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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'>Rosa – You said: “my own experience echoes Peggy's and others: three consecutive days at an Open Space event, certainly affected my own sense of creative freedom/agency/self-authority)!” I think that experience is pretty much universal, so I’ve heard. And the question arises... Why just three days? What stands in the way of us being in that “space” 24X7? Not much, I strongly suspect, save for our unwillingness, inability, fearfulness of Doing it. All big obstacles for sure, but not insurmountable. Jump in – the water is FINE. You have nothing to lose but your delusions... or something. Then again....<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'>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>Rosa Zubizarreta<br><b>Sent:</b> Monday, March 31, 2014 9:36 PM<br><b>To:</b> World wide Open Space Technology email list<br><b>Subject:</b> Re: [OSList] Open Space and Authority<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><div><p class=MsoNormal>Ok, plunging in here… deep waters!<o:p></o:p></p><div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal>One thing I'm noticing, is how words "sound" different, within different communities… <o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal>some of the posts above, seem to assume that "authorization" is about the "standard" world view… <o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal>and sometimes, some parts of me resonate with that… it's a word that initially felt very strange and "foreign" to me,<o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal> not at all "organic"…<o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal>and then, after some Tavi experiences, I've come to hear it in a much more creative vein… <o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal>as in, who is the "author" of this story that I am experiencing? Who is it, who is really giving power to those, who I see as "powerful"? <o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal>and so I've come to experience the whole notion of "authorship", within that particular community, in a very creative way… <o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal>yet still, the word at times has older echoes of "authoritarian", and "authority", <o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal>which don't resonate so well with these other, newer-to-me, usages… <o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal>So, here is what I am hearing Dan say, and Harold clarifying further:<o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal>Within an Open Space event , we are all equally invited to play (er, work… same thing, in my book!)<o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal>What I am hearing a few others say (I see no contradiction here): Just by virtue of stepping into an OS event, this does not alter the internalized external authority structure that people are bringing in with them (at least not immediately! ;-) <o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal>my own experience echoes Peggy's and others: three consecutive days at an Open Space event, certainly affected my own sense of creative freedom/agency/self-authorit)! <o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal>thanks for the conversation, all…<o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal>best wishes,<o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal>Rosa<o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><br clear=all><o:p></o:p></p><div><div><p class=MsoNormal><i>Rosa Zubizarreta</i><o:p></o:p></p><div><p class=MsoNormal><i>Diapraxis: Facilitating Creative Collaboration<br><a href="http://www.diapraxis.com/" target="_blank">http://www.diapraxis.com</a></i><o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><i>Celebrating my new book, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Conflict-Creative-Collaboration-Dynamic-Facilitation/dp/1626526117/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1394491921&sr=1-1&keywords=from+conflict+to+creative+collaboration" target="_blank">"From Conflict to Creative Collaboration: A user's guide to Dynamic Facilitation"</a></i><o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div></div></div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><div><p class=MsoNormal>On Mon, Mar 31, 2014 at 5:39 PM, Harold Shinsato <<a href="mailto:harold@shinsato.com" target="_blank">harold@shinsato.com</a>> wrote:<o:p></o:p></p><div><div><p class=MsoNormal>Dan, Peggy, Michael, David, Kári, Paul,<br><br>Such a rich topic.<br><br>I don't think Dan is "barking up the wrong tree at all".<br><br>Perhaps this is just my own experience, sensitivity, and upbringing - but I deeply resonate with the changing sense of authorization that happens in a good Open Space conference, and actually in most circle based processes, compared to the other more hierarchy based ones. And the spatial setup is critical here.