<HTML><FONT FACE=arial,helvetica><HTML><FONT COLOR="#000000" FACE="Geneva" FAMILY="SANSSERIF" SIZE="2"><BR>
In a message dated 1/14/06 1:41:18 PM, michael@michaelherman.com writes:<BR>
<BR>
<BR>
<BLOCKQUOTE CITE STYLE="BORDER-LEFT: #0000ff 2px solid; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px" TYPE="CITE"></FONT><FONT COLOR="#000000" FACE="Geneva" FAMILY="SANSSERIF" SIZE="2">christopher has a good line about that, something he borrowed from an<BR>
author somewhere... about the 'groan zone.' the middle of the<BR>
hourglass. the tight spot(s) that don't feel a lot better.<BR>
<BR>
seems important to be able to make this case in mid-space, in the<BR>
groan zone, when open space doesn't (yet) feel a lot better... that<BR>
it's still open space, is working, does hurt, and will change, soon<BR>
enough, even if not soon as we'd like it.<BR>
<BR>
</BLOCKQUOTE></FONT><FONT COLOR="#000000" FACE="Geneva" FAMILY="SANSSERIF" SIZE="2"><BR>
Eons ago, when I was facilitating and teaching at the Creative Problem Solving Institute, we recognized the groan zone--in a program that ran from Sunday noon to Friday noon, it seemed to show up on Tuesday afternoon. The tradition was to cancel sessions on Tuesday afternoon in favor of excursions to Niagara Falls, the Knox Gallery, nearby restaurants, and let people relax a bit while the internal changes were busy at work. It was valuable learning for me to recognize that if any change was really going on, it was hard and often painful work. I learned to mention this to clients who were stuck in the groan zone and were sure we should stop whatever we had been doing and do something different. I've been there more recently between Day One and Day Two of a 2-day Open Space event. <BR>
<BR>
Seems to be a human pattern--thanks for calling it to our attention once again.<BR>
<BR>
Joelle</FONT><FONT COLOR="#000000" FACE="Geneva" FAMILY="SANSSERIF" SIZE="2"></FONT></HTML>
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