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<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 color=red face=Arial><span style='font-size:
12.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:red'>Jack I never said that OS would not work
with “conscripts.” I did say that the result would be less than
optimal – and that if one wanted the very best, voluntary self-selection
was essential. At least that has been my experience so far. In fact Open Space works
very effectively in prisons – where voluntary self-selection is not an
ordinary practice. But I cannot believe that prison life could be confused with
optimal human conditions, although I grant that a number of places of business
have much in common with many prisons. There may be a lack of concertina wire
and guard towers, but I found the atmosphere very much the same. In such places
Open Space works as well, if only because even such miserable excuses for work
environments are also part of this self organizing world. But I think it safe
to say that high levels of performance, creativity, innovation, and the like
are not commonly found. As for the birth date of Open Space Technology –
that would be July the 4<sup>th</sup> weekend in </span></font><font color=red
face=Arial><span style='font-family:Arial;color:red'>Monterey</span></font><font
color=red face=Arial><span style='font-family:Arial;color:red'> </span></font><font
color=red face=Arial><span style='font-family:Arial;color:red'>California</span></font><font
color=red face=Arial><span style='font-family:Arial;color:red'>. Didn’t
think of it at the time, but in retrospect I find that date marvelously
appropriate. Something about -- Revolution and Freedom (from the Crown). You
might say Voluntary Self-Selection! </span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 color=red face=Arial><span style='font-size:
12.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:red'> </span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 color=red face=Arial><span style='font-size:
12.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:red'>Harrison</span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 color=red face=Arial><span style='font-size:
12.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:red'> </span></font></p>
<div>
<p align=center style='text-align:center'><font size=2 color=red face=Arial><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:red'>Harrison Owen</span></font></p>
<p align=center style='text-align:center'><font size=2 color=red face=Arial><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:red'>7808 River Falls Drive</span></font></p>
<p align=center style='text-align:center'><font size=2 color=red face=Arial><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:red'>Potomac,
Maryland 20854</span></font></p>
<p align=center style='text-align:center'><font size=2 color=red face=Arial><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:red'>Phone </span></font><font size=2 color=red face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;
color:red'>301-365-2093</span></font></p>
<p align=center style='text-align:center'><font size=2 color=red face=Arial><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:red'>Skype hhowen</span></font></p>
<p align=center style='text-align:center'><font size=3 color=red face=Arial><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:red'>Open Space Training</span></font><font
color=red><span style='color:red'> <a href="http://www.openspaceworld.com/"><font
face=Arial><span style='font-family:Arial'>www.openspaceworld.com</span></font></a>
</span></font></p>
<p align=center style='text-align:center'><font size=3 color=red face=Arial><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:red'>Open Space Institute</span></font><font
color=red><span style='color:red'> <a href="http://www.openspaceworld.org/"><font
face=Arial><span style='font-family:Arial'>www.openspaceworld.org</span></font></a></span></font></p>
<p align=center style='text-align:center'><font size=3 color=red face=Arial><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:red'>Personal website</span></font><font
color=red><span style='color:red'> <a href="http://www.ho-image.com/"><font
face=Arial><span style='font-family:Arial'>www.ho-image.com</span></font></a> </span></font></p>
<p align=center style='text-align:center'><font size=3 color=red face=Arial><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:red'>OSLIST</span></font><font
color=red face=Arial><span style='font-family:Arial;color:red'>: To subscribe,
unsubscribe, change your options, view the archives Visit: </span></font><font
color=red><span style='color:red'><a
href="http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html"><font face=Arial><span
style='font-family:Arial'>www.listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html</span></font></a></span></font></p>
</div>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 color=red face=Arial><span style='font-size:
12.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:red'> </span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in'><font size=2 face=Tahoma><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Tahoma'>-----Original Message-----<br>
<b><span style='font-weight:bold'>From:</span></b> OSLIST
[mailto:OSLIST@LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU] <b><span style='font-weight:bold'>On
Behalf Of </span></b>Jack Martin Leith<br>
<b><span style='font-weight:bold'>Sent:</span></b> Wednesday, May 27, 2009
12:59 PM<br>
<b><span style='font-weight:bold'>To:</span></b> OSLIST@LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU<br>
<b><span style='font-weight:bold'>Subject:</span></b> Volunteers and conscripts</span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in'><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt'> </span></font></p>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in'><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt'>I've turned Bhav's question and Harrison's response
into a blog post on the Osuki website, and added a comment of my own.</span></font></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in'><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt'> </span></font></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in'><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt'>Here's the link: <a href="http://www.osuki.net/?p=913">www.osuki.net/?p=913</a>
