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<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 color=red face=Arial><span style='font-size:
12.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:red'>Raffi – Per usual, there is a lot of
good stuff here. And it is good to hear that you and Elena have hooked up.
Should you see her again, tell her we have missed her on </span></font><font
color=red face=Arial><span style='font-family:Arial;color:red'>OSLIST</span></font><font
color=red face=Arial><span style='font-family:Arial;color:red'>. Her preference
for Future Search in the Russian context is something she has shared before, so
it does not come as a surprise, nor would I question her preference or her
experience – but I am curious. This is not about OS vs FS – indeed,
I have infinite respect for Marv Weisbord and the FS crowd. However, if it is true
that FS “works better in the Russian context” we have a very
interesting cultural discriminator. A sort of litmus paper test of some sort.
Briefly put – Are there some cultures where Open Space doesn’t
work? And if there were, I think we might learn some useful things about
culture, cultures, and Open Space. But of course, we would need to be quite
precise about what we meant when we said “worked.”</span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 color=red face=Arial><span style='font-size:
12.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:red'> </span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 color=red face=Arial><span style='font-size:
12.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:red'>I would suppose that there are at least
three levels of “worked.” 1) The process worked formally –
people sat in a circle, created and agenda, and formed work groups. . .) 2) The
process worked experientially – people became engaged, issues were
seriously discussed, “useful” things happened (minds were changed,
ideas were generated, projects initiated/terminated, etc.) 3) The process
worked over time – there was some perceptible, continuing impact. </span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 color=red face=Arial><span style='font-size:
12.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:red'> </span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 color=red face=Arial><span style='font-size:
12.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:red'>In my personal experience, I have never
seen an instance where Open Space failed to “work” at the first and
second levels – no matter the group involved, the issue under discussion,
or the cultural context. Now obviously, my experience is limited, and my perception
doubtless biased -- but that has been my experience. It is absolutely true that
I have never had the privilege of opening space in </span></font><font
color=red face=Arial><span style='font-family:Arial;color:red'>Russia</span></font><font
color=red face=Arial><span style='font-family:Arial;color:red'>, but I have
done just that in what I think are similar cultural environments, including
parts of the old </span></font><font color=red face=Arial><span
style='font-family:Arial;color:red'>USSR</span></font><font color=red
face=Arial><span style='font-family:Arial;color:red'>. The truly interesting
thing to me is that over the almost 20 years of Opening Space, I have never
been able to identify any significant difference of group performance
regardless of culture, ethnicity, economics, education, national origin, or any
other variable that I can think of. I have, of course, heard of instances where
it was reported that Open Space did not “work” as advertised, but
in every instance where I was able to dig deeper, it turned out that the
problem wasn’t Open Space, but rather the way it was done. The most usual
offenders were those situations where it was decided to try “a little
Open Space.” Typically this meant “doing Open Space” in a one
hour time slot in the midst of a formal conference. Another example would be
when it was decided to “demonstrate Open Space.” In those cases an arbitrary
theme (or no theme at all) was announced, people sat in a circle, and nothing
(or little) happened. Typical reactions of participants was something like “It
that all there is?” And the reason, of course was that there was no
passion and no responsibility – and therefore nothing moved. Anyhow, that
has been my experience, and it would be great to have lot more experiences.
Personally, I would love to hear about some situation where all the conditions
were met (real issue, lots of diversity, complexity, conflict – and a
decision time of yesterday), the process was followed (sit in a circle, create
bulletin board . . ) and the facilitator got out of the way – and the
whole thing just went nowhere. A case book of such instances could teach us a
mountain of good stuff. </span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 color=red face=Arial><span style='font-size:
12.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:red'> </span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 color=red face=Arial><span style='font-size:
12.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:red'>And then we come to Level 3 “working.”
Genuine answers here are hard to come by – not only for Open Space, but
for any other approach as well. To really get an answer here we would need long
term studies, but even if we had them, I am not sure that the changing
variables of the environment would not be such that real certainty would be
denied. However, it is interesting that after 20 years, Open Space is still
around, and its use seems to be growing. This, despite the fact that OS flies
in the face of just about every theoretical and practical principle of
organizational behavior – at least all the mainline ones. Briefly put,
Open Space cannot work – but it seems to. So there you are.</span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 color=red face=Arial><span style='font-size:
12.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:red'> </span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 color=red face=Arial><span style='font-size:
12.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:red'>At the end of the day, the choice of method
(OS, FS, Real Time Strategic Change, etc) is dependant (I think) on </span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 color=red face=Arial><span style='font-size:
12.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:red'>At least three factors 1) The situation
(when the space is already closed – don’t use Open Space) 2) Client
preference – What does the client feel comfortable with? 3) Facilitator
preference (what does the facilitator feel comfortable with?). Client and
Facilitator preferences are not unimportant! And certainly should never be
contravened. Doing an Open Space by force, simply does not make it!</span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 color=red face=Arial><span style='font-size:
12.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:red'> </span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 color=red face=Arial><span style='font-size:
12.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:red'>So there are some thoughts Raffi. I guess
you will have to pick you pathway any way you can. On the face of it, putting
your faith in the Open Space basket as a young consultant is probably the worst
thing you could do. Since it organizes so quickly and you do so little,
billable hours go down quickly. Of course all that implies that you were able
to “sell” an Open Space – which is a doubtful undertaking. Who
on earth would hire an expert to do something that any fool with a good head
and a good heart could do all by themselves? Everybody knows that really good
interventions have to be complex, confusing, hard to do, and take a long time.
