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<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Or to put it in simplest terms - go where it hurts.
Which is lots of people. Which is what "consultants" typically get asked to do
anyway. And use language that they can relate to, and which stretches their
imagination/ spirits. Most of my experiences in corporate "pro-active land of
control" are not across the organization - but a division or department. OS does
make a difference, to the people who were touched by it, and to how that group
of people works. So far as I can tell, the organization itself has not changed
massively. But I figure that is not up to me ("whatever happens...") What I can
do is to skip around sewing little grains of openness as I go, and when the
timing is right... the change will happen!</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Meg Salter</FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>MegaSpace Consulting<BR>416/486-6660<BR><A
href="mailto:meg.salter@sympatico.ca">meg.salter@sympatico.ca</A><BR><A
href="http://www.megaspaceconsulting.com">www.megaspaceconsulting.com</A><BR></FONT></DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE
style="BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px solid; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px">
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message ----- </DIV>
<DIV
style="BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; FONT: 10pt arial; font-color: black"><B>From:</B>
<A href="mailto:owenhh@mindspring.com" title=owenhh@mindspring.com>Harrison
Owen</A> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To:</B> <A
href="mailto:OSLIST@LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU"
title=OSLIST@LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU>OSLIST@LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU</A> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> Monday, May 20, 2002 12:00 PM</DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> Re: "empowerment" is a
disempowering concept</DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV>At 08:41 AM 5/20/2002 -0600, Paul Roberts wrote:<BR>
<BLOCKQUOTE class=cite cite type="cite">One of the questions that intrigues
me, and around which I am doing my<BR>work, is how to engage this
system: where do we locate the carrot, as we<BR>work alongside the
corporation (or inside it...not my personal preference<BR>at this point in
time)? How can the corporate structure make the<BR>transition into a
new, more open structure that reflects evolution on the<BR>Spiral? I
know Ken Wilber is addressing about the same things in his<BR>Integral
Institute...and so does the Apostle Paul, in talking about his
own<BR>stealth strategy of missionizing: being wise as a serpent, and
harmless as<BR>a dove.</BLOCKQUOTE><BR>I would suppose you are asking THE
question of the moment -- whether in terms of Corporations or countries
(Palestine and Israel for example). I know a lot people are tying a lot of
ways, but in my experience only one thing really works. Gently put we might
call it a "significant emotional event." Or more accurately a Whack to the
side of the head. This could be something like bankruptcy -- or more
positively -- a marvelous new opportunity for which you are not prepared.
Either way -- a clear and growing recognition that going the way we are
going we will not get to where we want. Period. <BR><BR>there is always the
hope that we might find an easier, gentler way. And if we could -- that would
be wonderful. But I think the change required is so far outside of what might
appear possible that unless the stakes get very high, few if any would
contemplate the jump. And it is a jump -- transformational no less. And nobody
in their right mind would willingly do it unless they saw no alternatives. And
for sure they will look for alternatives, and there will be many sellers. But
to date, I haven't seen any that work. cosmetic changes for sure and in
abundance. But something useful? Not yet.<BR><BR>Obviously this presents real
issues when you are looking at a one industry town with lots of lives
involved. but I don't think that changes the realities involved -- it just
makes it more immediate for a lot of folks. A microcosm of all this (and
sometimes it can be the whole ball of wax) occurs every time one brings up the
subject of doing an Open Space. It is not something you can or should "argue"
somebody into. They have to decide on their own, or not. Actually in my
experience, Open Space is about the only effective mechanism for the sort of
change/transformation you are talking about. Once they have made the jump and
decided to go they suddenly find themselves in a radically new situation where
the old rules simply don't apply and it works. Perhaps they will determine
that once in Open Space is more than sufficient, but at least they have had
the experience -- and unless they wish to pretend that it was purely an
imaginary one (and strangely lots of folks do that) they can never quite go
home again. <BR><BR>So all I can really say is tell the story, and let those
who have ears to hear -- hear. As for the rest... I guess First Aid for all
those in that awful category of "collateral damage." But sooner or later you
have to fish or cut bait. shoot or relinquish the fowling piece -- or one
other pat phrase which should not be used in this polite company. The choice
is theirs -- and it is a choice they must make for themselves, no matter how
much I might want to fix things.<BR><BR>Harrison<BR><BR><BR>
<BLOCKQUOTE class=cite cite type="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://mywebpages.comcast.net/hhowen/index.htm"
eudora="autourl">http://mywebpages.comcast.net/hhowen/index.htm</A><BR><BR><FONT
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