<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN">
<HTML><HEAD>
<META content="text/html; charset=iso-8859-1" http-equiv=Content-Type>
<META content="MSHTML 5.00.2314.1000" name=GENERATOR></HEAD>
<BODY>
<DIV><FONT color=#0000ff face=Arial size=2><SPAN class=440471605-06092000>SOUNDS
CHALLENGING. THANKS!</SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE style="MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px">
<DIV align=left class=OutlookMessageHeader dir=ltr><FONT face=Tahoma
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> Wednesday, September 06, 2000 3:44 AM<BR><B>To:</B>
OSLIST@LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU<BR><B>Subject:</B> Re: when a client hires Open
Space Technology, is this what she gets?<BR><BR></DIV></FONT>At 04:14 AM
9/5/00 +0700, you wrote:<BR>
<BLOCKQUOTE cite type="cite"><FONT color=#0000ff face=arial size=2>Hi
Harrison,</FONT><BR> <BR><FONT color=#0000ff face=arial size=2>I'm back
with my questions,</FONT><BR><FONT color=#0000ff face=arial size=2>and they
are very close to the point you are discussing
now.</FONT><BR> <BR><FONT color=#0000ff face=arial size=2>If the whole
process as we discovered with you - just 20 minutes of saying rules, then
self-organizing, so how it came to the process of action planning?
</FONT><BR> <BR><FONT color=#0000ff face=arial size=2>that is just
people intentions and movings. right?</FONT></BLOCKQUOTE><BR>Action planning
usually needs to get specific. So you certainly start with people's
"intentions and movings" -- but I would get them to write it down, and best of
all make a public commitment to take the necessary action. Typically this
comes from the conveners of the groups, and then other people can sign on as
well to help. <BR><BR>
<BLOCKQUOTE cite type="cite"><BR><FONT color=#0000ff face=arial size=2>so
how facilitator should start the second day or finish the first one? is
there any special "pushing" or the closing evening session is just a
discussion of what people want to discuss?</FONT></BLOCKQUOTE><BR>sometimes it
helps to review what happened the previous day -- but I wouldn't spend much
time on that. What I would do is to ask the people to dig deeper and
make sure that EVERYTHING that they really care about has been put on the
wall. If they were a little timid the day before, just remind them -- this is
the last call. And if they don't put it up -- they can't go home saying, "But
they never talked about what I was interested in."<BR> <BR>
<BLOCKQUOTE cite type="cite"><FONT color=#0000ff face=arial size=2>What is
real opening space? - that is the question of Birgitt to me. I like to learn
it as well... if possible, what is it just for
YOU.</FONT></BLOCKQUOTE><BR>Goodness --- you certainly ask the hard ones!!!! I
guess for me, real open space is safe enough so that people can really talk
about what they care about, and start on the process of taking useful action.
Safe Space requires that they have the time too -- for a complex, conflicted
issue, there has to be time to work. But it can't be too safe -- there is a
risk, life is a risk. And here is where passion is important. I guess a useful
criteria is that the space is safe enough for passion to show up. How''s
that?<BR><BR>
<BLOCKQUOTE cite type="cite"><BR><FONT color=#0000ff face=arial size=2>best
wishes</FONT><BR> <BR><FONT color=#0000ff face=arial size=2>Elena
Marchuk, Novosibirsk</FONT>
<DL><FONT face=tahoma size=2>
<DD>-----Original Message-----
<DD>From:</B> OSLIST [<A href="mailto:OSLIST@LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU%5DOn"
eudora="autourl">mailto:OSLIST@LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU]</A><A
href="mailto:OSLIST@LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU%5DOn" eudora="autourl">On</A>
Behalf Of </B>Harrison Owen
<DD>Sent:</B> Sunday, September 03, 2000 8:24 PM
<DD>To:</B> OSLIST@LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU
<DD>Subject:</B> Re: when a client hires Open Space Technology, is this
what she gets?<BR><BR></FONT>
<DD>At 10:28 PM 9/2/00 -0400, Birgitt wrote:<BR><BR><FONT face=arial
size=2>
<DD> This caused the manager to go onto the internet to find out a
little more, came upon my website, and wanted to know if she had hired a
consultant who would do a good job and deliver Open Space Technology as
she now understood it to be.</FONT>
<BLOCKQUOTE cite type="cite"><FONT face=arial size=2>
<DD>The name of the consultant was unfamiliar to me. I have no idea what
the consultant does that he calls Open Space Technology. I do know he
charged a lot. I said I did not know the consultant, couldn't speak for
his work, and then I e-mailed the manager a list of what key ingredients
would be in an Open Space Technology meeting and suggested questions
that she ask of the consultant. She phoned me back and wanted to know
about standards of performance. She said that she had hired Open Space
Technology, in good faith, because she was convinced it was the right
thing to do. She assumed that this is what she would get from someone
who provided Open Space Technology.</FONT>
<DD> <FONT face=arial size=2>
<DD>I believe strongly that situations such as this are going to cause a
backlash against Open Space Technology. I stand even more firmly in my
belief that each facilitator of Open Space Technology will facilitate in
accordance with his/her uniqueness as well as with his/her
interpretation and perception of what Open Space Technology is AND that
certain key ingredients must be attended to.</FONT>
<DD> <FONT face=arial size=2>
<DD>Years ago, when I worked in social services, the various agencies
were working hard, doing good works, and were filled with pride but not
necessarily focused on meeting the needs of the clients, working with
the clients on what the clients wanted. I feel the same at this moment
about the way we are offering Open Space Technology. Are we the ones
interpreting the needs of the clients in the same way social services
did? Or are we listening to what the clients want and meeting their
needs? What if one of their needs is assurance that if they hire Open
Space Technology, that this is what they will actually get? To date, in
my experience, we do not offer this. The client gets whatever the
consultant chooses to deliver and calls Open Space or Open Space
Technology.</FONT></DD></BLOCKQUOTE>
<DD>**********************************<BR><BR>
<DD>No doubt about it. There are consultants out there who haven't got the
whole picture -- and/or fail to present it for whatever reason. There are
also clients out there who fail to do their homework and end up with an
inferior product. There are even clients out there who intentionally
purchase something that they know won't work -- just so they can say, ""It
didn't work -- I tried" -- and then go back to doing just what they were
doing before. All sorts of folks, indeed. <BR><BR>
<DD>And when Open Space is involved in these situations, it is
problematic, sad, and angry-making. All true. But I am not sure that any
potential "cure" would not be worse than the disease -- or something like
that. Certainly, those who write about Open Space should make best effort
to provide the "whole" picture. And those who offer training programs in
Open Space (and Birgitt does some wonderful work here) should do the same.
