To everyone who are discussing " givens". For me these are like "boundaries" within the open space. It's letting people know how far they can / can't go within their self-organization. For example, when doing an Open Space on the reorganization of a company - often some of the givens are you can't change the name of the company, fire anyone, but beyond that all ideas are accepted. I guess to some extent it's letting people know what are the limits of the situation and that's OK. We all have limits in our lives - I don't believe people take limits necessarily negatively - they are part of life - people then know where they stand within the current situation.
Raymonde Lemire Documents Etcetera Ottawa Canada [email protected] Dear Kenoli, are givens really "statements of reality" ? Will not everyone confronted with a socalled "given" process it with his or her perceptions of reality? Are not most givens, when scrutinized, more perceptions than anything else? Is this not what Birgitt found out in her famous "givens exercise"? Why are givens particularly important in processes like open space? Are they less important in other processes? Is that really so, that there is "nothing worse than to hold out a promise then take it away"? I can think of a whole bunch of things that are worse in my perception. What about people taking off in open space on a "promise", working on their passions and planning action and then being told it was all just a game, what will happen next? Will they all drop dead and go into a stupor or what? What about our experience that open space always works? Why is being disappointed worse than being deceived? And who is to tell? Why so much worry?
From a sunny sundaybreakfastmorningmywifecallingmetojointhecrowd
I send greetings michael On Sat, 11 May 2002 13:32:18 -0800, kenoli Oleari wrote:
For me, givens are statements of realities, in a way, disclosure statements. They are particularly important in processes like Open Space where a high degree of initiative is "given" to participants. There is nothing worse than to hold out a promise then take it away. If the outcomes of an open space are simply advisory, this must be presented up front as a "given" so that folks do not feel deceived if the outcomes are not implemented. Being disappointed at something like this is OK. Being deceived, is not. --KenoliJudith-- Well is "given" just a softer way of saying "regulation" or "rules," or is there more there that I am missing? :-Doug. * * ========================================================== [email protected] ------------------------------ To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options, view the archives of [email protected], Visit: http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html-- Kenoli Oleari, Horizons of Change, http://www.horizonsofchange.com 1801 Fairview Street, Berkeley, CA 94703 Voice Phone: 510-601-8217, Fax: 510-595-8369, Email: [email protected] (or click on: mailto://[email protected]) * * ========================================================== [email protected] ------------------------------ To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options, view the archives of [email protected], Visit: http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html
Michael M Pannwitz boscop Draisweg 1 12209 Berlin, Germany FON: +49 - 30-772 8000 FAX: +49 - 30-773 92 464 www.michaelMpannwitz.de * * ========================================================== [email protected] ------------------------------ To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options, view the archives of [email protected], Visit: http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html * * ========================================================== [email protected] ------------------------------ To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options, view the archives of [email protected], Visit: http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html
