Hi Jeff, all the best with your dissertation research. What a wonderful topic. I unfortunately don't have the time at present to put my learnings down here and hopefully we will connect somewhere like OSONOS to have the discussion. I would say though that Open Space works in these situations for the same reasons it always works :-). In this work, as I do so often with corporate clients, it is important to attend to griefwork prior to the Open Space so that people get a chance to tell their stories and to be heard by the collective, in my experience. A story telling circle to honour the past and the present before moving on to any Open Space or other means to work with reconcilliation.
Birgitt Birgitt Bolton of Dalar Associates www.openspacetechnology.com 55 Ravina Cres., Ancaster, Ontario, Canada L9G 2E8 phone: 905-648-5775 fax: 905-648-2262 -----Original Message----- From: OSLIST [mailto:[email protected]]On Behalf Of Jeff Aitken Sent: Monday, August 23, 1999 12:35 PM To: [email protected] Subject: Re: indigenous and self organizing Birgitt wrote: "A few meetings focused on the use of Open Space Technology for reconcilliation with Aboriginal peoples, the details of which were almost identical to the conversations I have been in here in Canada regarding the use of Open Space Technology for reconcilliation with indiginous peoples here." Birgitt, will you say more about this please? My dissertation research is on the topic and I'm interested in stories, contact persons, & good thinking about why Open Space works in such situations (from modern AND indigenous perspectives). Birgitt wrote: "Doing an Open Space meeting is an "intervention" into the natural way of things. So, if the natural way of things is self organizing, why do we even do Open Space? Harrison has pointed out that we do it to create the conditions for self organization to be possible. So...if that is so, maybe we are not about naturally being a self organizing system????" Here my hunch is that Open Space is a rediscovery of our natural self organizing. I love the fact that Open Space is rooted in several indigenous traditions and practices. To me it's as if indigenous science is sneaking into modern organizations under the guise of leading edge management. Of course Open Space does not encompass more than a fraction of the complexity and power of indigenous science (nor do we claim it does). But it's a welcome return to our inner knowing that we are woven into the universe. Jeff
