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Harrison,
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I think this is one of the few times I have a different point of view that you. I believe OS's have natural containers built in. I also believe you need a container for open space to be effective. I think the difference stems from having a different definition or viewpoint on what a container is and can be. My view has been heavily influenced by Glenda Eoyang's theory and work in this area. For something new to emerge from self organization something has to hold our bind the diverse agents together for them to have exchanges across their differences.
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- The room or space the OS is being held in is a container.
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- A concept or idea that people care about brings the people together.....it binds or contains them creating the space to have the conversations to emerge.
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- The bulletin board is a container.....scheduling a specific conversation at a specific place and time.
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In my experience there are always multiple containers that are massively intertwined.
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My thoughts along the way.
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David
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On Sun, Apr 6, 2014 at 9:33 PM, Michael Wood
<span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:michael.wood@uwa.edu.au" target="_blank">michael.wood@uwa.edu.au</a>></span> wrote:
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<blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex">
Thanks, Harrison, for your response to my question on 'boundaries', particularly your paraphrasing of my question - which was spot on. One thing I've taken from this brief conversation is that although considering the boundaries can be useful, we also need to accept that boundaries are never entirely clear, always moving on a spectrum from clear to uncertain/murky and if we, as a sponsor or facilitator, get overly bound up with boundaries then we might have moved, once again, into being too controlling.
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<br /> Michael Wood
<br /> Perth, Western Australia
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<br /> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
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<br /> Message: 1
<br /> Date: Thu, 03 Apr 2014 12:01:40 -0400
<br /> From: "Harrison Owen" <
<a href="mailto:hhowen@verizon.net">hhowen@verizon.net</a>>
<br /> To: "'World wide Open Space Technology email list'"
<br /> <
<a href="mailto:oslist@lists.openspacetech.org">oslist@lists.openspacetech.org</a>>
<br /> Subject: Re: [OSList] Open Space and boundaries
<br /> Message-ID: <000301cf4f56$00776480$01662d80$@net>
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<br /> It has been common for us to speak of Containers and Boundaries as somehow essential to Open Space. I can't quite find the place, but I do remember saying something like that myself, as in, "The role of the facilitator is to create the container..." It certainly made sense at the time, but I always felt a little uncomfortable with the image. Too mechanical, coercive... too something. And Michael has brought the subject up again. "So...here we have a situation where the 'boundaries' are actually in a state of complex flux and uncertainty. The financial 'givens' are ambiguous; there is no 'locum'
<br /> pastor in place because of legal uncertainties with the existing pastor...etc." You might call it "messy boundaries" -- and he raises the question whether one should press ahead with Open Space, or wait until the "mess" is settled down. On the one hand, Michael "hunches" that one should press on -- Open Space. But his hesitation comes, I suspect, from the prior notion that fixed boundaries/containers are necessary for an effective Open Space. What to do?
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<br /> Some thoughts (new ones for me): Containers are great for cooking soup, but are unneeded and maybe even problematical in Open Space. It is all about holding things together. In Open Space groups of people come together to deal with their issues. At the very least that would mean gathering in some common time/space, be that physical or electronic. It would seem that this co-location could be facilitated were some suitable "container" provided, presumably by the sponsor/facilitator. This certainly makes sense, and as a rough way of speaking, it seems to describe what is going on. But as I think about it, I think we may be missing a most important point. Coming together in Open Space happens because people care to come. And they continue their connection as long as they care to do so. (Law of two feet)
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<br /> >From the "outside" it might look as if they were held in place by a
<br /> container, but that is illusory. The actual dynamics are centripetal, the force is mutual attraction... people are "there" because they care to be there and not because they are contained by some external structure. In a word, we as facilitators really don't do a thing, and creating a container is the least of what we DON'T do. The people, from the beginning, do it all.
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<br /> Of course, there are situations where groups come together under orders, mandates, whatever. And they are definitely "contained." It is also true that the tighter that container, the less likely self organization will take place. If true, providing a container is not only unnecessary but also destructive. In the name of Opening space, we effectively close it. Or so I suspect it might be. Just thinking...
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<br /> Anyhow Michael, should my mental peregrinations lead anywhere useful, it would seem that your "hunch" was spot on. Forget the boundaries/container.
<br /> Just invite the space to open.
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<br /> Harrison
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<br /> Harrison Owen
<br /> 7808 River Falls Dr.
<br /> Potomac, MD 20854
<br /> USA
<br />
<br /> 189 Beaucaire Ave. (summer)
<br /> Camden, Maine 04843
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<br /> Phone 301-365-2093
<br /> (summer) 207-763-3261
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<a href="http://www.openspaceworld.com" target="_blank">www.openspaceworld.com</a>
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<a href="http://www.ho-image.com" target="_blank">www.ho-image.com</a> (Personal Website)
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<br />
<br /> -----Original Message-----
<br /> From:
<a href="mailto:oslist-bounces@lists.openspacetech.org">oslist-bounces@lists.openspacetech.org</a>
<br /> [mailto:
<a href="mailto:oslist-bounces@lists.openspacetech.org">oslist-bounces@lists.openspacetech.org</a>] On Behalf Of Michael Wood
<br /> Sent: Tuesday, April 01, 2014 9:59 PM
<br /> To: '
<a href="mailto:oslist@lists.openspacetech.org">oslist@lists.openspacetech.org</a>'
<br /> Subject: [OSList] Open Space and boundaries
<br />
<br /> A Case Study....
<br /> One of the principles that I have generally worked with in Open Space is helping the client get clear on the 'boundaries' of the space that's being opened. For example, helping people who come into the space to know 'what up for grabs here and what isn't? What decisions have already been made?'
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<br /> So picture this (purely hypothetical of course)....a church community in which the pastor has (in many peoples' opinion) run off the rails and the main church body is in the process of trying to dismiss him; the church is in compete disarray and completely conflict ridden, many people have left; the pastor who holds all the keys, banking passwords; church telephone connections etc etc, has taken legal advice and had hunkered down in the church owned house where he continues to hold the reigns of power (via some of his 'allies' in the church) despite not formally being the Pastor of the church anymore....
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<br /> So...here we have a situation where the 'boundaries' are actually in a state of complex flux and uncertainty. The financial 'givens' are ambiguous; there is no 'locum' pastor in place because of legal uncertainties with the existing pastor...etc etc.
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<br /> So in terms of 'Opening Space', do we wait a bit longer until some of the legal boundaries are clarified, OR open space right away in the midst of the mess....my hunch is the latter, but any thoughts from anyone?
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<br /> Cheers
<br /> Michael
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<p>--</p>
<p>David Osborne</p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><img src="http://www.change-fusion.com/ChangeFusionLogo.jpg" alt="" width="150" height="58" /></p>
<p style="text-align: left;">www.change-fusion.com | dosborne@change-fusion.com | 703.939.1777</p>
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