<html><head><style type="text/css">body {word-wrap: break-word; background-color:#ffffff;}</style></head><body><div style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 16px">Exactly right ho!<br><br><font color="#333333"><i><span style="font-size: 14px"><font face="sans-serif">Sent via DROID on Verizon Wireless</font></span></i></font></div><br><br>-----Original message-----<br><blockquote style="; border-left: 2px solid rgb(16, 16, 255); margin-left: 5px; padding-left: 5px;"><div style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px"><b>From: </b>Harrison Owen <hhowen@verizon.net><b><br>To: </b>OSLIST@LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU<b><br>Sent: </b>Thu, Jan 1, 1970 00:00:00 GMT+00:00<b><br>Subject: </b>Re: OST & Scientific Method<br><br></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="www.openspaceworld.com">www.openspaceworld.com</a><br><a href="www.ho-image.com">www.ho-image.com</a> (Personal Website)<br>To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options, view the archives of<br>oslist@listserv.boisestate.edu:<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>> Thanks you Harrison.<br>><br>> In a way then we could ask the following questions:<br>><br>> Is it possible that the scientific method can also may account for the<br>> results of the Open Space Technology, if groups of academic interest<br>permit,<br>> although it is not so clear that they would be suitable for them?<br>><br>> How to understand then that something that has been repeated over 100,000<br>> times in over 140 countries for over 25 years do not possess adequate<br>> documentation from the standpoint of scientific method?<br>><br>> Or is it rather depends on the particular characteristics of its<br>> practitioners who do not like or simply hate this point of view?<br>><br>> Or is there some scientific research efforts that heretofore are unknown<br>or<br>> has not been published yet?<br>><br>> Appreciatively,<br>><br>> Juan Luis<br>><br>> <a href="http://www.espacioabierto.net">http://www.espacioabierto.net</a><br>><br>><br>><br>> De: OSLIST [mailto:OSLIST@LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU] En nombre de Harrison<br>> Owen<br>> Enviado el: martes, 23 de noviembre de 2010 14:34<br>> Para: OSLIST@LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU<br>> Asunto: Re: [OSLIST] OST & Scientific Method<br>><br>><br>><br>> Juan - I would not hold my breath. To the best of my knowledge, the<br>academic<br>> community has totally avoided Open Space, even though there have been<br>> multiple OS held within the sacred walls of Academe. Just two weeks ago I<br>> helped the Arkansas State University to get on with their Strategic Plan.<br>> The lack of scientific evidence did not seem to bother them much. Of<br>course<br>> you could offer him the opportunity for an academic scoop, if he has the<br>> courage. After all when you have done something in excess of 100,000 times<br>> in 140 countries, over 25 years - one might suspect that something useful<br>> has been going on. All without benefit of the wisdom of academia. Maybe<br>> someday they will catch up?<br>><br>><br>><br>> Harrison<br>><br>><br>><br>> Harrison Owen<br>><br>> 7808 River Falls Dr.<br>><br>> Potomac, MD 20854<br>><br>> USA<br>><br>> Phone 301-365-2093<br>><br>> <a href="www.openspaceworld.com">www.openspaceworld.com</a><br>><br>> <a href="www.ho-image.com">www.ho-image.com</a> (Personal Website)<br>><br>> To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options, view the archives of<br>> oslist@listserv.boisestate.edu:<br>><br>> <a href="http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html">http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html</a><br>><br>><br>><br>> From: OSLIST [mailto:OSLIST@LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU] On Behalf Of JL<br>Walker<br>> Sent: Tuesday, November 23, 2010 12:10 PM<br>> To: OSLIST@LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU<br>> Subject: OST & Scientific Method<br>><br>><br>><br>> Dear Friends<br>><br>><br>><br>> Yesterday I shared a coffee with a colleague who is one of the greatest<br>> exponents of positive psychology in Chile. My interest was to motivate him<br>> to know how is that an open space experience brings out the best of a<br>human<br>> being and thus allows for experiencing many of the theoretical concepts<br>that<br>> he manages. Great was my surprise when he said he was not interested in<br>> anything that was not strictly and rigorously related to the scientific<br>> method and that before he can accept my invitation, he first needed to<br>know<br>> some scientific publications which demonstrate "objectively" the benefits<br>> and results of the methodology.<br>><br>> What would you respond to him? What are the sources or scientific research<br>> on Open Space to which we could refer him?<br>><br>> I know that this issue has been discussed here in some way before, but I<br>> would love now that you could refresh my memory and my knowledge in all of<br>> this matter.<br>><br>><br>><br>> Hugs,<br>><br>><br>><br>> Juan Luis<br>><br>><br>><br>> PS: I know also that Frederik Wortmann from Boscop in Berlin is working<br>just<br>> now on his thesis with this optical, but I don't know about the details<br>and<br>> his results.<br>><br>> * * ==========================================================<br>> OSLIST@LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU ------------------------------ To<br>subscribe,<br>> unsubscribe, change your options, view the archives of<br>> oslist@listserv.boisestate.edu:<br>> <a href="http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html">http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html</a> To learn about<br>> OpenSpaceEmailLists and OSLIST FAQs: <a href="http://www.openspaceworld.org/oslist">http://www.openspaceworld.org/oslist</a><br>><br>> * * ==========================================================<br>> OSLIST@LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU ------------------------------ To<br>subscribe,<br>> unsubscribe, change your options, view the archives of<br>> oslist@listserv.boisestate.edu:<br>> <a href="http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html">http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html</a> To learn about<br>> OpenSpaceEmailLists and OSLIST FAQs: <a href="http://www.openspaceworld.org/oslist">http://www.openspaceworld.org/oslist</a><br>><br>> * * ==========================================================<br>> OSLIST@LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU ------------------------------ To<br>subscribe,<br>> unsubscribe, change your options, view the archives of<br>> oslist@listserv.boisestate.edu:<br>> <a href="http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html">http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html</a> To learn about<br>> OpenSpaceEmailLists and OSLIST FAQs: <a href="http://www.openspaceworld.org/oslist">http://www.openspaceworld.org/oslist</a><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><a href="http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html">http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html</a><br><br>To learn about OpenSpaceEmailLists and OSLIST FAQs:<br><a href="http://www.openspaceworld.org/oslist">http://www.openspaceworld.org/oslist</a><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><a href="http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html">http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html</a><br><br>To learn about OpenSpaceEmailLists and OSLIST FAQs:<br><a href="http://www.openspaceworld.org/oslist">http://www.openspaceworld.org/oslist</a><br></blockquote></body></html>