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At 11:00 AM 3/9/2002 -0500, Birgitt wrote:<br>
<blockquote type=cite class=cite cite><font face="Times New Roman, Times">Harrison,
<br>
</font><br>
<font face="Times New Roman, Times">For me, the sponsor (senior staff
person involved) is the one who opens space in the organization for the
facilitator to come in and lead in an Open Space Technology meeting . I
have infinite respect for this senior staff person, for the risk they
take in allowing us as facilitators to come in to their organizations.
They are the ones who have to deal with all of the pieces, however good
they may be, once the facilitator has packed his or her bag and gone
home. I agree that my job as the facilitator of the Open Space
Technology meeting is to get the space open and to keep it open no matter
who the space invader is at the time. <br>
</font><br>
<font face="Times New Roman, Times">I also carry out my work so that I am
not setting the organization up to have space closed down by the client
on Monday morning back at work. I cannot prevent the space being closed
down come Monday morning, but because I am aware that Open Space
Technology is a very powerful intervention in an organization and I see
it as my job to do my best to create with the client a nutrient terrain
within which the Open Space Technology meeting has its best chance of
creating and then sustaining a more life nurturing, open and
participative work environment.</font></blockquote><br>
Points all well taken -- but there was a time with a company of 50 folks
who were doing an Open Space on their future. By the middle of the first
afternoon, it was clear to all that there was no future. Everybody was in
fact very relieved that the moose was finally out from under the table.
Everybody, that is, except the President. Who also, of course, was
"my client" in the usual sense of the word. His anxiety was
palpable, as was my own, but it was clear to me that any attempt to close
the space in a (vain) effort to save the company would be
counter-productive for everybody -- even though it might be palliative to
the Pres. The space stayed open and the company folded. Now that is an
extreme situation for sure -- and quite uncommon. but that is what I am
talking about.<br><br>
ho <br><br>
<blockquote type=cite class=cite cite>Harrison Owen</blockquote>
<x-sigsep><p></x-sigsep>
<div align="center">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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