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<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'>Years ago, we developed the Genuine Contact program to
assist leaders and consultants work with the Conscious Open Space Organization
(COSO) which has its primary root in the application of Open Space Technology….but
lasts as the way of getting work done in the organization. My own teachers in
this work to whom I am most grateful included some wonderful psychology
professors at McMaster University in Canada, Harrison Owen from whom I learned
facilitation of OST; Marge Dennis from whom I learned fundamentals of process
facilitation; and Angeles <span class=SpellE>Arrien</span> from whom I learned
The Four Fold Way; my four children; and the staff of about 80 people for whose
performance I was accountable during the period that I was learning how to
apply the basics of OST on a daily basis in our organization. Neither my
children nor my staff let me get away with anything that wasn’t true to
the essence of a COSO both in how we led our organization and our family.
Actually, my oldest daughter says that our family was led as a COSO before I
ever knew about OST. I take that as a big compliment. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'>The COSO cannot rely totally on OST meetings. It requires a
blending of methodologies including OST and Whole Person Process Facilitation,
as well as use of AI and World Café. There is great joy in working with the
development of a newly forming organization as a COSO. This relies on tapping
into great creative energy, paying attention to the flow of Spirit. For me, as
a consultant, the challenge of a new organization is in both keeping enough
space open and simultaneously having the courage to authentically define where
the space is closed, even if it doesn’t feel safe to identify that some
of the space is closed. There is always closed space and identifying it assists
in identifying where the space for creativity, innovation and decision making
is truly open. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'>Then there is the challenge of assisting an existing
organization complete with all its over bureaucracy, in devolving what needs to
be devolved, and evolving what needs to be evolved to emerge itself as a COSO. There
is always open space but finding it and then sustaining it can be challenging. <span
style='mso-spacerun:yes'> </span>Organizations, just like people, have a
default setting that they tend to revert back to when the transformation
process hits rough spots. It is kind of like the computer, when chaos reigns,
going back to its default settings. And usually<span class=GramE>, <span
style='mso-spacerun:yes'> </span>when</span> the pain is its most intense, the
organization is just about to leave its old patterns behind and fully claim
itself as a COSO with authentic space open for people to really get on with
their jobs.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'>Anyway, we developed the Genuine Contact program to assist
in this work and spend most of the year teaching this work inside of
organizations. We ourselves as the developers of this program hold public
workshops of this program only once a year…annually in September. Thanks
to those of you who registered for the workshops this September in </span></font><st1:City><st1:place><font
size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial'>Raleigh</span></font></st1:place></st1:City><font
size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial'>, the
workshops are now full. We are now taking registrations for Sept 2007. And of
course there are other options in that there are a number of great trainers
about this work in the world (<a href="http://www.genuinecontact.net/">www.genuinecontact.net</a><span
class=GramE>) .</span> Remember, if you can understand the Open Space
Technology meeting, you can understand the Conscious Open Space Organization. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoAutoSig><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial;mso-no-proof:yes'>Birgitt Williams<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoAutoSig><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt;mso-no-proof:yes'><img border=0 width=252 height=138 id="_x0000_i1025"
src="cid:image001.gif@01C6B3E9.54045600"><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
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