Nothing ever happens according to the plan. And OS helps with those elements 
that take us by surprise. 



-- 
CHRIS CORRIGAN
Harvest Moon Consultants
Facilitation, Open Space Technology and process design 

Check www.chriscorrigan.com for upcoming workshops, blog posts and free 
resources. 



> On Jul 22, 2014, at 5:06 PM, "Harrison Owen" <[email protected]> wrote:
> 
> Chris – I love your story, but I guess you have never built a bridge. Neither 
> have I. But I have been involved in a whole mess of large construction 
> projects (The CIA, Dulles International, etc) and I can tell you NOTHING ever 
> happened according to The Plan. Open Space the whole way!
>  
> Harrison
>  
> Winter Address
> 7808 River Falls Drive
> Potomac, MD 20854
> 301-365-2093
>  
> Summer Address
> 189 Beaucaire Ave.
> Camden, ME 04843
> 207-763-3261
>  
> Websites
> www.openspaceworld.com
> www.ho-image.com
> OSLIST To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options, view the archives of 
> OSLIST Go 
> to:http://lists.openspacetech.org/listinfo.cgi/oslist-openspacetech.org
>  
> From: OSList [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of 
> [email protected]
> Sent: Tuesday, July 22, 2014 2:58 PM
> To: World wide Open Space Technology email list
> Subject: Re: [OSList] Management and Organization
>  
> I seek simplicity in trying to describe where and how Open Space does it’s 
> magic.
>  
> One of the ways I have had excellent success over the years in describing 
> this work is derived from David Snowden’s work on the Cynefin framework.  
>  
> The short story is this:
>  
> We are faced all the time with problems that are basically knowable, and 
> problems that aren’t.  Knowable problems mean that with the right knowledge 
> and expertise, they can be fixed.  A technical team can come together and 
> analyse the causes, work with what’s available and craft a solution.  Then 
> they can get an implementation plan in place and go ahead and do it.  These 
> kinds of problems have a start line and a finish line.  When you are done, 
> you are done.  Building a bridge is one of those kinds of problems.  You 
> build it and there is no tolerance for failure.  It needs to be failsafe.
>  
> Open Space doesn’t work well for those kinds of problems because the solution 
> is basically already known, or at least knowable. 
>  
> Then there are problems for which no know solution exists, and even if you 
> did get a solution, you can’t really “solve” the problem because the problem 
> is due to a myriad of causes and is itself emergent. For example, racism.  
> Look around and you will find very few people that identify themselves as 
> racists, but look at the stats for Canadian society for example and you see 
> that non-white people are trailing in every indicator of societal success.  
> Essentially you are seeing the results of a racist society but no racists 
> anywhere.  This is an emergent problem.  Racism itself is a self-organizing 
> phenomenon, notwithstanding the few people that actively engineer racist 
> environments.  Such a problem didn’t really start anywhere and it can’t 
> really end either.  What is needed is a way of addressing it, moving the 
> system away from the negative indicators and towards something else.
>  
> In other words, this is a complex problem. 
>  
> The way to solve complex problems is to create many “strange attractors” 
> around which the system can organize itself differently.  Open Space nis the 
> best method I know of for creating such strange attractors, as they are born 
> from the passion and responsibility of those that want to create change, and 
> they are amplified by people coming together to work on these things.
>  
> It’s “post and host” rather than “command and control.” 
>  
> And because you can’t be sure if things are going to work out, you have to 
> adopt a particular mindset to your initiative: one that is “safe to fail.”  
> In other words, if it doesn’t work, you stop doing it.  If it does work, you 
> do more of it.  And all the way along you build in learning, so that the 
> system can see how change is made and be drawn towards those initiatives that 
> are currently making a difference.  Certainly this kind of problem solving is 
> not useful for building a bridge, as you cannot afford a failure there.  But 
> for problems with no known solutions, it is brilliant.  
