Thanks for your tough provoking post, Harrison. Some thoughts and questions
inline.
________________________________
From: Harrison Owen <[email protected]>
To: 'World wide Open Space Technology email list'
<[email protected]>
Sent: Saturday, September 10, 2011 11:07 PM
Subject: [OSList] Control, Perceived Control, and the Loss Thereof
Keith wrote: “Loss (or perceived loss?) of control is also something that some
senior leaders struggle with.”
True – and not only in Open Space. It may be my own perversity, but I find this
to be a very useful struggle which may bring these folks to a deeper
understanding of themselves, the organizations they serve, and the world in
which we live. The actual truth of the matter (and for sure my personal
experience) is that control of the sort they are afraid of losing never was
theirs to begin with. Agonizing over something the doesn’t exist is not only a
little silly, it also bespeaks of something approaching delusion, if not
delusion itself. The pain of their agonizing is to be regretted, but it is a
self inflicted wound, and unfortunately its impact is not limited to the
nervous executive(s). It can (and often does) effect the entire organization in
adverse and sometimes lethal ways.Space closes, innovation withers, agility get
clunky – and organizational health shows critical signs of decline in terms of
loss of productivity, efficiency,
effectiveness – to say nothing of employee morale and self-respect. Not a
pretty picture.
Would you agree then that those organizations, at that point in time, can be
considered "closed"?
(...)
There is no question in my mind that there are massive good works to be done
coaching executives through their addiction to control. And it really is an
addiction, I think, and should be treated as such. Those in the “Addiction
Business” will tell you that, of the many barriers and difficulties to be faced
and overcome –The Enabler is a major obstacle to health. Enablers are typically
good hearted souls who in the name of sympathy, empathy and compassion do
little things, and large, to effectively shield the addict from a direct
confrontation with his/her addiction. I more than suspect that when we seek to
shield an executive from the possibility of losing control in Open Space, we
are doing something of the same sort, and for sure we are not doing anybody a
favor. Should our efforts take the form of assuring people that “certain”
items/issues will be kept carefully under protective cover (read “control”),
that constitutes promises we
can’t keep. If the items/issues are truly important to somebody (other than
the nervous executive) – they will be present, one way or another. If not in a
“session” then for sure in some back hall conversations where it is most likely
that they will fester and grow.
Would you agree
that all the past discussions about the "givens" were precisely about
that - one way to try to shield the executives that some "givens"
will be out of discussion at the OST event?
Pre-work, as Lisa Heft is wont to tell us, is important. But I find that (at
least in the case of executive fears) it can be pretty straight forward. I
simply describe what Open Space is and the kinds of results I have witnessed,
making little reference to how it works – unless asked. In most cases we
proceed directly to operational concerns: Theme, location, dates, etc. But in
the event that the conversation moves to issues of control and the perceived
lack of same, I tend to call for a time out, suggesting that maybe they need
some more time to think about their needs and the appropriateness of Open
Space. If I don’t think they have heard me, I put it a little stronger. I
suggest that they think about any other way to achieve their ends. And should
they run out of options, call me back. I run about 50/50 on the call backs. But
when they call they are ready to go. So am I.
And
what do you think about an almost opposite strategy for the Pre-work of trying
to
"prepare" the prospective client that he/she will lose control but
that is ok...? (I say "almost opposite" as your way seems to recommend that the
facilitator gets out of the way and let the client think and decide, and the
other is almost trying to "educate the client"...)
Thanks
for any clarifications.
Regards
Artur
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