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<DIV><FONT color=#0000ff face=Arial><SPAN class=590553916-27012000><STRONG>Hi
Chris,</STRONG></SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#0000ff face=Arial><SPAN class=590553916-27012000><STRONG>I'm
aware that it is easy to give advice, and yet I know I am not walking in
your shoes. So please ignore this if it doesn't fit.
</STRONG></SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#0000ff face=Arial><SPAN
class=590553916-27012000></SPAN></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#0000ff face=Arial><SPAN class=590553916-27012000><STRONG>I
think it is important to include everyone who cares to be involved from the
original group in your next step. Those directly involved already moving into
action, the folks from government and so on. I would like to put in a good word
here for folks from government. So far, I've met a number of highly committed
deeply passionate individuals and I see them as part of the US, not a THEY. All
people involved with your Open Space had their own personal experience and for
some, their own personal and unique transformative moment.
</STRONG></SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#0000ff face=Arial><SPAN
class=590553916-27012000></SPAN></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#0000ff face=Arial><SPAN class=590553916-27012000><STRONG>I
also know the requirement of the people representing their various goverment
ministries to move things forward within their ministries and like it or not,
they will need to distill the richness created from the Open Space and write
about it in ways that those they report to can get enthused about (I think of
this as meeting people where they are at and not judging them). One never knows,
they might just show up at future open spaces themselves, be prepared to be
surprised, and playful.</STRONG></SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#0000ff face=Arial><SPAN
class=590553916-27012000></SPAN></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#0000ff face=Arial><SPAN class=590553916-27012000><STRONG>My
advice in your current situation is that it would be helpful to move your
actions now into Two Steps. ASAP have an Open Space for convergence into clear
action. A time for taking what happened in the first Open Space and using that
"book of procedings" as "the givens" having everyone who cares to show up (and I
agree with Harrison that they should be given the choice) given the opportunity
to move things from that Open Space into action. Their are variations of what
could be done here and the one I would use would be to initially do voting to
get items prioritized and then use these prioritized items as "the givens" of
what will be acted on and then Open the Space to figure out HOW. You'll need to
think through your other givens so that you know the constraints and supports
for moving things into action and communicate this to the participants right
from the beginning. </STRONG></SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#0000ff face=Arial><SPAN
class=590553916-27012000></SPAN></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#0000ff face=Arial><SPAN
class=590553916-27012000><STRONG>During this Open Space for action planning, it
makes sense that a government rep would put up the topic of creating what is
necessary to move this through government. And of course whoever wants to attend
is exactly the right people. And assuming their are follow up meetings to
actually write things, in keeping with Open Space, those responsible should
invite all participants of the original open space and get even more inclusive
by inviting anyone else who should be involved, and then get on with the task. I
see that the task needs to be done. The how you get there is
critical.</STRONG></SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#0000ff face=Arial><SPAN
class=590553916-27012000></SPAN></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#0000ff face=Arial><SPAN class=590553916-27012000><STRONG>Hope
you can understand this. Was hard to make it succinct in
e-mail.</STRONG></SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#0000ff face=Arial><SPAN
class=590553916-27012000></SPAN></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#0000ff face=Arial><SPAN
class=590553916-27012000><STRONG>Kindest regards,</STRONG></SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#0000ff face=Arial><SPAN
class=590553916-27012000><STRONG>Birgitt</STRONG></SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<P><FONT color=#000000 face=Arial size=2>Birgitt Bolton</FONT> <BR><FONT