>  
> Harrison has spent decades outlining this simplicity in even less words than 
> I have now and his writing and thinking is, and continues to be far ahead of 
> it’s time and maybe a little under appreciated because it is delivered in 
> simple terms like “don’t work so hard.”  But ultimately this is the best and 
> most important advice for working in complex systems.  
>  
> Open Space.  Do it.  Learn. Do it again. Don’t work so hard.
>  
> More than that really starts to build in the delusion that people can 
> possibly know what to do.  From that place solutions will be deluded.  That 
> they may work is pure luck.  Open Space offers us a disciplined approach to 
> addressing complexity in an ongoing way.  Don’t be fooled by its simplicity.
>  
> Chris
>  
> On Jul 21, 2014, at 6:52 PM, Harrison Owen <[email protected]> wrote:
> 
> 
> Love what you are saying... and I think you may be working much too hard. 
> From where I sit, the basic reality is that all the World is self-organizing. 
> That includes all the stuff we think we “organized.” So the bottom line is – 
> we are all self organizing, and some of us are doing it better. Which is to 
> say that some folks are struggling to invent what is already happening “all 
> by itself,” and others are allowing (appreciating) what is happening all by 
> itself.  For me, Open Space is simply a great way of “practicing” what is 
> already happening. Even if we think it isn’t. Or something.
>  
> Harrison
>  
> Winter Address
> 7808 River Falls Drive
> Potomac, MD 20854
> 301-365-2093
>  
> Summer Address
> 189 Beaucaire Ave.
> Camden, ME 04843
> 207-763-3261
>  
> Websites
> www.openspaceworld.com
> www.ho-image.com
> OSLIST To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options, view the archives of 
> OSLIST Go 
> to:http://lists.openspacetech.org/listinfo.cgi/oslist-openspacetech.org
>  
> From: OSList [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of 
> agusj
> Sent: Sunday, July 20, 2014 11:25 PM
> To: World wide Open Space Technology email list
> Subject: Re: [OSList] Management and Organization
>  
> Hello Harrison, David S and David O,
>  
> I find the thread of this conversation very interesting and inspiring. In my 
> opinion, the success of using OS to transform businesses in self-organizing 
> organizations depends of the way you do it. It is very different to use OS as 
> a means to experience a different way of organization than using OS as a 
> means to allow organizations to have an experience of themselves from a 
> context of self-organization. 
>  
> An option of the first approach is to use OS as an isolated practice in the 
> "old system". This way maybe it can help to fix something, but it is very 
> possible that it is not going to make a real difference, if the organization 
> does not transfer in any way the underlying conditions of OS to its everyday 
> environment. 
>  
> An example of the second approach is to use OS as a Trojan horse, acting like 
> a hacker. Under this scenario, the organization adopt OS as a common practice 
> because its effectiveness to solve problems or to foster innovation, or 
> whatever. This way, its continued use over time probably generates a new 
> cultural context that facilitates the emergence of self-organization. It 
> could take time, but the chance that self-organization put down roots is 
> higher than with the first approach.
>  
> Agustin
> PS - Recently I read a book that shows the cases of some organizations that 
> are defying the "old system" very succesfully. The name of the book is 
> Reinventing Organizations written  by Frederic Laloux.
> From: Harrison Owen <[email protected]>
> To: 'World wide Open Space Technology email list' 
> <[email protected]> 
> Sent: Wednesday, February 5, 2014 12:09 PM
> Subject: Re: [OSList] Management and Organization
>  
> David, Listen to your words... “we're exploring the question of how can we 
> have some structure and boundaries and  yet provide space for 
> self-organization. It's hard to find models that enable both.”
>  
> I hate to say it, and you won’t be surprised, but I think you are working 
> much too hard. Sounds to me suspiciously like a variant of “organizing a self 
> organizing system.” Especially that part about “find(ing) models.” The 
> systems you are contemplating (your business and the Association) are their 
> own best models. Nothing else will even come close because they are unique. 
