the law
of mobility. 
 
An invitation
This is an invitation to try something else and maybe to let go of a
‘tradition’. What if we opened up at the beginning of the process in order
to see how it self organizes at the end? 
There seems to be something unclear about the ‘tradition’ on how to get
information about who is inviting and why. If that information were
transparent from the very start of the WOSONOS, it might enable more
dialogue with the inviting hosts and between the hosts.
 
The countries/places that wish to host a future WOSONOS could post this on
the OSLIST and Facebook and send a gentle reminder a few weeks before the
upcoming WOSONOS. The inviting hosts would then be posted on a flip chart at
the WOSONOS and announced as a session when creating the bulletin board or
at the evening news. As always there is the opportunity to add places,
sessions and news announcements up until the closing circle, both on the
spot and via other ways of communicating. This would make it easier for
everyone to approach the hosts, express their delight or ask clarifying
questions. It would also enable the hosts (or their representatives) to come
together in a session and find out how they would like to do the invitations
in the closing circle. Maybe some will wait until next year? Maybe multiple
WOSONOSes in one year? Maybe in different continents at the same time? Maybe
with different themes/urgent questions? Let’s embrace chaos and see what
emerges! Or ‘Whatever happens is the only thing that could have’.
 
Since the closing circle have a more definite dead line than ‘When it is
over it is over’, due to flights and other time restrictions, this prolonged
invitation process will open up time for more dialogues and invitations. 
But then again, as said in the closing circle in Kraków, there is nothing
like a good mess in order to learn something new J

Maybe it has been tried before and in that case I’m interested to know how
it worked or didn’t work.

Greetings from Sweden!
Pernilla

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