These are great responses and I thank you all for them. My own
inclination seems in line with much that has been said. For me, I
would be taking care of a lot of these issues up front in the
preparation of the event. <br>
<br>
Still, though, I'd love some grounded experience from our Indian
colleagues especially about OST in a multi-caste event, and the
experiences that people have had within that setting.<br>
<br>
As a way of grounding this enquiry, I recall a story from when I was at
university. Our school had an exchange program with a university
in Chang Mai, in the northern Thailand and our Native Stuidies
department had a collaboartive relationship with people working with
the northern Thai hill tribe communities. One year, our two Thai
exchange students were from polar opposite origins. One student
was a hill tribes person and the other was a minor relative of the Thai
royal family. Ordinarily in encounters within Thailand, there
would be an serious expectation of deference on the part of the hill
tribes person, placing his hands together and performing the
traditional Thai greeting called a "wai" while being close to prostrate
on the ground. <br>
<br>
Being in Canada however changed him and the cultural context seemed not
appropriate for whatever reason. He stopped wai-ing altogether,
and this caused a tremendous issue between these two students.
The royal relative came to complain to the department chair that the
other Thai student was not showing the proper respect and should be
made to wai. He was informed that there was no way that we could
enforce his request for discipline at the University, nor within
Canadian society. The complaintant took close to a year to get
used to this whole idea, and it never really sat well with him.
The hill tribes student carried on as if he had been informally hanging
around with the Royal family for his whole life. <br>
<br>
It wasn't open space obviously, but it was a lot more open space than
either of these guys was used to. Once they understood the
boundaries, they had to check with themselves what was okay and what
wasn't. In the case of the royal student, he used the law of two
feet and left the next year. <br>
<br>
So I'm wondering about examples like this specifically in OST. Any stories out there?<br>
<br>
Chris<br><br><div><span class="gmail_quote">On 7/13/05, <b class="gmail_sendername">Chris Kloth</b> <<a href="mailto:chris@got2change.com">chris@got2change.com</a>> wrote:</span><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="border-left: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); margin: 0pt 0pt 0pt 0.8ex; padding-left: 1ex;">
In general my sense of this question is congruent with Harrison's recent<br>post.<br><br><br>In addition, it seems to me there are three times on the road to and<br>through open space when we (opener/holder of space, consultant,
<br>facilitator...) do, can and should explicitly or implicitly address<br>power differentials.<br><br><br>First, when someone asks me to do an open space, or when I pursue that<br>option with a client, I want to be very clear about what underlying
<br>values, beliefs and principles make the process appropriate for a<br>situation and for the aspirations of the people sponsoring and attending<br>the event. We are laying the foundation for addressing power<br>differentials when we make sure that the sponsor understands that the
<br>power of the process is, in part, rooted in the value of all<br>participants and the potential for people (from the top, middle, bottom,<br>inside, outside, etc.) to contribute in valuable ways. When we notice<br>resistance during this stage we need to learn about it and find out if
<br>and how we will work that through. How the question or topic to<br>explored is framed also gives us a chance to build this into the process<br>before it happens.<br><br><br>Second, while I love Harrison's native American images of the process of
<br>walking the circle and entering the circle as we open the space, I also<br>think of this process as an invocation. In that context, I find that<br>the words I use in this process are chosen to link their theme<br>(content), aspirations and roles to the explicit and implicit values,
<br>beliefs and principles of open space...which means that power and<br>empowerment are themes but not instructions. Each of the principles and<br>the law include an implicit message about power. I try to cycle through
<br>the mind, body and spirit (the theme/work, the people, the aspirations)<br>at least three times before opening the market and one more time as<br>people leave to go to the first session.<br><br><br>By the way, my experience (limited to the US) is that when power
<br>differentials were an issue for participants it showed up as a topic or<br>as part of several topics in the market place.<br><br><br>Finally, Funda's observation about a wink, smile, invitation, joke, etc.<br>gets at an aspect of what we mean by "holding the space." It seems to
<br>me that when we walk around, listen, observe, sense what is going on we<br>are in a position to choose and resist verbal, non-verbal and other<br>energetic behavior to support, not advocate, the efforts of people to<br>
speak and act in powerful new ways.<br><br><br>Chris Kloth<br><br>*<br>*<br>==========================================================<br><a href="mailto:OSLIST@LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU">OSLIST@LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU</a><br>
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</div><br><br><br>-- <br><br>CHRIS CORRIGAN<br>Consultation - Facilitation<br>Open Space Technology<br><br>Weblog: <a href="http://www.chriscorrigan.com/parkinglot">http://www.chriscorrigan.com/parkinglot</a><br>Site: <a href="http://www.chriscorrigan.com">
http://www.chriscorrigan.com</a>
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