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<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Thank you Chris for your beautiful piece.
</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Yesterday we have just concluded (with Tova
and Shay) a complex project with the Jerusalem municipality with half a day
of AI and a day of OS (180 people from all ranks and units and some
guests). The theme was creating cross boundaries partnerships within
and outside the Municipality.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>The CEO givens were that anything within this theme
that will be according to the 5 year plan (until 2009) and city policy will have
his and the system full support. other issues are legitimate as well but
the full support of the system will be considered.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Allthough I tend to agree with Chris about the
differences between the business/high teck world and the community based
organizations, I find that many sponsors in businesses are using these kind
of givens.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>A crucial point in the more structured
organizations ( and most businesses are like that) is the threat of OS to
the top management (and sometimes medium m.). As OS flattens the organization,
unless they feel also as leaders of this process they won`t let it really
fly high.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Sometimes CEO`s are using OS to surpass their
management in order to bring more space/ energy/initiatives to their
organizations. We have to be carefull how to work with it and not to be
easily tempted. In these cases the OS itself can be a wonderfull
thrilling event but it might be `killed` softly later, even when
the CEO is competent and charismatic. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Avner Haramati</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Jerusalem</FONT></DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE
style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px">
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message ----- </DIV>
<DIV
style="BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; FONT: 10pt arial; font-color: black"><B>From:</B>
<A title=chris@chriscorrigan.com href="mailto:chris@chriscorrigan.com">Chris
Corrigan</A> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To:</B> <A
title=OSLIST@LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU
href="mailto:OSLIST@LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU">OSLIST@LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU</A>
</DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> Tuesday, April 04, 2006 7:50
AM</DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> Re: Is anything possible?</DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV>I have been finding lately that in the world of business,
government and big organizations, people are much less likely to let go of
control than in community settings. Corporations exist to stabilize and
protect things: assets, property, ideas, money, reputations...they are all
about control. Communities are messy, evolutionary, out of control and
chaordic. I find that Open Space works beautifully in community
settings, and works great in organizations where you are all about building a
community, or where the leaders understand that the real way anything happens
in the organization is if you view the whole enterprise as a big messy
community, in which the agency of all contributes to the bigger good. In
general, you will find very few people in corporations willing to take this
risk, but in communities, for the most part, this is how people operate.
<BR><BR>I've given up on the holy grail of using OST in Fortune 500 settings
to help groups of IT managers find innovative work processes, for
example. It's certainly possible there, and applicable and probably
improves the world in some small way. But I've seen OST animate
community action on poverty, sustainability, rights, suicide, drug addiction,
homelessness, food security, economic development and child welfare.
I've seen people who have nearly nothing find a true sense of power and
purpose in the process. So I've taken to using it in places where it
makes a huge difference in the lives of people and communities, and I hold
this arena in high regard, because the people who take risks here do so with
everything on the line, and in some cases, everything means their life.
<BR><BR>Dee Hock's quote is about living and life. People live and die
in communities every day. If they are willing to bring that richness of
experience to work in the corporations and organizations that exist all over
the place, Open Space will follow them in there and do all kinds of great
things. But it will not make magic for folks who don't want to truly
experience the naked terror of "Is anything possible?"
<BR><BR>Cheers,<BR><BR>Chris<BR><BR>
<DIV><SPAN class=gmail_quote>On 4/3/06, <B class=gmail_sendername>Harrison
Owen</B> <<A href="mailto:hhowen@verizon.net">hhowen@verizon.net</A>>
wrote:</SPAN>
<BLOCKQUOTE class=gmail_quote
style="PADDING-LEFT: 1ex; MARGIN: 0pt 0pt 0pt 0.8ex; BORDER-LEFT: rgb(204,204,204) 1px solid">Thomas
-- I hear what you are saying, and I can certainly understand why<BR>certain
executives would want to hold onto some "givens" (which I read
as<BR>"controls"). And these are the same people who want certainties and
<BR>guarantees. The only problem is there are no certainties, no guarantees
in<BR>this life. There never have been, and there never will be. Yes, of
course,<BR>there is one -- Life will end. But in the interim between
beginning and <BR>ending -- everything is at risk, everything is uncertain.