</span></font></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in'><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt'> </span></font></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in'><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt'>If you don't want to click on the link you can see my
comment below.</span></font></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in'><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt'> </span></font></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in'><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt'>Harrison and Bhav, I hope it's OK with you that I've
posted this article. I haven't named Bhav. I'll delete the post if either of
you asks me to.</span></font></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in'><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt'> </span></font></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in'><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt'>Warm wishes from Bristol, UK.</span></font></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in'><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt'><br clear=all>
Jack</span></font></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in'><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt'> </span></font></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in'><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt'>P.S. Harrison, can you please remind us of the exact
date of the 25th birthday of Open Space?<br>
<br>
Jack Martin Leith<br>
Innovation Next : An emerging hub for innovation next practice<br>
Bristol, United Kingdom<br>
Mobile: 07831 840541 (+44 7831 840541)<br>
Skype: jackmartinleith<br>
email: <a href="mailto:jack@innovationnext.org">jack@innovationnext.org</a><br>
<a href="http://www.innovationnext.org">www.innovationnext.org</a> | <a
href="http://www.jackmartinleith.com">www.jackmartinleith.com</a><br>
<br>
Follow me on Twitter for innovation news: <a
href="http://twitter.com/jackmartinleith">http://twitter.com/jackmartinleith</a><br>
Join the management renegades at <a href="http://moon-shots.ning.com/">http://moon-shots.ning.com</a></span></font></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in'><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt'> </span></font></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in'><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt'>---------------------------------</span></font></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in'><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt'> </span></font></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in'><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt'><a href="http://www.osuki.net/?p=913#comments">http://www.osuki.net/?p=913#comments</a></span></font></p>
</div>
<div>
<p style='margin-left:.5in'><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt'>While I agree with pretty much everything Harrison
says here, in the 20 years that I’ve been working professionally with
Open Space Technology, I can’t think of a single client that was seeking
to create a self-organising system. They simply wanted to get a job done, and
OST was the chosen tool.</span></font></p>
<p style='margin-left:.5in'><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt'>Many of the Open Space events I’ve co-designed
and facilitated were not organised on a voluntary participation basis, yet the
respective clients were happy with the results. Would voluntary participation
have bettered these results? Maybe … maybe not. We’ll never know.</span></font></p>
<p style='margin-left:.5in'><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt'>What’s beyond doubt is that OST is a very robust
process that can be effective even when prevailing thinking suggests it’s
doomed to failure.</span></font></p>
<p style='margin-left:.5in'><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt'>In the early 1990s I co-facilitated, with <a
href="http://www.osuki.net/?page_id=530" rel=nofollow><font color="#336600"><span
style='color:#336600'>Mo Cohen </span></font></a>of this parish, a two-day Open
Space event for the change management practice of a large management consulting
firm.</span></font></p>
<p style='margin-left:.5in'><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt'>The client had a hidden agenda that was shockingly
revealed at the end of the first day of a two-day Open Space event. The secret
plan was a radical reorganisation of the change management practice that would
have a big impact on everyone in the room.</span></font></p>
<p style='margin-left:.5in'><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt'>At the start of the second day the participants,
conscripts one and all, binned their agenda and created a new one focused on
the implications of the reorganisation.</span></font></p>
<p style='margin-left:.5in'><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt'>My friend and collaborator <a
href="http://www.osuki.net/?page_id=126" rel=nofollow><font color="#336600"><span
style='color:#336600'>Jean-Marc Le Tissier</span></font></a> (also of this
parish) was an employee of the consulting firm and a participant in the event.
Whenever we recollect those two days we agree that Open Space was the right
tool for the job. It shouldn’t have worked – but it did.</span></font></p>
<blockquote style='margin-top:5.0pt;margin-bottom:5.0pt'>
<p style='margin-left:.5in'><strong><b><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt'>That’s all very well in practice – but
will it work in theory?</span></font></b></strong><b><span style='font-weight:
bold'><br>
</span></b><em><i><font face="Times New Roman">Unknown</font></i></em></p>
</blockquote>
<p style='margin-left:.5in'><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt'>Open Space is an extremely resilient 24 year old.
Let’s start planning the 25th birthday celebrations (early July 2010)
now!</span></font></p>
<p style='margin-left:.5in'><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt'>---------------------------------</span></font></p>
</div>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in'><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt'>* *
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