<html><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; ">Such an interesting conversation that you have started Robyn. <div><br></div><div>My own experience was (gulp!) 15 years ago. My life has taken twists and turns away from group facilitation - the fact that I'm on the list now has everything to do with a current contract/assignment. Before meeting the client - knowing what they were looking for "empowering the people" "new ideas" "enthusiasm" and "excitement" I thought that sounds like OS. Turns out those are just words.. they only want want is safe and familiar and what they did last year. </div><div><br></div><div>15 years ago, I was facilitating a two-day annual retreat for a smallish company. Day two was to have been OS. It was started OK, but the owner of the company hijacked the process (I can't remember the exact words) - he invited (he's the boss so invited...) everyone to go on a hike with him on a trail. When I was invited to go, I said "no" on the grounds that I wasn't sure everyone was there and some might be looking for the group. I was told that they ended up having a very good conversation on top of the mountain. </div><div><br></div><div>I think that the contracting process is the most important. what I'm holding to is that the client has to choose OS rather than it being recommended... </div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(68, 73, 255); font-size: 12px; ">Annamarie Pluhar</span> </div><div><div apple-content-edited="true"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: auto; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; "><div style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; "><div style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; "><div style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; "><div style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; text-indent: 0px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; orphans: 2; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; "><div style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; text-indent: 0px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; orphans: 2; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; text-indent: 0px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; orphans: 2; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; text-indent: 0px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; orphans: 2; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; text-indent: 0px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; orphans: 2; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; "><div style="font-size: 15px; "><br></div><div style="font-size: 15px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px; color: rgb(57, 43, 235); font-family: 'Copperplate Gothic Bold'; font-weight: bold; ">Pluhar Consulting</span></div><div style="font-size: 11px; "><font class="Apple-style-span" color="#392BEB" face="'Copperplate Gothic Light'">Results through effective group process</font></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Lucida Calligraphy'; font-style: italic; ">802.451.1941</span></div><div><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Lucida Calligraphy"><i style="font-family: 'Lucida Calligraphy'; font-style: italic; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Lucida Calligraphy'; font-style: italic; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Lucida Calligraphy'; font-style: italic; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Lucida Calligraphy'; font-style: italic; ">802.579.5975 (cell)</span></span></span></i></font></div></span></span></span></span></div><div style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; "><div><br></div></div></span></div></span><br class="Apple-interchange-newline"></div></span><br class="Apple-interchange-newline"></div></span><br class="Apple-interchange-newline"></div></span><br class="Apple-interchange-newline"> </div><br><div><div>On Nov 14, 2009, at 7:44 PM, Robyn Williams wrote:</div><br class="Apple-interchange-newline"><blockquote type="cite"><div>Hi folks<br><br>On Friday I was facilitating a 2 hour workshop primarily using Open Space<br>principles as requested, and as I would have suggested anyway given the task<br>in hand. My own 2 feet did the walking less than halfway through when the<br>'person in charge', who I'd not met before, interrupted the process,<br>criticised me, and gave me directions (in public) and not for the first<br>time. The agenda items were being announced, and her direction was that all<br>the issues should be dealt as a whole group and indicated that I should<br>facilitate that. I said no, thanked them for their time, wished them well<br>for the rest of the session, and left.<br><br>Given the short duration and the task at hand, this had been a long-winded<br>arrangement which resulted in more questions than answers. Arranged by a<br>delegated person without authority, I wasn't able to ascertain who was<br>really 'in charge' (I was told that it was a group project, ie all team<br>leaders) or get agreement for a meeting to clarify expectations. The day<br>before the workshop I contacted the Director of the department, had a<br>pleasing chat, and arranged to meet before the session. That session was<br>cancelled later in the day, and a shorter session was re-convened for<br>another time (when critical people could be available). Sure bells were<br>ringing but I started to think that I was being overly consultative. I mean<br>what could go wrong in 2 hrs? Right? <br><br>On the way home I reflected on how it had unfolded and my part and felt that<br>I'd done as well as I could do under the circumstances despite my<br>inner-critic suggesting that walking out was pretty extreme and surely I<br>could have done better. Needless to say I've learned lessons from this and<br>have damage control ahead of me this week (sigh).<br><br>So what would you do, or have you done, when your role is undermined?<br>And how did you reach closure with the client/s?<br><br><br>Best wishes, Robyn<br>Fremantle Western Australia<br><br>PS WA colleagues - anyone available to debrief this with me?<br><br>*<br>*<br>==========================================================<br><a href="mailto:OSLIST@LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU">OSLIST@LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU</a><br>------------------------------<br>To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options,<br>view the archives of oslist@listserv.boisestate.edu:<br>http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html<br><br>To learn about OpenSpaceEmailLists and OSLIST FAQs:<br>http://www.openspaceworld.org/oslist<br></div></blockquote></div><br></div></body></html>*
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