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<DIV><FONT face="Arial Cyr" size=2> [OS'rs! I don't think this made it's
way to the digest; my apologies if you've already seen it]</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Arial Cyr" size=2> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2>Dear OpenSpacers,</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2>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.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Arial Cyr" size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2>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.
</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Arial Cyr" size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2>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.
</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Arial Cyr" size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2>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.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Arial Cyr" size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2>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."</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Arial Cyr" size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2>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. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Arial Cyr">
********</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Arial Cyr"></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="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?</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Arial Cyr"></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="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. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Arial Cyr"></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="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). </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Arial Cyr"></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="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.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Arial Cyr"></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Arial Cyr">This talk put me in my "discomfort zone." I realized
how much more thinking I need to do before going on. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Arial Cyr"></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="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. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Arial Cyr"></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Arial Cyr">With lotsa questions and sitting with
them,</FONT></DIV>
<DIV>(trying to) trust that my background/subconscious inner-OS program will
find the answers,</DIV>
<DIV>raffi</DIV></FONT></BODY></HTML>
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