> And if self organization is anything like I think it is, one of its major 
> activities is the creation of “structures and boundaries.” That, by 
> definition, is what self organizing systems do, along with a few other 
> things. So the key activity for me would be to stop looking for models, and 
> start paying careful attention to how your two self organizing systems 
> naturally express themselves in structure and form.
>  
> Initially your task will be complicated by all those “other” structures and 
> forms that have been laid on, arbitrarily I would say, just because it seemed 
> like a good idea at the time – in accord with the latest “models,” or 
> “accepted practice.” After all, we think we all know what an organization 
> SHOULD look like.J
>  
> But there is a way through the forest, I think, which is actually the “design 
> principle” I employed in the development of Open Space Technology. You’ve 
> heard it before. Think of one more thing NOT to do. Just keep striping away 
> those forms and procedures that you thought to be essential for your 
> organizations’ function. Don’t try to do it all at once, and start with what 
> I might call the low hanging fruit. Those things that just get done, even 
> though nobody can remember why.
>  
> Then notice what happens. If something comes back, that is pretty good 
> evidence that it was a natural form or structure, and your systems, in their 
> own wisdom, felt the need. On the other hand, if it stays gone, just say bye, 
> bye, enjoy the new space, and get on with your business.
>  
> It is true, of course that some structures and forms are required by external 
> authorities: Taxes, annual reports, and the like. In those situations, I have 
> found it helpful to ask, “What is the minimal level of form and structure 
> required to get the job done?” For some reason, people seem to make the 
> simplest things unendingly complicated. In extremis there is a presumption 
> that if it is simple, it can’t be any good. I’ve noticed this on more than 
> one occasion with the public perception of OST, especially among those who 
> have never been involved. I suppose this has something to do with the Expert 
> Syndrome – if you make it complicated enough you will surely require the 
> services of an Expert to help you through. For a fee of course. And to be 
> honest, we in the OS community sometimes seem to be guilty of the same thing.
>  
> So there are some suggestions to get started. If you want more, and probably 
> more than you want – you might take a look at Part II of Wave Rider, “A Wave 
> Rider’s Guide to the Future.” And for a slightly different slant see Part IV 
> of the Power of Spirit, “The Care and Feeding of the Interactive 
> Organization.” And just to be clear, an Interactive Organization is my term 
> for a conscious, self organizing system.
>  
> Harrison
> PS – And for the record, all of the above are by yours truly and available 
> from Amazon.com and the publisher, Berrett-Koehler.
>  
> 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
> www.ho-image.com (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 David Osborne
> Sent: Tuesday, February 04, 2014 6:57 PM
> To: World wide Open Space Technology email list
> Subject: Re: [OSList] Management and Organization
>  
> Harrison,
>  
> I had to laugh at my own words as I re-read them.. ."support leaders in 
> adopting approaches that move toward greater and greater levels of 
> self-organization."    The system of course is self-organizing all the time 
> !!! 
>  
> Opening space enables the system it to move closer and closer to high 
> performance versus stuckness, stagnation, decline and death.  If I restate 
> what I was trying to express, I think we can Open Space in big ways as an OS 
> does and/or in small ways through the openness in leadership approaches that 
> provide more space for passion, creativity, personal responsibility etc. This 
> is working at the micro-level though versus the full paradigm shift you 
> describe. I agree with your description whole-heartedly.
>  
> You raise for me very pragmatic questions. Both in our small company, 
> ChangeFusion, and in a global membership organization I'm involved in we're 
> exploring the question of how can we have some structure and boundaries and  
> yet provide space for self-organization. it's hard to find models that enable 
> both.
>  
> I'd love to hear if others have suggestions of examples.
>  
> David
>  
>  
> On Tue, Feb 4, 2014 at 2:54 PM, Harrison Owen <[email protected]> wrote:
> Hello David O. and David S. I’ve re-titled to give the thread a new name if 
> only because I think it is headed in some new directions with hopefully a 
> long and useful discussion in prospect.