And that, of<BR>course is both the joy and terror of living. Dee Hock of
Chaordic<BR>Organization fame has a nice phrase (amongst many) in his book.
Dee was also <BR>the CEO of one of the world's largest corporations: Visa
International. Goes<BR>like --<BR><BR>"Life is not about control. It's not
about getting. It's not about having.<BR>It's not about knowing. It's not
even about being. Life is eternal, <BR>perpetual becoming, or it is nothing.
Becoming is not a thing to be known,<BR>commanded, or controlled. It is a
magnificent, mysterious odyssey to
be<BR>experienced."<BR><BR>Harrison<BR><BR>Harrison Owen<BR>7808 River Falls
Drive <BR>Potomac, Maryland 20854<BR>Phone 301-365-2093<BR>Skype
hhowen<BR>Open Space Training <A
href="http://www.openspaceworld.com">www.openspaceworld.com</A><BR>Open
Space Institute <A
href="http://www.openspaceworld.org">www.openspaceworld.org </A><BR>Personal
website <A href="http://www.ho-image.com">www.ho-image.com</A><BR>OSLIST: To
subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options, view the<BR>archivesVisit: <A
href="http://www.listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html">www.listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html</A><BR><BR><BR>-----Original
Message-----<BR>From: OSLIST [mailto:<A
href="mailto:OSLIST@LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU">OSLIST@LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU</A>]
On Behalf Of Thomas<BR>Herrmann<BR>Sent: Monday, April 03, 2006 5:35
PM<BR>To: <A
href="mailto:OSLIST@LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU">OSLIST@LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU</A><BR>Subject:
Is anything possible?<BR><BR>Dear friends in Open Space<BR>I am wondering
where you find those leaders in organizations and <BR>corporations who are
willing to support whatever will emerge from an<BR>OS-meeting? Unfortunately
my experience is that this level of trust is very<BR>hard to find. I´ve also
experienced leaders closing the space down, which <BR>could have been
avoided if they had had some givens to hold on to.<BR><BR>I always do my
best to give the sponsor the possibility to make an informed<BR>decision
about if they think OST is the meeting format they´d like to use. <BR>Using
the concept of givens, I think makes it possible for the sponsor to<BR>open
authentic space within the reality of that organization. Well, as<BR>he/she
who is accountable perceives that reality anyway.<BR><BR>Then of course it
is important work to minimize the givens! And next time <BR>there may be
fewer...<BR><BR>But this question is not easy, if we´d have had an
OS-meeting 15 years ago<BR>in Gothenburg about making the town
internationally known, building an East<BR>Indiaman at a cost of 500 000 000
SEK would probably have been far exceeding <BR>any thinkable givens....now
it is on its journey to China!<BR><BR>So the question may be - is anything
possible? And are the persons in charge<BR>willing to take responsibility
for whatever happens - without any givens? I <BR>agree there is a difference
when working focusing primarily within an<BR>organization where someone is
in charge - or thinks he/she is in charge.<BR><BR>I have a given tomorrow
morning, have to get up early so:<BR>Warmest regards and good night
<BR>Thomas Herrmann Phone
+46 (0)709-98 97 81<BR>Open Space Consulting Fax +46
(0)300-713 89<BR>Pensévägen 4<BR>434 46 Kungsbacka, Sweden<BR>Email: <A
href="mailto:thomas@openspaceconsulting.com">thomas@openspaceconsulting.com
</A><BR><A
href="http://www.openspaceconsulting.com">www.openspaceconsulting.com</A><BR><BR>*<BR>*<BR>==========================================================<BR><A
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clear=all><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><BR>Open Space Resources: <A
href="http://tinyurl.com/r94tj">http://tinyurl.com/r94tj</A> * *
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