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Dear Astronauts,<br>
<br>
At the beginning of Nov, I did ask a question on possible
connections between OST and mediation in context of organizing an
annual meeting of mediatior. Thank you for you responses. Here is a
summary of the topic and short description of the actual experience.<br>
<br>
Topic: Open space and Mediation
<p>Time: 11.11.10 - 16.11.10<br>
Location: OSLIST<br>
Initiator: Arno</p>
<p>The question:<br>
</p>
<ol>
<li>
<p>I am intersted in possible overlappings of these two methods.
</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>After expressing once my skepsis on traditional conference
arrangement (on a mediatiors annual conference) I was
encouraged to suggest alternatives. I suggested OS. </p>
</li>
<li>
<p>This idea developed into search for a mix of mediation and
OS. </p>
</li>
<li>
<p>The min. program is still dividing annual meeting between
time for presentations and OS. </p>
</li>
<li>
<p>The max. program could be some arrangement including OS and
mediation practice. So, what you think? </p>
</li>
</ol>
Participants: Christian Harrison, Harold, Anne, Bui, Christine,
Lisa, Scott, Chris, Larry, Michael M, Larry, David
<ol>
</ol>
<p>Ideas:<br>
</p>
<ol>
<li>What are our aims for the annual meeting?</li>
<li>Think about OS or any other method. </li>
<ol>
<li>There are just some specific cases in which OS is the right
thing to do. </li>
</ol>
<li>Mediation or meditation? </li>
<li>Open Space is a bit analogous to organizational meditation</li>
<ol>
<li>A traditional leader is similar to the ego in our
consciousness, with the illusion of command and control.</li>
<li>In Open Space, the "leader" takes a breather and just
watches what's present in the psyche of the organization and
lets it surface - "how fascinating" - and then refuses to
refocus the organization on any one topic at least during the
time of the Open Space. </li>
</ol>
<li>My curiosity in UK is about the tensions between the essential
oppositionalism in our state systems and those advocating
(forced to use the term in the context) for mediation.</li>
<ol>
<li>In particular in family courts and resolution of so much
human disarray) - OST here is potentially such a lifesaver...</li>
</ol>
<li>OS would be a great way to hold your conference.</li>
<li>While OS can be useful for resolving some disputes, it is an
entirely different process from mediation,</li>
<ol>
<li>I consider these to be the opposite extremes of what I do. </li>
</ol>
<li>There are several other processes that you can use as
components of an otherwise conventional conference</li>
<ol>
<li>World Cafe </li>
<li>Conversation Cafe </li>
</ol>
<li>Decide on the purpose first and then pick the tool. </li>
<li>Mediation is something that helps people articulate
differences, hear each others' stories, decide what is or is not
common ground, and so on.</li>
<ol>
<li>Many different tools / processes can be used</li>
<ol>
<li>Restorative Justice Circles</li>
<li>Guided conversations </li>
</ol>
</ol>
<li>Analyze objectives, desired outcomes, time available, space
available, context, participant numbers, what comes before and
after and so on - then select the tool(s) to best fit the n</li>
<li>When mixing traditional conference (workshops, presentations,
whatever) with some time also in Open Space (the more time the
better to let participants do their thing) - it is really ideal
to put the Open Space as the last part of the conference. </li>
<ol>
<li>Because participants can use that time to talk about new /
emergent things as well as to reflect on things they have
learned or heard earlier in the conference. </li>
<li>Because the Closing Circle of an Open Space can be a great
closure / closing reflection for a conference. </li>
<li>Because if conference attendees experience OS earlier in the
conference and then have to 'fit themselves into the shape of'
a traditional conference after that (sitting listening to a
speaker, listening in a workshop, listening to a panel
presentation) - they can get uncomfortable and feel their time
is more useful self-organizing and continuing to meet together
to talk about what matters to them (including wandering back
out into the hallways to continue their meaningful
conversations that began in Open Space).</li>
</ol>
<li>I am currently using Open Space for Mediators to explore their
passions and shared interests as Mediators. </li>
<ol>
<li>This serves Mediators by enabling them to reflect on their
practice and to align regarding innovative possibilities.</li>
</ol>
<li>The next great book to write on the application of Open Space
will be titled :"It Depends: Applying Open Space Everywhere"</li>
<li>Opening space is partly about expanding "our" now. As a
process enables a group to experience together increased
consciousness/awareness. </li>
<ol>
<li>Meditative practice can do the same for individuals. </li>
<li>Can corporate practice of Open Space do the same for
collectives? </li>
</ol>
<li>I was exposed to some peace processes in the Philippines and I
see that OS may help a lot in arriving equilibrium in many parts
