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At 12:17 PM 12/22/2001 -0500, Bruce Craig<br>
<blockquote type=cite class=cite cite>Max/mix is term for a cross
sectional group that is mixed to the max :)<br><br>
To set one up we ask for reps from all levels, genders, depts, etc to get
a true<br>
cross representation of the group. Often our clients think planning
teams<br>
should just be senior folk - we particularly like to do a max/mix if the
theme<br>
isn't clear - we get a chance to see what are the key issues on people's
minds.</blockquote><br>
This is the Old curmuddgin speaking. And I know it is Christmas and
Hanukkah -- so I should be very charitable. Glowing with the season, as
it were. But every time I hear about Mix/Match it reminds me of Running
Rats in my college Experimental Psych Lab. Those rats just couldn't do it
until we programmed them -- set the course as it were -- Mixed and Maxed.
Yes, I know that very reputable folks like Kathy Danmiller (of Strategic
Real Time Change fame) and Marv Weisbord (Future Search fame) all do it.
And they are friends. But that doesn't make me like it any more. I ain't
a rat. And most <i>Homo sapiens</i> aren't either. And actually I don't
think the rats like it either. Why is that we presume that good folks
seriously engaged in a topic of their passion can't get together in new
and useful ways? For 15+ years we have seen it happen every single time
space was opened. So why the necessity of running rats (aka people)? Like
sitting them down in tables of 8, carefully selected for the right
MIX/Match? Maybe because the Space isn't really open????<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 301-365-2093<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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