>  
> This discussion may get a little difficult as we attempt to define and 
> understand the words we are using, “Management,” for example. I had in mind 
> the more common garden variety of Management’s role in organizations. As 
> Wikipedia (that source of all useful information) notes, “Despite the move 
> toward workplace democracy, command-and-control organization structures 
> remain commonplace as de facto organization structure.” (Wikipedia). Back in 
> the old days a common definition of a good manager was one who, “Makes the 
> plan, manages to the plan, and meets the plan.” And we all know how that was 
> supposed to be done. Single word: Control. Lots of Command and Control.
>  
> David has moved in new, interesting and effective directions saying, “What I 
> have found is that as I'm able to share the conditions that support 
> self-organization and how they can be integrated into individuals leadership 
> approach that the leaders move toward approaches that support greater and 
> greater self-organization.”
>  
> I applaud the effort, but it seems to me it may be rather a half step. If I 
> hear David’s words correctly, the fundamental understanding of “organization” 
> remains unchanged (predesigned structure and controls with Leaders/Managers 
> in charge) and the new effort is to enable “leaders (to) move toward 
> approaches that support greater and greater self-organization.” Tactically I 
> can certainly understand the approach, but what if organization is 
> fundamentally, essentially, in totality – Self Organizing? If that is the 
> situation, “greater and greater self organization” makes little sense for a 
> very simple reason. It is all self organizing to begin with! But I guess that 
> is just splitting hairs, and for sure the heart is moving in the right 
> direction.
>  
> The revolutionary in me (and yes there is some of that J) would dearly love 
> to shake the organizational world by the scruff of the neck saying something 
> like, Move on, Wake up! You just can’t get there from here. And for a 
> certainty, such an approach would have no chance of success. There needs to 
> be a change in view, I am sure -- but forced change, were it even possible, 
> falls back on the old way which wasn’t effective then and won’t work now. And 
> there is another way which unfortunately requires some patient waiting. But 
> we may not have to wait that long.
>  
> It is a very common lament -- that, “things just aren’t working.” What 
> “things” and the nature of their dysfunction are often left unsaid, but the 
> universal uneasiness is pretty clear. To date, the usual response has been to 
> do more and more of what we’ve always done, but maybe with a different name 
> (Quality Circles, Process Re-Engineering, Dialogue, maybe even AGILE when 
> mandated etc.). The results have not been inspiring. Some would even include 
> Open Space Technology as a new tool. But I don’t think that works either if 
> the intent is to fix the old system.
>  
> As the lament continues, some strange things are happening. Every now and 
> again something actually WORKS! And it works even when the plans are busted, 
> the leadership is incompetent, the environment sour and threatening. Who 
> knows how or why – but it worked. The Brits usually call this Muddling 
> Through, which is what happens when everything goes a different way than it 
> was supposed to – but it all turns out fine. Phew!
>  
> There is another name for this strange phenomenon. Anomaly. Anomaly literally 
> means being outside the law (lawless) from the Greek a (without) nomos (law). 
>  Anomalies cause one to scratch the head in wonder...How on earth could THAT 
> happen? Most often, we just pass them by with a dismissive, “weird!” I think 
> that is a mistake.
>  
> Peter Vaill, an old friend and colleague, had a knack for seriously noticing 
> anomalies. He observed that some organizations performed at levels of 
> excellence that definitely blew away the competition. He called them High 
> Performing Systems. The problem was, these systems broke all the rules of how 
> organizations were supposed to work. As a Professor of Management, Peter 
> could be accused of a flawed effort because instead of attempting to analyze 
> how they worked, Peter contented himself with a delightful description of 
> what they did, which he captured in a short paper (1977), The Behavioral 
> Characteristics of High Performing Systems. I say delightful because he wrote 
> in a totally colloquial fashion, and definitely not in the style of Academe, 
> even though he was the (then) Dean of the Business School at George 
> Washington University.
