<html xmlns:v="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:vml" xmlns:o="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" xmlns:w="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:word" xmlns:m="http://schemas.microsoft.com/office/2004/12/omml" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40"><head><meta http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; charset=us-ascii"><meta name=Generator content="Microsoft Word 12 (filtered medium)"><style><!--
/* Font Definitions */
@font-face
{font-family:"Cambria Math";
panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4;}
@font-face
{font-family:Calibri;
panose-1:2 15 5 2 2 2 4 3 2 4;}
@font-face
{font-family:Tahoma;
panose-1:2 11 6 4 3 5 4 4 2 4;}
@font-face
{font-family:"Arial Black";
panose-1:2 11 10 4 2 1 2 2 2 4;}
/* Style Definitions */
p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal
{margin:0cm;
margin-bottom:.0001pt;
font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";}
a:link, span.MsoHyperlink
{mso-style-priority:99;
color:blue;
text-decoration:underline;}
a:visited, span.MsoHyperlinkFollowed
{mso-style-priority:99;
color:purple;
text-decoration:underline;}
span.EmailStyle17
{mso-style-type:personal;
font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
color:windowtext;}
span.EmailStyle18
{mso-style-type:personal-reply;
font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
color:#1F497D;}
.MsoChpDefault
{mso-style-type:export-only;
font-size:10.0pt;}
@page WordSection1
{size:612.0pt 792.0pt;
margin:72.0pt 72.0pt 72.0pt 72.0pt;}
div.WordSection1
{page:WordSection1;}
--></style><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:shapedefaults v:ext="edit" spidmax="1026" />
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:shapelayout v:ext="edit">
<o:idmap v:ext="edit" data="1" />
</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body lang=EN-AU link=blue vlink=purple><div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'>Henry Mintzberg, who coined the term <i>Strategic Planning</i> back in the 80s, I think, ultimately rejected that concept in his later book <i>The Rise and Fall of Strategic Planning</i>. Mintzberg feels that the two words should never be seen together. In essence ‘planning’ is what you try to envisage happening (Birgitt’s <i>Preferred Future</i>); the ‘strategic’ bit comes in when the carefully laid plans hit the real world (the best battle plans only last until the first shot is fired...).<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'>So in terms of the OS view of the world, planning and strategy – and, as HO says, the ‘doing bit’ – are all interwoven and inseparable, with the final result being what actually happened.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'>Lively train of thought here...<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'>David<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>Dr David Smith<br>BSc(Hons) PhD FRSA<br>Director, imaginACTION pty ltd<br> <br>50 Sweyn Street<br>Balwyn North<br>Victoria 3104<br>AUSTRALIA<br> <br>t +613 9857 8688<br>m 0411 444 048<br><a href="mailto:david@imaginaction.net.au">david@imaginaction.net.au</a><br><a href="http://www.imaginaction.net.au/">www.imaginaction.net.au</a><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'> <br></span><span style='font-size:21.0pt;font-family:"Arial Black","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>iA<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Arial Black","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>imaginACTION<br></span><i><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>Winner 2016 Victorian Community History Award <o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class=MsoNormal><i><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>for Historical Interpretation.<o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>Duldig Studio Documentaries Volume 1<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><i><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></i></p><p class=MsoNormal><i><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>Overall Winner, <br>Australian Achiever Awards<br>Victorian TV, Film, Audio and Video</span></i><span style='color:#1F497D'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><div><div style='border:none;border-top:solid #B5C4DF 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 0cm 0cm 0cm'><p class=MsoNormal><b><span lang=EN-US style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"'>From:</span></b><span lang=EN-US style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"'> OSList [mailto:oslist-bounces@lists.openspacetech.org] <b>On Behalf Of </b>Harrison Owen via OSList<br><b>Sent:</b> Friday, 17 February 2017 3:26 AM<br><b>To:</b> 'World wide Open Space Technology email list'<br><b>Subject:</b> [OSList] Planning and Open Space ????<o:p></o:p></span></p></div></div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN-US><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN-US>Occasionally somebody ponders the possibility of Open Space and Planning – as in, could you do Planning, Strategic and otherwise, in Open Space? My immediate response has always been, Yes. As a matter of fact I have done just that on a number of occasions.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN-US><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN-US>There is no question that when we “opened space for our future” (which always seemed to be the essence of the theme), a marvelous time was had by all. Something that looked very much like a “plan” emerged with attendant work groups – all committed and in place, and of course the time taken for the exercise was minuscule compared to standard practice. End of story. Or is it?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN-US><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN-US>Planning, at least in common usage, has some association with controlling, or even <i>creating</i>, the future. Indeed, many would argue that control of the future is the whole point of planning. Open Space, on the other hand, is all about self organization – which implies that control as we usually understand it is impossible. So Planning in Open Space would seem to be an oxymoron. You simply can’t get there from here. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN-US><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN-US>Upon reflection it does seem that Planning and Open Space go together rather like oil and water. It is also true that on those occasions where I was privileged to be with a group Planning in Open Space – it was marvelous. Good stuff seriously happened, and best of all people really had fun – even if there were times when it seemed like we were all hanging on by our finger nails because things were moving so fast!<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN-US><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN-US>Of course the “proof of the pudding” in this business is not, “Did you make a plan?” but most importantly – Did it work? And it is precisely here that things really get confusing. The plans not only “worked” as (self) reported by the participants – But they worked faster and better than ever. Almost to the point that it seemed the distinction between “planning” and “doing” had dissolved. Wow!<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN-US><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN-US>I can see another heresy just coming into view. Everybody “knows” that Planning comes first. Neat, orderly, rational, deliberate – considered over and over again. THEN... Action. But what would it mean if it happened all at once? ... That there really was no meaningful distinction between planning and doing? Not as an ideal, but as an experienced reality?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN-US><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN-US>Some might say that this is a clear indication of mental aberration – Mad in a word. On the other hand... were the experience real (as in repeatable, non-drug induced, whatever) we might just have to take another look at what we mean by “Planning.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN-US><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN-US><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN-US>Harrison<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN-US><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN-US>Winter Address<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN-US>7808 River Falls Dr.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN-US>Potomac, MD 20854<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN-US>301-365-2093<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN-US><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN-US>Summer Address<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN-US>189 Beaucauire Ave<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN-US>Camden, ME 04843<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN-US>207 763-3261<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN-US><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN-US>Websites<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN-US><a href="http://www.openspaceworld.com">www.openspaceworld.com</a><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN-US><a href="http://www.ho-image.com">www.ho-image.com</a><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN-US><o:p> </o:p></span></p></div></body></html>