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</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body lang=EN-US link=blue vlink=purple><div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>Susan – Fun project! And I have some thoughts. First is that I wouldn’t worry too much about the formal Open Spaces and how to arrange them. I believe that will fall out naturally and they will be useful and productive – but much more useful and more productive will be seeing your total collective effort as ALL taking place in Open Space. Seen this way there will be no beginning or end but only a difference in mode and intensity. Said a little differently, it is all open space, just sometimes it is engaged in a more formal fashion (sit in circle, create bulletin board…), as need and occasion require. As for the 4 (really 5) principles and the one law, they have always been DE-scriptive and not PRE-scriptive. Which is to say they will happen anyway, that is just the way life is. Of course, being aware of them is useful, just as it is useful to be aware of any fundamental fact of life. Something about the unexamined life being less than fully livable.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>My suggestion has nothing to do with the notion of “Doing your Project as Open Space,” as if you really had any choice. Unless I have totally missed the boat (quite possible) we can’t choose to be self organizing (live in open space) – that is just the way things are, much like our relationship to gravity. Comes with the territory. We can, however choose to fight city hall, and seek to impose our own notions of how things ought to be – which is what happens when we attempt to organize a self organizing system. As I have said ad nauseam – that is not only an oxymoron, but stupid, and also a waste of time. So the first, and really only thought/suggestion is that your project is already “in open space” (like all the rest of life) – and the major question is how to behave in useful, appropriate, and productive ways. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>Given this perspective, Open Space events are simply training programs for life. They may also (usually do) have specific positive outcomes (plans made, designs created, etc) but at the end of the day the major gift is to build our awareness and skills for living. After 27 years and 100’s of thousands of iterations, I think we have built a small knowledge base relating to how all of this can be well done. Interestingly, virtually none of this learning is all that original – but so often we forget, and it is nice to have a refresher course.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>So as you prepare for your project, I suggest you worry less about how to do OSTs and rather more about how to acknowledge and optimize life in open space every day. The events will take care of themselves. And where to start? I think you are already at the starting line, given your experience with the Art of Hosting. It all begins with Invitation…<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>What can happen next will be multiple and various for there have been lots of people doing lots of learning. My take of the state of affairs is laid out in the second part of my book, “Wave Rider”, called “The Wave Rider’s Guide to the Future.” <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>Susan, thanks for sharing – and I for one look forward to your next installment!<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>Harrison <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>Harrison Owen<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>7808 River Falls Dr.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>Potomac, MD 20854<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>USA<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>189 Beaucaire Ave. (summer)<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>Camden, Maine 04843<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>Phone 301-365-2093<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>(summer) 207-763-3261<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'><a href="www.openspaceworld.com%20"><span style='color:blue'>www.openspaceworld.com</span></a> <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'><a href="www.ho-image.com%20"><span style='color:blue'>www.ho-image.com</span></a> (Personal Website)<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.5pt;font-family:Consolas;color:#1F497D'>To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options, view the archives of OSLIST Go to:<a href="http://lists.openspacetech.org/listinfo.cgi/oslist-openspacetech.org"><span style='color:blue'>http://lists.openspacetech.org/listinfo.cgi/oslist-openspacetech.org</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><div style='border:none;border-top:solid #B5C4DF 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 0in 0in 0in'><p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"'>From:</span></b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"'> oslist-bounces@lists.openspacetech.org [mailto:oslist-bounces@lists.openspacetech.org] <b>On Behalf Of </b>Susan Geller<br><b>Sent:</b> Sunday, December 23, 2012 8:53 AM<br><b>To:</b> oslist@lists.openspacetech.org<br><b>Subject:</b> [OSList] Using OS with a team on a project<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black'>Hi, all. I am new to this list. I posted this question to the LinkedIn OS group and was encouraged by Lisa Heft to post it here. I am somewhat new to OS as well, having first been introduced to it about 1.5 yrs ago through Art of Hosting. I recently attended a full day workshop on OS in OS. During that day of workshop I worked on the idea of using OS with a team of people at a large institution on a two year project. </span><o:p></o:p></p><div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black'>We start working together early in 2013. We will have weekly 2 hour meetings. The people in the room will be the leadership of the project and the staff working on the project - about 20 people all together, four of whom will be attending virtually (via Google Hangout). I think OST can really help this group work together well. I am looking for some input from people who have worked with a team over time using OST as a way of being together. </span><o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black'>We have a 1/2 day together will we will be in OS around the theme of us working together. And, then thereafter our 2 hour meetings will be held in OS. I have thought about the way we can use the principles to guide our work even to the extent they seem to be contradicted by our frame. For example "it's over when it's over" means that even if our 2 hour meeting ends, if the topic is not complete, we don't need to say it is done or assign it as an "action item" (traditional meeting frame). It can be continued in whatever way that group identifies. </span><o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black'>My current thinking is that we'll start each gathering in a marketplace and end each gathering with the question "what does our entire group need to know and/or work on?" as a way of bringing the conversations back to the center. </span><o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black'>It will be hard for me to add spaces on the fly to these meetings b/c of the logistics of having people attend virtually. It will work better if I have the google hangouts created from the start and have an external web cam devoted to each break out. So, I'm wondering for a group of 20 how many spaces I should be preparing. I'm thinking 4.</span><o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black'>I'm interested in what you think about all of this. What might I be thinking about? How can the core principles of OST help guide us given our structural limitations? What have you learned by doing something similar to my challenge?</span><o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black'>Thank you.</span><o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black'>--Susan</span><o:p></o:p></p></div><div><div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#888888'>Susan B. Geller<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#888888'>Project Director, Enterprise Portal, University of Minnesota<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#888888'>----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------</span><o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#888888'>e-mail: <a href="mailto:sgeller@umn.edu" target="_blank">sgeller@umn.edu</a><o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#888888'><o:p> </o:p></span></p></div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div></div></body></html>