[OSList] What's the difference between BarCamp and OST?

Wed Aug 24 04:42:47 PDT 2016

Dear all

Bar Camp, along with many similar processes, is an attempt to open space.
Compared to OST it contains more intervention (facilitation and control)
and that "one more thing to do" can limit space opening because space tends
to open more effectively for emergent self-organisation when we do one
thing less - minimal intervention.

OST tends towards minimum intervention (especially when we stop fussing
over where the pens go and stop adding little bits of dogmatic facilitation
to it).

Everything ultimately is self-organisation, but it depends on which self or
selves are doing the organising.

Self-Organizing in a pure form is like a beautiful
soft hand moving in the morning sun. OST is a light and fragrant hand
cream. Bar Camp is an arctic glove.

Warm wishes

Paul Levy

On Wednesday, 24 August 2016, Barry Owen via OSList <
oslist at lists.openspacetech.org> wrote:

> I could write a veritable book about my experiences with BarCamp here in
> nashville, TN in the past 6 years.
>
> It's pseudo self organization at best . . . There's a tip of the hat to
> unconference at the beginning as folks arrive and are invited to write down
> "Things they want to Learn" and "things they want to teach".
>
> The "organizers" then fill the schedule while the participants mingle, and
> the event starts (as aforementioned) with a very brief introduction.
>
> Most sessions are "teaching" and not open dialog and many are pre-loaded
> speakers who were specifically invited to come with all expenses paid.
>
> my understanding is that BarCamp was initially designed as a "Technology
> Conference" for computer Geeks, so perhaps it 'works" better with Geeks.
> Using it for other other purposes (Organizational
> Development/transformation etc) is an unintended use of the original format.
>
> So - I think BarCamp serves the intended purpose well - and I believe some
> misguided folks are attempting to plug a square hole with a round peg
> thinking that it's interchangeable with OST
>
> My 2 cents
>
> This ain't Open Space!
>
>
> *Barry Owen*
> *Real Estate Strategist*
> Founder/Principal Broker
> *Pareto Realty, LLC *\pə-ˈrā-(ˌ)tō\
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>
> On Tue, Aug 23, 2016 at 4:53 PM, Amanda Bucklow via OSList <
> oslist at lists.openspacetech.org
> <javascript:_e(%7B%7D,'cvml','oslist at lists.openspacetech.org');>> wrote:
>
>> I had never heard of BarCamp. I was smiling too as I read Martin’s
>> response. If anyone mentions it to me, I will just roll my eyes :-)
>>
>> Amanda
>>
>> Amanda Bucklow
>> Independent Commercial Mediator
>>
>>
>> On 23 Aug 2016, at 20:51, Eva P Svensson via OSList <
>> oslist at lists.openspacetech.org
>> <javascript:_e(%7B%7D,'cvml','oslist at lists.openspacetech.org');>> wrote:
>>
>> Martin,
>> I smile when I read your text - I can almost feel your irritation over
>> comparing OST with Barcamp :-)
>> Thank you all who had answered - I now think that I will not ever say
>> that it’s like OST, but that they had borrowed a few thing but got them
>> backwards…(oops)
>> :o)
>> Eva
>>
>> Bästa hälsningar
>>
>>
>> Eva P Svensson
>>
>>
>> *EPS Human Invest AB*
>> *Co owner Genuine Contact Group Inc*
>> *Medlem i Beyond Performance Group*
>>
>>
>> *"Verksamhetsutveckling genom människor skapar långsiktigt välmående
>> företag och organisationer"*
>>
>>
>> Anåsbergsvägen 22, 439 34 ONSALA
>> Besöksadress; Norra Allégatan 8, Göteborg
>> Tfn: 0300-615 05, Mobil; 0706- 89 85 50
>> www.epshumaninvest.se
>> Skype: eva.p.svensson
>> Facebook sida: EPS Human Invest AB
>> twitter:@EvaPSvensson
>>
>> *"Jag kan inte lära dig något. Allt jag kan göra är att ställa frågor
>> till dig, och låta dig själv finna svaren." Sokrates*
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> 23 aug. 2016 kl. 11:42 skrev Martin Roell via OSList <
>> oslist at lists.openspacetech.org
>> <javascript:_e(%7B%7D,'cvml','oslist at lists.openspacetech.org');>>:
>>
>> Eva P Svensson via OSList wrote:
>>
>> Dear friends,
>> Today I heard a woman talking about setting up a meeting using BarCamp as
>> a method. I asked her to explain to me what it was and when she did that I
>> had a hard time finding the differences between that and Open Space. One
>> thing was that, as she explained it, the time slots were 45 minutes then 15
>> minutes pause then new 45 minutes and so on. Otherwise it seemed more or
>> less like copy and paste from Open Space. Anyone who knows more about it?
>> :o)
>>
>>
>> I have attended a good number of Barcamps and OST meetings, and I
>> believe I even vented my frustration about BarCamps on this list before.
>> :)
>>
>> To make a long story short, a few points of how BarCamps are different.
>> (This may be just my limited sample of Barcamps held in Germany in the
>> last 4 years.)
>>
>> * No circle at the beginning
>> * A ritual "say your name and your three #tags" instead before things
>> start (stopping the flow, boring the hell out of everyone, etc etc)
>> * When announcing a session, one asks for a raise of hands to gauge
>> interest.
>> * The "Facilitator" then allocates you a room ("thank you for announcing
>> your session so cutely. Here's a room for you.")
>> * and sometimes STICKS THE PAPER INTO THE SCHEDULE FOR YOU (you don't
>> get to choose the room for yourself: they do it for you!)
>> * Facilitators generally make looong remarks about BARCAMP before things
>> start and ask for a raise of hands, how many people have attended
>> BARCAMPS before, and how many (more is better)
>> * Facilitators inform people that BARCAMP is AMAAAAZING because: YOU GET
>> TO PARTICPATE! WOW!!1 They make the event more amazing by talking about
>> how amazing it will be (preventing anyone from getting to work).
>> * Much of the butterfly conversation is about BARCAMP and how AMAZING it
>> is.
>> * There is usually no issue, but a "theme" for the event; what gets
>> posted are not "issues" but "sessions". (In the Barcamps I attended, not
>> a single session was posted that had a question mark in it.)
>> * "Sessions" are often teaching, delivered by extroverts
>>
>> One a more serious note:
>> Barcamp differs from OST culturally, in the sense that it is often used
>> for what I'd call "participatory teaching / knowledge sharing events":
>> In Germany, they seem to become popular with companies now, as a way to
>> save education budgets ("our staff can now share knowledge with
>> eachother! Using BARCAMP!! ITS CHEAPER THAN SEMINARS!!!!"), whereas OST
>> functions... hm, better? more naturally? - as a problem solving...
>> thing. Or so.
>>
>> Or, very simply and more personal: Everytime I hear someone say
>> something along "Barcamp is not so different from Open Space, is it?" I
>> get quite mad, because I have often seen amazing things happen in Open
>> Space events, and never seen anything amazing happen in BarCamps.
>>
>> YMMV.
>>
>> Martin
>>
>> --
>> Martin Röll, Görlitzer Str. 25, 01099 Dresden, Germany
>> +49 178 4984743, @martinroell, http://www.roell.net
>>
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