Open Space is really hard on the wallet. So my advice, Raffi, is get another
gig. And should you ever get hooked, I take no responsibility. Just remember
you were warned.</span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 color=red face=Arial><span style='font-size:
12.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:red'> </span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 color=red face=Arial><span style='font-size:
12.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:red'>Harrison</span></font><font color=red
face=Arial><span style='font-family:Arial;color:red'> </span></font></p>
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<div>
<p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'><font size=2
color=red face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;
color:red'>Harrison Owen</span></font></p>
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color=red face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;
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<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in'><font size=2 face=Tahoma><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Tahoma'>-----Original Message-----<br>
<b><span style='font-weight:bold'>From:</span></b> </span></font><font size=2
face=Tahoma><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Tahoma'>OSLIST</span></font><font
size=2 face=Tahoma><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Tahoma'> [mailto:</span></font><font
size=2 face=Tahoma><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Tahoma'>OSLIST</span></font><font
size=2 face=Tahoma><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Tahoma'>@LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU]
<b><span style='font-weight:bold'>On Behalf Of </span></b>Raffi Aftandelian<br>
<b><span style='font-weight:bold'>Sent:</span></b> Saturday, May 29, 2004 1:51
AM<br>
<b><span style='font-weight:bold'>To:</span></b> </span></font><font size=2
face=Tahoma><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Tahoma'>OSLIST</span></font><font
size=2 face=Tahoma><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Tahoma'>@LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU<br>
<b><span style='font-weight:bold'>Subject:</span></b> meeting with a Russian
colleague and more (thoughts on OS's limitations; getting into consulting work)</span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in'><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt'> </span></font></p>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in'><font size=2 face="Arial CYR"><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial CYR"'> [OS'rs! I don't think
this made it's way to the digest; my apologies if you've already seen it]</span></font></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in'><font size=2 face="Arial CYR"><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial CYR"'> </span></font></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in'><font size=2 face="Arial CYR"><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial CYR"'>Dear OpenSpacers,</span></font></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in'><font size=2 face="Arial CYR"><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial CYR"'>I had the fortune the other
day of meeting up briefly with Lena Marchuk in Moscow. This is a real treat
because the distance between Moscow and Novosibirsk (where she is from) is
essentially the same distance as between Moscow and London. Far away. She had
just come from the FS Learning Exchange.</span></font></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in'><font size=2 face="Arial CYR"><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial CYR"'> </span></font></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in'><font size=2 face="Arial CYR"><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial CYR"'>It was a chance to reconnect
and also to share experiences and to be mentored by her in Future Search (FS),
which I hope to conduct some day and also. And it was a chance to be
mentored in Open Space. </span></font></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in'><font size=2 face="Arial CYR"><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial CYR"'> </span></font></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in'><font size=2 face="Arial CYR"><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial CYR"'>Lena spoke
of her preference for using FS (she has conducted minimum 10
such conferences) over OS (of course she uses OS during the action planning at
an FS) -as a large group intervention tool - in the Russian context. She frames
the global givens, so to speak, that Russians (speaking generally) haven't had
an experience of democracy yet. And an FS provides this experience. And
curiously, she sees that FS's in Russia for the most part don't necessarily
lead to action planning and the like. The whole notion of goal-setting, she
noted, virtually leads to people drawing a blank look. It is too bad Lena and I
didn't have more time so that she could elaborate on this thought because I
suspect there's much more behind it. Now this may be less true when doing an
FS/OS in a large town. Much of her work, as I understand, is conducted in
provincial centers in Siberia where maybe that kind of linear thinking -- goal
setting, making action plans-- hasn't filtered to. </span></font></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in'><font size=2 face="Arial CYR"><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial CYR"'> </span></font></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in'><font size=2 face="Arial CYR"><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial CYR"'>She sees the value of FS in
Russia in, first of all, creating dialog, community, building connections. As I
understood her, before even thinking about creating action plans for the
future, people need to learn a whole new way of being together. They have a
true experience of democracy. They see that totally different people can be
together in a constructive way. In one sense of the metaphor, an FS
is not about planting the seeds for change, but rather working the soil
so that seeds can be planted at a later point. And, to extrapolate, this is a
very important result. That Maybe this is true of OS here, too.</span></font></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in'><font size=2 face="Arial CYR"><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial CYR"'> </span></font></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in'><font size=2 face="Arial CYR"><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial CYR"'>I liked a Yakutian (in
Siberia) joke that Lena told me (as I recall it). "The difference between
the East and West: "The Westerner says: "Ok, so what are the
results?" The Easterner says, "Notice the process." The
Russian says, "I'd like to say a toast to the process we are using so that
we may achieve results."</span></font></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in'><font size=2 face="Arial CYR"><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial CYR"'> </span></font></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in'><font size=2 face="Arial CYR"><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial CYR"'>It is too bad we didn't have
time to hear more about why OS doesn't necessarily provide that in her opinion.