>  
> Writing almost 10 years before Open Space Technology, Peter seems prescient, 
> for his “Behavioral Characteristics” are a perfect description of the common 
> behavior at every Open Space I have ever seen. Taking a tall leap in logic, I 
> have argued (Wave Rider) that the link between Peter’s High Performing 
> Systems, and what we have experienced in Open Space is the phenomenon of self 
> organization. Or put somewhat differently, High Performing Systems are well 
> functioning self organizing systems. And in function and effect they are 
> definitely anomalous for according to the accepted wisdom, they simply could 
> not happen or do what they do!
>  
> On the subject of Anomaly and the importance of same, the work of Thomas Kuhn 
> comes to mind. Author of, “The Structures of Scientific Revolutions,” Kuhn 
> gave us that wonderful concept, “paradigm,” as in Paradigm Shift. As an 
> historian of Science, Kuhn describes how the scientific world grew in wisdom 
> and stature, passing through several understandings of the nature of things, 
> on the way to new (and presumably better) ones. That passage he called, 
> Paradigm Shifts. According to his story, the scientific  or learned community 
> held a certain view of reality for a period of time, which worked very well, 
> and seemed to explain most, if not all, of the phenomenon of their 
> experience. This view (paradigm) was taken as The Truth, and defended with 
> ferocity. For example, everybody “knew” at one time that the Earth was the 
> center of everything and those who disagreed were considered heretics, and 
> often dispatched. Galileo, for instance. Then funny little anomalies began to 
> show up as people observed the heavens. If the anomalies were not an illusion 
> then Earth centeredness was false – which everybody knew must be wrong, 
> insanity, or worse. But the anomalies refused to go away, which made people 
> more and more uncomfortable, to say nothing of angry. Then one shinning day 
> the view shifted. Same old heavens as before but seen with totally new eyes. 
> Paradigm shift. Very powerful and never comfortable.
>  
> This brief sojourn into the History of Science can be helpful to our present 
> concerns, I think, for we are facing a very similar situation in our 
> understanding of organizations, as well as management. The traditional 
> understanding of organization, and therefore management, has been around for 
> a long time. As with all paradigms, it is taken to be The Truth, and those 
> who challenge will inevitably be subject to dismissal at the beginning, 
> changing to discomfort, and perhaps ending with anger. The reason is very 
> simple. The investments in this particular paradigm are enormous, and include 
> ways of life, ways of making a living, and for some, life itself. Messing 
> with all of that cannot be done lightly.
>  
> And yet the anomalies persist. Some are quite subtle and are perceived only 
> as a growing sense that “things are not working as we expected.” However, 
> when the system/organization seems broken, it is clear that we must fix it 
> and we think we know how. If the organizational process is screwy, then 
> obviously we need Process Re-Engineering. But it didn’t work. We try harder 
> and harder, doing variants of what we’ve always done, and (surprisingly) we 
> get what we’ve always got. But hope springs eternal, and someday we will find 
> The Fix. Or so it says in all the books. Maybe.
>  
> Other anomalies are not so subtle. Open Space Technology is such an anomaly. 
> I believe it to be true that Open Space violates virtually all principles and 
> practices of traditional organizational theory and management practice. To 
> the extent that it (OS) works as we have experienced it working – much if not 
> all of current practice is called into question. My view is doubtless biased, 
> but some 20 years ago, a senior official from the American Society for 
> Training and Development (pardon the repeat) seemingly had the same 
> impression when he told me, after hearing what happened in Open Space, 
> “Harrison, if what you say is true, then 99% of what we are currently do does 
> not need to be done.” I would have been greatly relieved had I been able to 
> argue with him. But I couldn’t. I can’t.
>  
> So David(s) – where does that leave us? Discretion might dictate picking up 
> our toys and going home. Others might suggest heading for the barricades. 
