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<DIV><FONT face=Arial>Chris has banished Space Invaders! At least from his
vocabulary. And Lisa has offered some more than useful reflections on the
subject. However, as the originator of the term, at least in the realm of Open
Space, I might take some exception. Not because I am wedded to the words, but
because I am aware of the reality -- but maybe that is just my reality or a
fundamental flaw in my character and awareness. But every so often I run into
folks who seem to have an incredible capacity to suck all the oxygen from the
room. Call it what you will, but the statement is, "My way or the Highway." Left
to their own devices, the available space is reduced to minus quantities. Why
people behave in this fashion (fear, ignorance, early childhood trauma?) is
always a question, but the presence and impact of the behavior seems pretty real
to me. The issue, at least in terms of our function as facilitators in Open
Space, is what (if anything) do you do about it?</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial>My learning has been that a rush to judgment can be fatal.
But that does not mean that judgment can or should be totally suspended (more on
that later). It is particularly important, I think, not to confuse my personal
level of discomfort with the needs and desires of the group. It may just be that
the discomfort I feel is but the painful edge of growth as I find myself pushed
well beyond my comfort zone into realms I neither know or care to know. But it
is even more important to recognize that my discomfort, while interesting
and possibly significant, is totally immaterial. The core issue is the function
of the group and its growth.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial>You might recall that in my book, I made the distinction
between benign and malignant space invaders. Benign space invaders are
those</FONT> <FONT face=Arial>sorts of folks who through an excess of
enthusiasm, passion, whatever -- feel that their idea, approach, insight is the
only one. And they can take up an awful lot of space making the point. But it
turns out that they really only want to make sure that they will have the space
for expression -- and when they come to understand that the space available
is basically infinite and that their ideas will be "on the table,"
everything works out just fine. </FONT><FONT face=Arial>A Malignant Space
Invader is rather a different sort. They want the whole enchilada, regardless.
Even more nefarious is their willingness to close down the space until they are
the only game in town. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial>Dealing with a benign space invader can be tedious,
anxiety producing -- a real pain. But the strategy is very simple. Just keep
opening space and keep it open. Concretely this may mean taking a firm grip of
your chair and put away all thoughts of jumping in to save the day. In my
experience that obnoxious space invader almost inevitably turns out to be benign
at the 99.999% level. And by holding the space open, the individual involved
finds the room they need and maybe even more important the whole group finds
that its sense of the possible is expanded and its own capacities for innovation
and exploration enhanced. Real growth is almost inevitably painful, but
definitely worth the trip. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial>But then we have the .001% -- the genuine article. A real,
died in the wool, malignant space invader. </FONT> <FONT
face=Arial>Interestingly, I have encountered fewer and fewer of them over the
years which may have something to do with my failing eyesight or an expanded
capacity to hold space in extremely uncomfortable environments -- but I
occasionally run into them. And then what?</FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial>To make this more specific, I once ran into a Boss who had
signed on for Open Space, and then discovered that she could not stand
the atmosphere. At morning announcements on the 2nd day she made it very clear
that the only permissible agenda was her own. The shock was palpable, and the
real progress the group had made to that point now in total jeopardy. And I am
standing there holding space. At issue was the group's integrity, and not
incidentally my integrity as the person who had been standing there saying all
those nice things about the 4 principles and The Law of two Feet. I confess to
no small amount of confusion and anxiety, but eventually my path became
painfully clear. In a few words, I said -- to the boss and the whole group
something like, "This is your organization, and it is your decision as to
what it does or does not do. But I came here to open some space, which now no
longer seems possible." And I left. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial>And if you are wondering what happened next, I honestly
can't tell you in detail. I wasn't there. But I did hear that subsequently a
large number of folks chose to leave, and eventually the organization ceased to
exist. I suppose I could take some satisfaction in that outcome, but mostly I
felt a real sadness. An organization with great potential dissolved. But the
good news, I suppose is that some wonderful people found their freedom. When it
is over, it is over.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial>One of the things I learned out of all this was that at
the beginning of a consultancy my client may have been the Boss, but once under
way, my "client" became the whole group. And on the subject of "judgment" and
the rendering of same -- it seems to me that there are times when you just have
to call a spade a spade. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial>Harrison</FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial>Harrison Owen<BR>7808 River Falls Dr.<BR>Potomac, MD
20854<BR>USA<BR>301-365-2093<BR>207-763-3261 (summer)<BR>website <A
href="http://www.openspaceworld.com">www.openspaceworld.com</A></FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
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