color=#000000 face=Arial size=2>www.openspacetechnology.com</FONT> <BR><FONT
color=#000000 face=Arial size=2>Striving for Success?</FONT> <BR><FONT
color=#000000 face=Arial size=2>Make Genuine
Contact!</FONT><B></B><B></B><B></B> </P>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV class=OutlookMessageHeader><FONT face="Times New Roman"
size=2>-----Original Message-----<BR><B>From:</B> OSLIST
[mailto:OSLIST@LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU]<B>On Behalf Of</B> Harrison
Owen<BR><B>Sent:</B> Thursday, January 27, 2000 6:13 AM<BR><B>To:</B>
OSLIST@LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU<BR><B>Subject:</B> Re: Convergence
Design<BR><BR></FONT></DIV>
<DIV>At 12:27 AM 1/27/00 -0800, you wrote:</DIV>
<DIV>>Harrison wrote:</DIV><BR>
<DIV>>"Chris -- I suggest being a little careful here. If it was true that
all</DIV>
<DIV>>the issues were posted by the Planning Committee members</DIV>
<DIV>>(could have happened) there is no issue. But since that was probably
not</DIV>
<DIV>>the case (never has been, in my experience) you are</DIV>
<DIV>>running the distinct possibility that the actual conveners will
feel</DIV>
<DIV>>disempowered. That would be a major loss. If there is still time,</DIV>
<DIV>>I would suggest that (at the very least you invite all the conveners
of</DIV>
<DIV>>the several issues to join the committee. That is where your</DIV>
<DIV>>energy is -- with the conveners. Use it!"</DIV><BR>
<DIV>Chris Replied:</DIV><BR>
<DIV>. This exercise is primarily for the government folks to develop
some</DIV>
<DIV>>personal committment around the issues the community elucidated.
They</DIV>
<DIV>>have a deep well to drink from (45 sessions and a lot of concrete</DIV>
<DIV>>action) and my intention is to set them loose on the work and figure
out</DIV>
<DIV>>what role they can play to be supportive.</DIV>
<DIV>****************************************</DIV>
<DIV>Further Thoughts from Harrison:</DIV><BR>
<DIV>Chris -- Not to add to your workload, but it occurs to me that you actually
have TWO very important groups that need to get together. One, of course is the
Government Folks who need to get their stuff together. I guess they are called
The Planning Committee, and you probably can't change that now. But it seems to
me that they are no longer the Planning Committee (It has all been planned and
happened) -- They are in fact just one other sub-group from the meeting who now
have to get their stuff together in response to what happened. That sounds like
a good and necessary undertaking. BUT there is at least one other group (The
conveners) who are in a siimilar situation. I understand your hesitance to
invite them to come together because of all the other things that are happening.
But maybe it would be wise to let them make the choice? It could be they don't
want to come -- in which case they won't. Or they might...</DIV><BR>
<DIV>I guess the center of my point is that there are two different needs and
functions here (at least). The Government folks have to get their heads screwed
on right. And -- ALL the people involved (or certainly the conveners) should be
given the opportunity to take responsibility for their thoughts leading to
action.</DIV><BR>
<DIV>At the end of the day what I would be most concerned about is that a very,
very, very old paradigm is re-enforced. BIG BROTHER KNOWS BEST AND ALTHOUGH HE
WILL TAKE YOUR THOUGHTS INTO CONSIDERTATION (MAYBE), IN THE FINAL ANALYSIS, HE
WILL DO WHAT (HE PERCIEVES) IS BEST FOR YOU.</DIV><BR>
<DIV>I am sure that is not your intention, and I believe you that the excitement
generated by the Open Space is such that much good has and will occur. Never-the
less I would be doing my damnedest to make sure that there is at least the
opportunity for all the folks to own their creation and take responsibilty for
its realization. It seems to me from what you have said that even though the
Government folks may have initiated the whole effort, they are now off center
stage. They have their own issues to deal with and they should so that -- but
everybody (as represented by the conveners and anybody else who cares to show
up) should be involved in the "What-Next. I think.</DIV><BR>Harrison <BR>
<DIV align=center>Harrison Owen<BR>7808 River Falls Drive<BR>Potomac, MD
20854<BR>USA<BR>phone 301-469-9269<BR>fax 301-983-9314<BR>website <BR><A
href="http://www.mindspring.com/~owenhh"
eudora="autourl">www.mindspring.com/~owenhh</A><BR>Open Space Institute
websites<BR><A href="http://www.openspaceworld.org/"
eudora="autourl">www.openspaceworld.org</A><BR></DIV></BODY></HTML>