of the globe. </li>
<ol>
<li>Mediation is purposive, such that peace comes after series
of requests on all sides are met.. </li>
<li>OS, on the other hand, is consensus building from the first
moment it is initiated; and, and at the point of convergence
and sharing. </li>
<li>Conflict is handled well by the process, that in the end,
everyone is satisfied and satiated.</li>
</ol>
<li>Mediation could be a small subtext in the OS process which
would possibly happen somewhere during the discussions or
perhaps during the agenda setting..</li>
<li>In extreme environments, where the conflict has become overly
destructive, Open Space IS the mediating modality. </li>
<ol>
<li>Alternative approaches ... in every case that I have
witnessed they were infinitely less effective, especially when
you take into account the amount of time and effort required.</li>
<ol>
<li>When these (alternative) approaches were most effective it
turned out that the mediator operated with light or
invisible hands</li>
</ol>
<li>No external party can ever possibly understand the
complexity of the issues involved, their massive and ill
defined connections, all combined with the (rapidly) changing
nature of the total scene.</li>
</ol>
<li>The assembled group, united only by their common caring for
some resolution carries all the history, all the complexity,
combined with a nanosecond to nanosecond awareness of the
present evolving situation—which their collective wisdom (Wisdom
of Crowds) is usually able to weave together in a useful
fashion. No help needed save for a single individual to open and
hold the time/space in which all of that can take place. </li>
<li>I see little point in combining Open Space with Mediation.</li>
<li>Failure to combine Open Space and Meditation in a high
conflict situation is the perfect prescription for frying your
soul</li>
<li>Holding space under extreme circumstances will require extreme
degrees of focused presence. Meditation helps. </li>
<li>The self organizing process that open space enables. </li>
<ol>
<li>Self organizing is very similar to a process I teach in
applying emotional Intelligence. </li>
<li>Meditation enables this self awareness and I would co-relate
meditation to the deep listening within OS. </li>
<li>One is at the individual level the other is at the system
level.</li>
<li>In OS the system itself is becoming more aware of it’s
internal and external environment / state and through this
able to make more conscious and healthy choice</li>
</ol>
</ol>
Please correct me if some of the ideas are arranged in biased way or
something important has been skipped.<br>
<br>
If to summarise what I did see in these:
<ol>
<li>Think it over, what you really want to accomplish</li>
<li>Then look what are the choices in toolbox of methods</li>
<li>If you want to combine </li>
<ol>
<li> Take into account what are the interconnections between
methods </li>
<li> What is the inner logic of process of different methods.</li>
</ol>
</ol>
I enjoyed the insigts of Os and mediation possible connections
(similarities, differences, contradictions).<br>
<br>
How the actual event proceded?<br>
<br>
This was a great learning for me.<br>
<br>
The schedule of the Conference was very flexibly changing. <br>
There was a initial idea of using a big scale mediation as an
example (and a role play) in a combination with OS. It did not work
out as the person responsible for the mediation part could not
participate. It came out in a very last minute. <br>
The plan was changed into combining traditional conference schedule
with OS. <br>
At first it was half of a day for presentations and then 1,5 days of
OS. The first day went as planned (40 participants). The second day
(20 participants) started with a bit changed plan of having two
short (a' 20 min) presentations and ended up with one 90 min
presentation and one 20 min presentation. The rest was OS. <br>
<br>
For me this was most interesting experience as the participants were
speaking German and I don't. Opening of the space was done in
English and the closing circle I got translated. I want specially
thank Michael M Pannwiz for German versions of law and rules I was
able to use. <br>
As the schedule of the event was so "flexible" I had to develop a
spreadsheet to calculate the time gaps (discussion, evaluating,
final circle) to have an overview of the possible process. <br>
<br>
So it was more or less the demonstration of OS as a possible format
for further use. As such it was very valuable. That was the
conclusion of participants as well. And I beleive that participants
enjoyed the freedom of format (the parallel discussion groups with
The Lof2F.<br>
<br>
For those who read German, here is the link summarising the whole
event:<br>
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://www.in-mediation.eu/mediation-als-kulturgut">http://www.in-mediation.eu/mediation-als-kulturgut</a><br>
<br>
Thank you again participating and your patience to read the summary,<br>
<br>
Arno <br>
<p><br>
</p>
<ol>
</ol>
<p><br>
</p>
<ol>
</ol>
<ol>
</ol>
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