But at the end of the day there will be consultants who play with less
than a full deck, and clients who fail to do their "due diligence" search.
So what about poor old Open Space?<BR><BR>
<DD>I think it will survive. <BR><BR>
<DD>First off, there are also clients that do their due diligence -- and
Birgitt's conversation is a case in point. Secondly, even when Open Space
is done "poorly" it is usually better than what might have been done. And
if it is done wretchedly, doubtless there are disappointed folks, but in
my experience, there are more than a few participants who say to
themselves -- This can't be all there is -- and make the effort to find
the Real McCoy. Personally, I love to run into there sorts of people. They
are really receptive, quickly get the picture, and more to the point,
usually turn out to be great advocates. And the "nasty" side of me also
indulges in a in a few chuckles, 'cause I know THAT consultant has just
blown their credibility...to say nothing of future employment.<BR><BR>
<DD>Then we get to the interesting question of What is REAL Open
Space????? Having devoted more than a few pages to the subject, to
say nothing of some hours and years, I can honestly say -- I am still
finding out. To be sure, there are certain fundamentals, but how about the
details? Like "convergence." Certainly useful, and sometimes close to
mandatory -- but not always. For example, for 19 years we have been
convening The International Symposium on Organization Transformation. And
never once have we had a convergence session. And to the best of my
knowledge nobody missed it. Certainly not me. The several thousand folks
who have gathered over the years were not there to move to "concerted
action" -- they came to participate in an ongoing, always evolving,
conversation about transformation in organization. Certainly there have
been definite outcomes, including what might now be termed the field or
practice of Organization Transformation, a whole mess of books and
articles -- and even Open Space Technology. And never once did we do
"convergence" -- a closing circle for sure which was at once an ending and
also a beginning for next year's conversation -- but no convergence.
Looking back, I rather suspect that the power and accomplishments of the
many "OTs" have not be compromised by this lack, indeed the "lack" may
well have been contributory to what I have felt to be some very positive
and useful outcomes. <BR><BR>
<DD>So am I anti-convergence? Absolutely not -- but I find that the useful
criteria are "context and need." And both change with circumstances. So
what's right? It all depends. <BR><BR>
<DD>Of course, one solution to the whole dilemma is that "we" (whoever
"we" is) offer some sort of formal certification in OST. But then we would
have to enforce it -- and spend a lot of time bringing the perpetrators of
malignant Open Space to the bar of justice. Actually, I would choose to
spend my time opening good space, and let the folks make their choice. At
the end of the day I suspect that Open Space (Technology) needs lots of
Open Space -- and it will survive -- or not.<BR><BR><BR><BR>
<DD>Harrison <BR><BR>
<DIV align=center></DIV>
<DD>Harrison Owen
<DD>7808 River Falls Drive
<DD>Potomac, MD 20854 USA
<DD>phone 301-469-9269
<DD>fax 301-983-9314
<DD>Summer Phone 207-763-3261
<DD>Summer Address
<DD>189 Beaucaire Ave.
<DD>Camden, ME 04843
<DD>website <A href="http://www.mindspring.com/~owenhh"
eudora="autourl">www.mindspring.com/~owenhh</A>
<DD>Open Space Institute website <A href="http://www.openspaceworld.org/"
eudora="autourl">www.openspaceworld.org</A>
<DIV></DIV></DD></DL></BLOCKQUOTE><BR>
<DIV align=center>Harrison Owen<BR>7808 River Falls Drive<BR>Potomac, MD 20854
USA<BR>phone 301-469-9269<BR>fax 301-983-9314<BR>Summer Phone
207-763-3261<BR>Summer Address<BR>189 Beaucaire Ave.<BR>Camden, ME
04843<BR>website <A href="http://www.mindspring.com/~owenhh"
eudora="autourl">www.mindspring.com/~owenhh</A><BR>Open Space Institute
website <A href="http://www.openspaceworld.org/"
eudora="autourl">www.openspaceworld.org</A><BR></DIV></BLOCKQUOTE></BODY></HTML>