<html><head></head><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; ">So I have used OST several times within academia as a way of organizing gatherings. I have worked with scientists (including most recently some of the top brian scientists in the world looking at early adverse childhood brain trauma), medical scientists, business school folks, diversity departments, continuing education people and many others.<div><br></div><div>The trick to tthis ease of application is to focus on the work and not on the process. Academics, whether they are artists, social scientists or scientists, love to think and debate ideas and abstractions...that is what they are paid to do. If you introduce OST as an idea, they will immediately engage in it critically and my experience is that they will either support it or oppose it, purely on grounds of theory. However, if you have a real business issue at hand, then there is no need to discuss the idea of Open Space...you simply need to to create the conditions for them to get down to work. In other words, no mess, no fuss, opening of space.</div><div><br></div><div>Engage in the concrete, not the abstract. people find it hard to be opposed to actually doing work, but they will find a million hypothetical and ideological reasons why your process will fail. the easiest way to do tis is to open space without talking about Open Space. Skip all the interesting bits about how it's a self-organizing meeting process that combines passion and responsibility and works with high levels of complexity. Forget all that. Just invite people to make their own conference complete with two plenary sessions - at the beginning and end - and a series of concurrent breakouts. This goes for any group of people for whom ideas are paramount: academics, politicians, activists, unions, philosophers, lawyers...</div><div><br></div><div>And as for scientific research and evaluation, I have recently stumbled upon the discipline of "developmental evaluation" which is a fantastic framework for understanding learning with in complex adaptive systems. Here are a few resources I have found and I reccomend Michael Quinn Patton's book on the subject as well. This could be the academically acceptable theoretical framework we are looking for.</div><div><br></div><div><a href="http://chriscorrigan.com/parkinglot/?p=3001">http://chriscorrigan.com/parkinglot/?p=3001</a></div><div><br></div><div>Chris</div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div> <br><div><br></div><div><br><div>
<div style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; ">----<br>Chris Corrigan<br><a href="mailto:chris@chriscorrigan.com">chris@chriscorrigan.com</a><br><a href="http://www.chriscorrigan.com">http://www.chriscorrigan.com</a><br><br></div>
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<br><div><div>On 2010-11-25, at 4:58 AM, Harrison Owen wrote:</div><br class="Apple-interchange-newline"><blockquote type="cite"><div>I would be delighted if the academic community would take a serious look at<br>Open Space, not because that would constitute some sort of validation, but<br>rather because I suspect that the several disciplines could deepen our<br>understanding of what happens and why. As to why such a look has not<br>happened to date, I am afraid that Siona has it precisely right. It could be<br>very threatening, especially to those in the applied social sciences. As a<br>friend once said to me (who was very much of an applied social scientist) --<br>"Harrison, if what you are describing is true most of what we are currently<br>doing (process design, facilitation, etc) doesn't need to be done." A pretty<br>stark statement which has some very negative implications for professional<br>standing, academic tenure, to say nothing of billable hours. Considering the<br>risks it is not too hard to understand the behavior.<br><br>Harrison <br><br>Harrison Owen<br>7808 River Falls Dr.<br>Potomac, MD 20854<br>USA<br>Phone 301-365-2093<br><a href="http://www.openspaceworld.com">www.openspaceworld.com</a><br><a href="http://www.ho-image.com">www.ho-image.com</a> (Personal Website)<br>To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options, view the archives of<br><a href="mailto:oslist@listserv.boisestate.edu">oslist@listserv.boisestate.edu</a>:<br><a href="http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html">http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html</a><br><br>-----Original Message-----<br>From: OSLIST [mailto:OSLIST@LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU] On Behalf Of Siona van<br>Dijk<br>Sent: Wednesday, November 24, 2010 11:33 PM<br>To: OSLIST@LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU<br>Subject: Re: OST & Scientific Method<br><br>Juan; Harrison:<br><br>I would venture that academia as a whole exists as an institution<br>vaster, and more pervasive, than that which OST practitioners have<br>opened space within, and as such would find the necessary trust in and<br>mystery of the process challenging--even dangerous--to its established<br>structures and systems. I say this only to grant the room for each;<br>that is, that OST has a role in the world (an important, even<br>necessary, one) and yet for those systems that are still, to some<br>extent, functioning, the acknowledgment of shattering processes can be<br>unsettling at best.<br><br>I don't mean to somehow grant systems or institutions a personal<br>autonomy here, though, so perhaps more accurately, those within such<br>organizations might not wish to be the ones to point to an alternate<br>process or route, or might shy from a too-broad espousing of something<br>that, in my view, can't be entirely grasped by the intellect, nor<br>explained away. To me OST is--necessarily, and beautifully--a threat<br>to established order, and as such I can understand why academia may<br>not leap acknowledge it.<br><br>Although does it really matter? To me part of the beauty and the<br>success of OST is precisely that it's not been institutionalized or<br>owned; to me such necessary outsides ought be tended to and furthered.<br>My sense is that if academia "catches up" it will no longer be<br>academia--and although that's fine with me I'm not sure many academics<br>would be overjoyed. ;)<br><br>Siona<br><br>On Wed, Nov 24, 2010 at 7:10 PM, JL Walker <jlwalker@terra.cl> wrote:<br><blockquote type="cite">Thanks you Harrison.<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">In a way then we could ask the following questions:<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">Is it possible that the scientific method can also may account for the<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">results of the Open Space Technology, if groups of academic interest<br></blockquote>permit,<br><blockquote type="cite">although it is not so clear that they would be suitable for them?<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">How to understand then that something that has been repeated over 100,000<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">times in over 140 countries for over 25 years do not possess adequate<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">documentation from the standpoint of scientific method?<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">Or is it rather depends on the particular characteristics of its<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">practitioners who do not like or simply hate this point of view?<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">Or is there some scientific research efforts that heretofore are unknown<br></blockquote>or<br><blockquote type="cite">has not been published yet?