<br><br>This was almost ridiculously confirmed in my experience of a Group Relations (GR) conference. We started in a theater style - the hosts and administration of our temporary institution - sitting like the judges and jury of our assembly. They claimed we the assembly had no rules, but when the group tried to rearrange the chairs in a circle, the leader de-authorized the conversation. No one dared again challenge the chair settings again. Also in my GR experience, there was another large group process - where we sat in a double spiral. It was fascinating to see the dynamic nature of authorization happening as people moved in and out of greater and lesser levels of authority (as granted by the assembly). My own experience of the OSList is we're more in a Spiral dynamic than in a circle. Just my experience. Since we're not in visual contact, it's a little harder to tell who is closer to the center as we speak/write on the OSList. But it's not that hard to tell.<br><br>A circle is inherently equalizing. Think of the Knights of the Round Table here. Maybe it doesn't make everyone equally authorized - but it does give a sense that we're all in it together, and that everyone matters, everyone counts. It's certainly harder to hide in a circle - but where does a circle start? Where does it end?<br><br>Obviously, OST is a lot more subtle than just the circle, the bulletin board that everyone is authorized to write on, the law of two feet, and the five principles. There's so much more to say. I hope the group doesn't deauthorize the importance of this topic.<br><br>A couple more points.<br><br>1) Using GR vocabulary- I join with Paul Levy. I think Open Space is more about "moral authority". To me that is about enabling self-authorization. Maybe another possible term - intrinsic authorization. I love some of the thinking of the Rights described in the American Declaration of Independence. "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all [people] are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights." Authority comes from the Creator - or you could say - it's already built in :-)<br><br>2) I love the safety theme around authority, and I also join with David and Kári on that theme. This is all about the container. A good facilitator helps establish and hold a strong container. It's hard for the container to hold without a blessing from the kings and queens of the community - the Sponsor. This container needs rules of play that equalize the authority to "do work", which in an Open Space is to host and attend sessions, be a bumble bee or a butterfly. It doesn't matter how great the title someone has - once the container is set - it should be safe and without repercussions for someone to take hold of the center of the circle and announce their topic, not announce a topic, attend or not attend sessions. Those rules are not usually in play for most meetings. For example, at a Board meeting most people in an organization aren't even allowed to be there, let alone speak.<br><br> Cheers,<br> Harold<o:p></o:p></p><div><p class=MsoNormal><br><br><br><br>On 3/31/14 9:00 AM, Peggy Holman wrote:<o:p></o:p></p></div></div><div><blockquote style='margin-top:5.0pt;margin-bottom:5.0pt'><p class=MsoNormal>Dan, <o:p></o:p></p><div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal>You ask great questions! <o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal>My take: like most of life, authorization is more nuanced than your statement below.<o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal>Like you, I believe everyone has 100% equivalent authorization AND they also carry the imprinting of habits, context, self-talk, existing relationships, and more that influence how they show up. Some will experience themselves as having 100% authorization, some will test that assumption, others will observe and reserve judgment, and every other flavor in between. <o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal>I have observed that with repeated use, people seem to experience an increasing sense of self-authorization. More take responsibility for what they love not just in Open Space but in life.<o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal>I know of no practice that lays the groundwork better for increasing self-authorization in social systems.<o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal>from sunny (at last) Seattle,<o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal>Peggy<o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></blockquote><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#888888'>-- <br>Harold Shinsato<br><a href="mailto:harold@shinsato.com" target="_blank">harold@shinsato.com</a><br><a href="http://shinsato.com" target="_blank">http://shinsato.com</a><br>twitter: <a href="http://twitter.com/hajush" target="_blank">@hajush</a><o:p></o:p></span></p></div></div><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:12.0pt'><br>_______________________________________________<br>OSList mailing list<br>To post send emails to <a href="mailto:OSList@lists.openspacetech.org">OSList@lists.openspacetech.org</a><br>To unsubscribe send an email to <a href="mailto:OSList-leave@lists.openspacetech.org">OSList-leave@lists.openspacetech.org</a><br>To subscribe or manage your subscription click below:<br><a href="http://lists.openspacetech.org/listinfo.cgi/oslist-openspacetech.org" target="_blank">http://lists.openspacetech.org/listinfo.cgi/oslist-openspacetech.org</a><o:p></o:p></p></div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div></div></div></body></html>