Thank you!! This is what my instinct has been saying; and of course it is what self-advocacy is all about!
If anyone is in central New York and would like to join us, check out the Srlf-Advocacy Association of NYS. We'll be weaving their Self-Advocacy training into a pilot summer day camp at Robert Treman State Park in Ithaca in late July.- and I'm hoping for a one-day OS on what this camp can become in the years ahead, based on what the folks themselves want. - Patricia On Mar 30, 2014 8:37 PM, "Harrison Owen" <[email protected]> wrote: > Pat ... can't recall the names. Been a long time ago. But the answer is > Yes, and the results were remarkable. A Canadian group running sheltered > workshops used Open Space for their annual conference. They held the event > in one of their facilities, and when the clients came down in the morning, > they found the main room set up with a circle of chairs. They sat down, and > the staff then had to figure out what to do with them. Wisdom prevailed, > and the clients stayed. Open Space worked as usual with everybody > participating. The CEO of the organization wrote me some months later to > say that a most remarkable thing had happened. When they came to their > yearend financials, they discovered that they had doubled their services > for the same cost. Seems that 1/2 half of the services offered were neither > wanted nor needed, but nobody had ever bothered to check with the clients. > All that happened in Open Space, and the result was a tad mind blowing. But > not the least mind blowing... > > > > A year or so later I got another letter from the CEO who said that they > had just finish their biannual client assessment in terms of coping skills. > In the interim they had done a number of Open Spaces always involving the > clients. She told me that the clients involved scored the greatest gains > ever seen. She concluded by saying that she was sure I never had thought of > Open Space as a treatment modality, but that in their experience it was the > most powerful one they had ever seen. > > > > I can't prove any of this. Can't even remember the names of the client or > the institution. But I sure do remember the letters. So I guess, opening > space can do some good for just about anybody. > > > > Harrison > > > > Harrison Owen > > 7808 River Falls Dr. > > Potomac, MD 20854 > > USA > > > > 189 Beaucaire Ave. (summer) > > Camden, Maine 04843 > > > > Phone 301-365-2093 > > (summer) 207-763-3261 > > > > www.openspaceworld.com <http://www.openspaceworld.com%20> > > www.ho-image.com <http://www.ho-image.com%20> (Personal Website) > > To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options, view the archives of > OSLIST Go to: > http://lists.openspacetech.org/listinfo.cgi/oslist-openspacetech.org > > > > *From:* [email protected] [mailto: > [email protected]] *On Behalf Of *Patricia Haines > *Sent:* Sunday, March 30, 2014 8:04 PM > *To:* World wide Open Space Technology email list > *Subject:* Re: [OSList] Open Space and Authority > > > > Has anyone done an OS with developmentally disabled adults? I'm starting > to work with the Self-Advocacy Association, and think such a gathering > could be transformative. > - Patricia Haines, Ithaca, NY > > On Mar 29, 2014 4:57 PM, "Daniel Mezick" <[email protected]> wrote: > > I am asking for help. Will you help me clarify my thinking? > > I'm wondering if 100% equivalence in authorization for all participants is > actually a key/defining characteristic of any genuine and authentic Open > Space event... > > > First things first. Definitions: > > Authority: The right to do specific work > > Authorization: The conferring of authority > > Formal Authority: Authorization conferred from the formal organization to > a person. Example: "the CEO". > > Informal Authority: Authorization conferred from peers, colleagues and > co-workers. Example: "emergent leadership". > > > Now let's get into it. I currently think, and believe, that: > > 1. For an Open Space event inside an organization, the Sponsor must occupy > a role with substantial formal authorization, definitely more than enough > to actually authorize that OST event. The higher the level of formal > authorization of the Sponsor, the better it is for the event overall. > > 2. The Sponsor authorizes the participants- the "invitees"-- to meet > together, and do the specific work of exploring and investigating the > Theme. This "authorized work" is done in "authorized space"...in that > specific place, for a specific period of time. The Sponsor explicitly > authorizes all of the above and conveys this message after they stand up, > and before they sit down, at the opening. > > 2. The Facilitator is formally authorized by the Sponsor to do the > specific work of OST event. Absent this authorization, the Facilitator has > no standing. > > 3. This is the big one: Everyone else, Sponsor included, has 100% > equivalent authorization (100% equivalent "right to do work") as of the > moment of opening of the Bulletin Board and/or the opening of the > Marketplace. > > 4. As the event progresses, authorization dynamics are in play. These > "informal authorization" dynamics occur continuously throughout the day in > real time, moment by moment. Those who experience net increases in levels > of informal authorization as of the end of the meeting have membership in > the "emergent leadership" group. > > I am very interested in what experienced folks think about the validity of > the assertion in (3) above. > > Ex the Facilitator, does everyone else actually have 100% equivalent > authorization in an OST meeting? Why or why not? > Is this 100% equivalence of authorization actually a key/defining > characteristic of any genuine and authentic Open Space event? > > Thanks for any insight you may be able to provide, and > > Kind Regards, > Daniel > > -- > > Daniel Mezick, President > > New Technology Solutions Inc. > > (203) 915 7248 (cell) > > Bio <http://newtechusa.net/dan-mezick/>. Blog<http://newtechusa.net/blog/>. > Twitter <http://twitter.com/#%21/danmezick/>. > > Examine my new book: The Culture Game > <http://newtechusa.net/about/the-culture-game-book/>: Tools for the Agile > Manager. > > Explore Agile Team > Training<http://newtechusa.net/services/agile-scrum-training/>and > Coaching. <http://newtechusa.net/services/agile-scrum-coaching/> > > Explore the Agile Boston <http://newtechusa.net/user-groups/ma/> > Community. > > > _______________________________________________ > OSList mailing list > To post send emails to [email protected] > To unsubscribe send an email to [email protected] > To subscribe or manage your subscription click below: > http://lists.openspacetech.org/listinfo.cgi/oslist-openspacetech.org > > _______________________________________________ > OSList mailing list > To post send emails to [email protected] > To unsubscribe send an email to [email protected] > To subscribe or manage your subscription click below: > http://lists.openspacetech.org/listinfo.cgi/oslist-openspacetech.org > >
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