> Personally I don’t think either possibility is very useful. I simply cannot 
> deny what I have experienced in Open Space, nor can I resist the compulsion 
> to share the experience in whatever way with whomsoever might show up. I 
> think the bottom line may come down to: Move slowly with empathy, and be 
> prepared to wait.
>  
> And what would that mean for us and what we do...? At a practical level, it 
> could mean something like this. Let’s suppose that the Management of a very 
> traditional Organization shows up on our doorstep. They are concerned that 
> organizational function is dismal, the people seem to dislike each other and 
> what they are doing, and profits have disappeared. The request is simple: 
> Help!  Somewhere they heard about Open Space and believe (hope) it could fix 
> their system, or at least make a start.
>  
> It sounds like a marvelous opportunity, and a natural response would be, YES! 
> At least that would be my response. All the essential preconditions for OS 
> seem to be in place (real issue, complexity, etc) – BUT ... There are some 
> issues to consider. First, if by “fixing their system” the client means that 
> the “traditional Organization” is going to be put back together as it once 
> was, that is a real problem, I think. The reason is simple – the root of 
> their problems is precisely the system (understanding of organization) they 
> were working under. Make it even stronger. Were I to design a system that 
> would maximize separation and alienation, minimize creativity and 
> collaboration – I don’t think I could do any better than the system they were 
> operating under. Fixing, or restoring that system would only compound their 
> misery. Secondly, Doing an Open Space in that organization is quite likely to 
> increase the general dissatisfaction with how things are done. As one senior 
> executive from a very traditional organization said to me following an Open 
> Space we did, “You have ruined me for work in this place. I am not sure 
> whether to thank you or hate you.” Talk about being caught on the horns of a 
> dilemma! If fully successful with my task (opening space), I will have failed 
> the clients’ primary expectations (fixing the system) and simultaneously 
> raised the level employee dissatisfaction.
>  
> All true, I think. And I would still do the Open Space, but my reasons could 
> cause some problems unless very carefully explained, and that explanation 
> itself is problematical. At one level I will do the Open Space because I know 
> that it will enable people to be more comfortable, powerful, sure of 
> themselves. That’s the easy part. But at another level I will do the Open 
> Space in order to introduce anomaly... one more nudge towards Paradigm Shift.
>  
> I know full well that I can’t shift paradigms for people. The same is true of 
> Transformation, which has a lot to do with paradigm shift. Both will happen 
> all by themselves...or not. But I can and will nudge when given the 
> opportunity. After that it is all about waiting...
>  
> So what do you think about all that?
>  
> 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
> www.ho-image.com (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 David Osborne
> Sent: Monday, February 03, 2014 9:47 AM
> To: World wide Open Space Technology email list
> Subject: Re: [OSList] Trust
>  
> I'm not sure I agree OS fails as a management tool.....Self-Organization has 
> become the lens I look at all my work as an individual who supports groups 
> and organizations in change and in my leadership and management development 
> work. It's not an either / or for me os works or doesn't work as a management 
> tool. 
>  
> Leadership is simply supporting an organization in moving toward its goals. 
> The invitation in OS is the goal or issue that people care about. What I have 
> found is that as I'm able to share the conditions that support 
> self-organization and how they can be integrated into individuals leadership 
> approach that the leaders move toward approaches that support greater and 
> greater self-organization. This is not top-down, traditional leadership or 
> management. As you propose in Wave-Rider Harrison, I believe the principles 
> of OS / self-organization can be integrated as a leadership approach with 
> great results.
>  
> David
>  
>  
>  
>  
> On Mon, Feb 3, 2014 at 8:57 AM, Harrison Owen <[email protected]> wrote:
> David – I would totally agree that OS “utterly fails as a management tool.” 
> Then again I think that OS shares this fate/condition with all other 
> “management tools,” at least as I understand “management” and “tool” in the 
> context of enabling effective human performance. And thereby hang the 
> beginning of a long and useful discussion, I think.
