Thanks for this story! I think a new one I hadn't heard. Well, so maybe you had it easy, or maybe hard isn't even the way to talk about it...but there is something of the energetic imprint of those "early days" that I still pick up from folks that have been using OST for 20+ years, and I like it. I keeps me close to the core of the process, the simple intent, the pure gift of it.
Still...as we know, riding the front of a wave is not a comfortable place to be when you first hop on... At any rate, for what it's worth - and this is all I'm really trying to say - thanks for doing it. Chris ---- Chris Corrigan [email protected] http://www.chriscorrigan.com On 2010-05-19, at 2:46 PM, Harrison Owen wrote: > Chris – I have to take small issue with you. There was nothing hard or > difficult about what we (whoever we was) were doing. It was addictive, mind > blowing and totally exhilarating. We did not have a clue where we were going > and all the traditional sources said we were going in the wrong, or at least > a questionable direction. A good friend of mine in San Francisco co-authored > a book called, “Better Meetings” and it was (and might still be) the “bible” > on such matters. You know the drill – careful preparation, detailed agenda, > exquisite attention to who comes, and of course Facilitators in abundance. > Over a beer, he invited me to “do” an Open Space with his organization – > something about its future direction. Space opened and at the end his partner > in authorship walked out preceded by the words, “This is the biggest pile of > BS I have ever seen.” My friend just sat there. And there was a smile on his > face. We were friends until he died several years ago (I guess we are still > friends) – and he never used the book again. Took the royalties, I guess. > > The total wonder and mystery of what we all experienced was worth whatever > difficulty there might have been – which I never noticed. Early on it became > very clear to me that you do not SELL Open Space. Non-starter – and to repeat > an old tale (Raffi!) Selling Open Space is just like teaching a pig to sing. > Annoys the pig and sounds awful. But you don’t have to sell it. Just be it, > and do it. Clients came because they needed the space, had run out of space, > or something. And every moment was a learning moment. > > Several years ago I met a marvelous lady, Ros Yalow – a physician and > physicist who had a major hand in the creation of MRI – which had something > to do with Nuclear Magnetic Resonance – whatever that is. Anyhow she got a > Nobel for her efforts, and we made a film about her and her science in which > the question was asked – “Ros, why do you do what you do?” Her answer? “I do > what I do because every morning when I go into my laboratory I know I have a > chance to think a thought that nobody ever thought before.” Wonderful! > Precisely my feelings as the space opened. > > So folks – it ain’t hard (unless you try to sell it J). Best of all, I think > we are at the front edge of the learning wave. A little scary and just > wonderful. Enjoy! > > Harrison > > Harrison Owen > 7808 River Falls Dr. > Potomac, MD 20854 > USA > Phone 301-365-2093 > www.openspaceworld.com > www.ho-image.com (Personal Website) > To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options, view the archives of > [email protected]: > http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html > > From: OSLIST [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Chris > Corrigan > Sent: Wednesday, May 19, 2010 12:42 PM > To: [email protected] > Subject: Re: Elders > > One of the things I love about hanging around with the "Elders" of the OST > world is hearing their stories of trying to do this work in the 1980s when > the fad in the North American organizational world was all about management, > control and predictable outcomes (and oh how times have changed, eh?). It > was an enduring memory for me of the Camden gathering where so many of these > practitioners were gathered to hear stories of what it was like trying to use > Open Space with organizations back then. It puts into perspective for me how > much times have changed, how much mainstream thinking has changed and how > much more sophisticated such a simple offer of OST has now become. > > Those of you that broke ground should be very proud and should feel > vindicated that you really were ahead of the game back then, and your > perseverance alongside many others has resulted in a movement in many parts > of the world towards more participatory leadership and openness. > > Those of you who are struggling in places that seems like those the "Elders" > were in in the 1980s tae note...it's not easy, but it is possible. > > So, Harrison, you may be experiencing senility, but try to at least remember > that what you did was somewhat important! :-) > > Chris > > ---- > Chris Corrigan > [email protected] > http://www.chriscorrigan.com > > > On 2010-05-19, at 8:47 AM, Harrison Owen wrote: > > > Raffi it is nice that you want the old folks about – but as you point out, > there are liabilities. For example, they tend to repeat themselves, sometimes > ad nauseam (“erm, re-re-re-re-re-told” raffi). May have something to do with > senility? > > ho > > Harrison Owen > 7808 River Falls Dr. > Potomac, MD 20854 > USA > Phone 301-365-2093 > www.openspaceworld.com > www.ho-image.com (Personal Website) > To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options, view the archives of > [email protected]: > http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html > > * * ========================================================== > [email protected] ------------------------------ To subscribe, > unsubscribe, change your options, view the archives of > [email protected]: > http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html To learn about > OpenSpaceEmailLists and OSLIST FAQs: http://www.openspaceworld.org/oslist > > * * ========================================================== > [email protected] ------------------------------ To subscribe, > unsubscribe, change your options, view the archives of > [email protected]: > http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html To learn about > OpenSpaceEmailLists and OSLIST FAQs: http://www.openspaceworld.org/oslist > * * ========================================================== > [email protected] ------------------------------ To subscribe, > unsubscribe, change your options, view the archives of > [email protected]: > http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html To learn about > OpenSpaceEmailLists and OSLIST FAQs: http://www.openspaceworld.org/oslist * * ========================================================== [email protected] ------------------------------ To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options, view the archives of [email protected]: http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html To learn about OpenSpaceEmailLists and OSLIST FAQs: http://www.openspaceworld.org/oslist