FS's plus is that it provides a structure to develop a picture of the past,
present, future. </span></font></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in'><font size=2 face="Arial CYR"><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial CYR"'> </span></font></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in'><font size=2 face="Arial CYR"><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial CYR"'>
********</span></font></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in'><font size=2 face="Arial CYR"><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial CYR"'> </span></font></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in'><font size=2 face="Arial CYR"><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial CYR"'>A few days ago I had the
fortune of speaking to a mentor in social change work (since I haven't
checked out with him-- in contrast to the message with Lena, where I did check
out with her before posting-- somebody I'd been trying to arrange a phone
conversation with for 1 1/2 years (!). I am thinking more about my life/work
plans, and want to consult with him. I am getting my start in consulting work,
yet don't have that clear vision of where I am going. I was very interested in
seeing his read on OS and FS. OS, in his opinion, is a tool. And it's oversold.
Yes, it can be valuable, but it's one of many tools. But, if I am going to be
an OD consultant (and I am not sure I would want to describe myself that way),
for one thing I would need to have a more varied toolbag. He would never want
to hire an OD (organizational development) consultant with only one tool: OS.
And, in his book, anyone who is an OD consultant does need to get management
experience, to have acquired the body of experience/knowledge of a manager.
This way a potential client is likely to understand what the client is going
through, and is less apt to be in the clouds. Your thoughts?</span></font></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in'><font size=2 face="Arial CYR"><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial CYR"'> </span></font></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in'><font size=2 face="Arial CYR"><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial CYR"'>In other words, if the only
tool (OD) I have is a hammer, I'm apt to see every problem as a nail. </span></font></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in'><font size=2 face="Arial CYR"><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial CYR"'> </span></font></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in'><font size=2 face="Arial CYR"><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial CYR"'>And yet curiously, he saw as a
potential life/work path to totally get into OS and achieve excellence in it. I
think the contradiction here is a surface one. Because OS's potential is not
just in OD work, to beat a dead horse. It has a myriad of applications. I am
fascinated, for example, by its potential as a career/life planning tool. I am
curious if there are folks who use it in this way as paid/unpaid work (as a
career counselor/personal coach). </span></font></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in'><font size=2 face="Arial CYR"><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial CYR"'> </span></font></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in'><font size=2 face="Arial CYR"><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial CYR"'>I also asked him about OS
being a tool for social change. Again, yes, it is one of many tools. And I
shouldn't expect to get rich off of OS on this score.</span></font></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in'><font size=2 face="Arial CYR"><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial CYR"'> </span></font></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in'><font size=2 face="Arial CYR"><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial CYR"'>This talk put me in my
"discomfort zone." I realized how much more thinking I need to do
before going on. </span></font></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in'><font size=2 face="Arial CYR"><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial CYR"'> </span></font></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in'><font size=2 face="Arial CYR"><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial CYR"'>I would be curious as to how
people got in to consulting work. Maybe this is something people may be
uncomfortable sharing so openly, even offlist. </span></font></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in'><font size=2 face="Arial CYR"><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial CYR"'> </span></font></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in'><font size=2 face="Arial CYR"><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial CYR"'>With lotsa questions and
sitting with them,</span></font></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in'><font size=2 face="Arial CYR"><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial CYR"'>(trying to) trust that my
background/subconscious inner-OS program will find the answers,</span></font></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in'><font size=2 face="Arial CYR"><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial CYR"'>raffi</span></font></p>
</div>
</div>
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