>  
> ho
>  
> 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
> www.ho-image.com (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 David stevenson
> Sent: Monday, February 03, 2014 1:51 AM
> To: World wide Open Space Technology email list
> Subject: Re: [OSList] Trust
>  
> Ho indeed Harrison! OpenSpace opens space for freedom of spirit and heart, 
> choice and the weaving of our fates and destinies with that of our world, it 
> does not achieve complience and so, at least to the extent that people are to 
> be managed...
> On Saturday, February 1, 2014, Harrison Owen <[email protected]> wrote:
> Brendan said: “And in my view , all germinating from that initial transfer of 
> trust between mentor and sponsor” Right on! I don’t think it makes a bit of 
> difference how elegantly one “does” the Open Space. It is really all about 
> TRUST. When I said that anybody with a good heart and good mind can “do it,” 
> that is just a long winded way of saying what I’ve always found to be true. 
> Expertise is interesting. Integrity and Trust are essential. A new comer to 
> the OS world, opening space for the very first time, muffing some lines, and 
> forgetting others – can do every bit as well as a 20 year veteran. The coin 
> of the realm is Integrity, authenticity, trust. But none of that should be 
> news, for that trio is the bedrock of all positive human encounter, I think. 
> Which may just be another way of pointing out that OS is not some special 
> process we do, it is just life lived well. Or something.
>  
> ho
>  
>  
> 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
> www.ho-image.com (Personal Website)
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>  
> From: [email protected] 
> [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Brendan McKeague
> Sent: Saturday, February 01, 2014 12:57 AM
> To: World wide Open Space Technology email list
> Subject: Re: [OSList] Sponsor PreWork Conversation (long)
>  
> A very interesting question Chuni Li...
>  
> The sponsor was being mentored by one of my colleagues in our local Open 
> Space community of practice (Wave Riders) who suggested to him that OS was 
> the right method/model for the task at hand.  As his coach (the formal role 
> as perceived by the organisation), my colleague encouraged the sponsor to get 
> in touch with me to avoid any perceived conflict of interest. The sponsor 
> researched OS for himself first and then engaged me to provide the specialist 
> knowledge....Harrison often says that anyone with a good heart and head can 
> open space - and I agree - while at the same time, I acknowledge that 'Open 
> Space wisdom' is often helpful, if not necessary, in situations of increased 
> complexity and potential conflict. 
>  
> After his initial attraction to OS in theory, and as part of his research, 
> the sponsor then ran a mini Open Space within his own jurisdiction to see how 
> it worked in reality - he wished to speak from his lived experience when 
> engaging with his higher-uppers.  He also watched a few of the growing 
> library of YouTube clips that are so wonderful for educating potential 
> sponsors.  
>  
> Now totally convinced, the transfer of trust was complete at various 
> levels....trusting the process (OST works) AND trusting the facilitator (who 
> was aligned with the essence of OST - i.e living in it) AND trusting that 
> both facilitator and process were 'fit-for-purpose' in this context. 
>  
> And in my view , all germinating from that initial transfer of trust between 
> mentor and sponsor
>  
> Hope this story helps 
>  
> Cheers Brendan
>  
>  
>  
> On 31/01/2014, at 1:10 PM, [email protected] wrote:
>  
> Thank you Brendan for taking the time to organize and share this information 
> - so precious and such a generous gift!
>  
> I am curious about the sponsor who "put his neck out" to make the event 
> happen.
> Had he experienced OST before? Did you have to "convince" him? What made him 
> willing to "jump through the hoops?" Was it the OST process or was it you 
> that he trusted?
>  
> Chuni Li
> New Jersey
>  
> From: Brendan Mc
> 
> 
> -- 
> David Stevenson
> Sent from Gmail Mobile
> 
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>  
> --
> David Osborne
> <image001.jpg>
> www.change-fusion.com | [email protected] | 703.939.1777
> 
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>  
>  
> --
> David Osborne
> 
> www.change-fusion.com | [email protected] | 703.939.1777
>  
> _______________________________________________
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> 
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