<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">Appreciatively,<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">Juan Luis<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">http://www.espacioabierto.net<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">De: OSLIST [mailto:OSLIST@LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU] En nombre de Harrison<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">Owen<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">Enviado el: martes, 23 de noviembre de 2010 14:34<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">Para: OSLIST@LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">Asunto: Re: [OSLIST] OST & Scientific Method<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">Juan - I would not hold my breath. To the best of my knowledge, the<br></blockquote>academic<br><blockquote type="cite">community has totally avoided Open Space, even though there have been<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">multiple OS held within the sacred walls of Academe. Just two weeks ago I<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">helped the Arkansas State University to get on with their Strategic Plan.<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">The lack of scientific evidence did not seem to bother them much. Of<br></blockquote>course<br><blockquote type="cite">you could offer him the opportunity for an academic scoop, if he has the<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">courage. After all when you have done something in excess of 100,000 times<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">in 140 countries, over 25 years - one might suspect that something useful<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">has been going on. All without benefit of the wisdom of academia. Maybe<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">someday they will catch up?<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">Harrison<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">Harrison Owen<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">7808 River Falls Dr.<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">Potomac, MD 20854<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">USA<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">Phone 301-365-2093<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">www.openspaceworld.com<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">www.ho-image.com (Personal Website)<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options, view the archives of<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">oslist@listserv.boisestate.edu:<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">From: OSLIST [mailto:OSLIST@LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU] On Behalf Of JL<br></blockquote>Walker<br><blockquote type="cite">Sent: Tuesday, November 23, 2010 12:10 PM<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">To: OSLIST@LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">Subject: OST & Scientific Method<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">Dear Friends<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">Yesterday I shared a coffee with a colleague who is one of the greatest<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">exponents of positive psychology in Chile. My interest was to motivate him<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">to know how is that an open space experience brings out the best of a<br></blockquote>human<br><blockquote type="cite">being and thus allows for experiencing many of the theoretical concepts<br></blockquote>that<br><blockquote type="cite">he manages. Great was my surprise when he said he was not interested in<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">anything that was not strictly and rigorously related to the scientific<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">method and that before he can accept my invitation, he first needed to<br></blockquote>know<br><blockquote type="cite">some scientific publications which demonstrate "objectively" the benefits<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">and results of the methodology.<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">What would you respond to him? What are the sources or scientific research<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">on Open Space to which we could refer him?<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">I know that this issue has been discussed here in some way before, but I<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">would love now that you could refresh my memory and my knowledge in all of<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">this matter.<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">Hugs,<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">Juan Luis<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">PS: I know also that Frederik Wortmann from Boscop in Berlin is working<br></blockquote>just<br><blockquote type="cite">now on his thesis with this optical, but I don't know about the details<br></blockquote>and<br><blockquote type="cite">his results.<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">* * ==========================================================<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">OSLIST@LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU ------------------------------ To<br></blockquote>subscribe,<br><blockquote type="cite">unsubscribe, change your options, view the archives of<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">oslist@listserv.boisestate.edu:<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html To learn about<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">OpenSpaceEmailLists and OSLIST FAQs: http://www.openspaceworld.org/oslist<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">* * ==========================================================<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">OSLIST@LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU ------------------------------ To<br></blockquote>subscribe,<br><blockquote type="cite">unsubscribe, change your options, view the archives of<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">oslist@listserv.boisestate.edu:<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html To learn about<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">OpenSpaceEmailLists and OSLIST FAQs: http://www.openspaceworld.org/oslist<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">* * ==========================================================<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">OSLIST@LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU ------------------------------ To<br></blockquote>subscribe,<br><blockquote type="cite">unsubscribe, change your options, view the archives of<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">oslist@listserv.boisestate.edu:<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html To learn about<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">OpenSpaceEmailLists and OSLIST FAQs: http://www.openspaceworld.org/oslist<br></blockquote><br>*<br>*<br>==========================================================<br>OSLIST@LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU<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><br>*<br>*<br>==========================================================<br>OSLIST@LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU<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></div></body></html>*
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