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At 09:52 PM 4/30/01 -0400, Doug. Germann wrote:<br>
<blockquote type=cite class=cite cite>Harrison--<br>
<br>
Well, maybe the "numbers guy" has had an epiphany--or is
seeking one. I<br>
know several recovering accountants and lawyers.... <grin><br>
<br>
Wonder why they do it, the first time? What reasons do they tell you?
What<br>
do you suspect are the real reasons?<br>
<br>
Is it the age of the Baby Boomers, finally getting to their wisdom
years<br>
and asking again, "What's it all about, Alfie?"<br>
<br>
Or are people figuring out that no one really organizes a group?<br>
<br>
Something else?</blockquote><br>
Interesting set of questions. I suspect the initial reasons are as
various as the people who come into Open Space. And that turns out to be
just about any sort you can imagine. At a deeper level, I believe that
the willingness to engage Open Space is a mark of a profound shift, even
transformation of human consciousness. And once in Open Space, this shift
is confirmed and extended. I think there is a growing (verging on
general) realization that organization as we have understood it to this
point is no longer functional, either as a productive entity or as a
comfortable environment for us humanoids. Not that the old hierarchical,
Command and control, do it by the numbers sort of place is
"bad" -- just has outlived its usefulness. We have neither the
time or the energy to run up and down all those levels, even if only in
our minds. The world we inhabit is just to complex and fast moving. And
when we try to play by the old rules something rather nasty breaks out
which I call Soul Pollution, which appears as a direct result of the
toxins loosed in a dysfunctional environment. So we know "it"
is not working -- and we have a notion of what a better place to be might
be like. But how do you get there? Many of us have taken this occasion in
history to "design" the "perfect" organization, but
when it comes to implementation, it seems that we fall back to the old
approach -- and it is command and control all over again. And there is
that nasty word -- "control." ... well I think you can see
where I am going, and if you want the "full treatment" you
might take a gander at my last book --- "The Power of
Spirit."<br>
<br>
So why Open Space, and Why Now? -- I really don't think we have any
choice. And it is not about this marvelous methodology, it is really
about the open space of our lives. At least that is my likely
story.<br>
<br>
Harrison<br>
<br>
<x-sigsep><p></x-sigsep>
<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>
Open Space Training
<a href="http://www.openspaceworld.com/" eudora="autourl">www.openspaceworld.com</a>
<br>
Open Space Institute <a href="http://www.openspaceworld.org/" eudora="autourl">www.openspaceworld.org</a><br>
Personal website <a href="http://www.mindspring.com/~owenhh" eudora="autourl">www.mindspring.com/~owenhh</a><br>
<br>
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