I think as communities learn how to live into Open Space they need "the facilitator" to do less and less.... until capacity becomes distributed in a community and they understand collectively how get the most out of the form for themselves and also not to enclose it - well they still need a facilitator to create space and invite them into it and to hold it. <br>
<br> The identity community is finally really getting to understand the creative possibility that open space brings them to work together to solve almost impossible and very complex problems - we are going on to our 9th semi-annual conference using the format AND in the past 4 years there were an additional 8 events within the community that I facilitated that used open space. Only now they are starting to fully "get" the form. <br>
<br>Some in our community try to replicate the form (Vendor Relationship Management Workshop) but don't fully "get it" - then end up feeling like they the conveners should have editorial control over the agenda wall....<br>
<br>I think that when we develop our collective capacity to be in space together and not just follow then yes - do less but until we see that happening with our own eyes in groups there is a role for space creation and "doing" to help that come into being. <br>
<br><div class="gmail_quote">On Mon, Jun 15, 2009 at 7:29 PM, douglas germann <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:76066.515@compuserve.com">76066.515@compuserve.com</a>></span> wrote:<br><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="border-left: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); margin: 0pt 0pt 0pt 0.8ex; padding-left: 1ex;">
Harrison--<br>
<br>
So self organizing is really doing less and less?<br>
<br>
:- Doug.<br>
<div><div></div><div class="h5"><br>
<br>
<br>
On Mon, 2009-06-15 at 15:44 -0400, Harrison Owen wrote:<br>
> Holger -- After Open Space? ("Regularly, I have been asking the provocative<br>
> question: "OST - so, what's next?" Not that I want OST to disappear. But we<br>
> can't possibly assume that it will be around for the next 1300 years.") One<br>
> way of thinking about how to answer that question might be to consider how<br>
> we (or at least I) got to Open Space in the first place and see if there are<br>
> any clues. What were the design principles? First answer might be, Drink Two<br>
> Martinis -- but I am not sure how far that would take us. But when it comes<br>
> to serious design principles, there has been exactly one in all the 25 years<br>
> that I have been fussing with OST. That principle is: "Think of one more<br>
> thing NOT to do." At the first Open Space, we did some small amount of<br>
> "community building" and "warm up activities," all of which were quite<br>
> pleasant, but as near as I could see, they didn't add much. So the next<br>
> time, we didn't do them -- and everything seemed to work better. I could go<br>
> through a pretty lengthy list of things we peeled off here and there -- but<br>
> the bottom line is that Open Space as I would "do" it today happened by way<br>
> of elimination. Less and less turned out to be more and more. Following this<br>
> line of thought and general trend it could be that the "What next?" After<br>
> Open Space is nothing at all. Actually I rather like that. If we really get<br>
> it right we won't need extraneous processes to become fully what we are --<br>
> self-organizing critters. Or something.<br>
><br>
> Harrison<br>
><br>
><br>
> Harrison Owen<br>
> 189 Beaucaire Ave<br>
> Camden, ME 04843<br>
> 207-763-3261 (Summer)<br>
> 301-365-2093 (Winter)<br>
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><br>
><br>
> -----Original Message-----<br>
> From: OSLIST [mailto:<a href="mailto:OSLIST@LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU">OSLIST@LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU</a>] On Behalf Of Holger<br>
> Nauheimer (Change Facilitation)<br>
> Sent: Monday, June 15, 2009 12:44 PM<br>
> To: <a href="mailto:OSLIST@LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU">OSLIST@LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU</a><br>
> Subject: Re: Open Space being badly defined<br>
><br>
> Chris,<br>
><br>
> you said:<br>
><br>
> "In the world of self-organizing systems and evolutionary processes what<br>
> matters is variety and diversity. Things only get better when millions of<br>
> experiments are underway. From those experiments come the mutations and<br>
> modifications that help create the next level. It's how Open Space emerged,<br>
> and it's how it will disappear in good time too."<br>
><br>
> I draw my hat in admiration - this was the most intelligent thing I heared<br>
> somebody saying about whether or not Open Space Technology must be used in<br>
> its original format (which we all love, and usually fight for) or not.<br>
> Regularly, I have been asking the provocative question: "OST - so, what's<br>
> next?" Not that I want OST to disappear. But we can't possibly assume that<br>
> it will be around for the next 1300 years. Maybe it will: Robert Jungk's<br>
> Zukunftswerkstatt still seems to be around, and that tells something about<br>
> stickyness of methodologies :) .<br>
><br>
> It reminds me of the question, "After John Cage, can there be any other new<br>
> music?" John Cage produced the famous piece 4'33" in the early nineties -<br>
> four and a half minute of pure silence:<br>
> <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hUJagb7hL0E" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hUJagb7hL0E</a>. But of course, there is new<br>
> music, even if it will be difficult to beat the radicalism of John Cage.<br>
><br>
> OST might probably remain the purest "technology of participation", as John<br>
> Cage's 4'33". I wouldn't know how to simplify self-organized meetings. But<br>
> as much as we love OST, people need to experiment in order to find out which<br>
> borders to cross or to stretch. We (the OST aficionados) are in a way the<br>
> keepers of The Holy Grail of OST and we need to be. But then, we mustn't be<br>
> to change resistant. Sometimes, OST does not solve the issues of a client,<br>
> even if more participation and collaboration is at stake.<br>
><br>
> I repeat myself: if more and more groups who have different rituals and<br>
> cultures find a way to host meetings with a self-organization component, I<br>
> think we (and all the other Sandras, Marvins, Juanitas, Davids, etc.) can<br>
> proudly say, "we were part of a global paradigm shift in collaboration."<br>
><br>
> Some people will like OST better, and some not. I don't care. I love it as I<br>
> love John Cage.<br>
><br>
> Holger<br>
><br>
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