Fortunately I never wish to be a facilitator as opposed to a co-producer of big issue reconciliations. So I can say this from as near as pure logic as one trained in maths can get. I dont have the vested interest of what's the easy sell or what's the easy facilitation. The café may do some things but its design is nothing like the big humanitarian goals of Open Space, and in my view any facilitator who does not have a design view -a way of contrasting -the differences is quite scary
The following are 5 of the biggest goals of open space as I understand them. They are not perfectly worded but I would hope those who care about the big issues of www.practiceofpeace.com would help improve the content with what after all is your language of what OS= the simplest better method of communing is, and why there can only be one simplest. 1 Space. This law is vital. I see it broken every day in so called virtual communities ways the technology is designed. The same lack of space is what Mass Media has down to societys meeting places. The same happens when we stop people learning the way a childs inquisitive flows do. The same lack of space has been catalogued in about 50 do not pattern rules of physical architecture. ------------------------------------------------- OS does this by enshrining its one Law The law of 2 feet: go where conversations energise you; if someone tries to control a conversation theyll likely end up on their own; records of all discussions are communally accessible to everyone architecture; connects people to maximum participation 2 Human Respect 1st. The stage is set for Conflict resolution at personal level; Respect each other as people. The retreat and amount of time are part of this. Some aspect of the circle humanises this though in European cultures (as far as Im aware) not as much as that in American because we dont pervasively have the reconciliation symbolism of displacing peoples who governed in circles. 3 Resolution as the greatest Innovation. Conflict at level of organisation: hierarchy versus self-organising versus multi-organisational boundaries. Conflict of big organizations having nothing to do any longer with efficiency ,only opaque power. Conflict to do with 3 major types of organisation now spinning the worst impacts on each other's greeds: global corporates, national governments, activist nets (eg Al Qaeda). Conflict with over 95% of what MBAs are taught doesnt match open space's primary ideals of communal organisation. OSs equality of participation throughout every aspect of its open design works through what change forces have compounded the conflict Confusion from the top: -cant know as much as all the people -top people move in own circles and are unlikely to understand or have full awareness of people in desperate need -measurement controls current messing up viciously spinning each org typology: 4 Time & space experiences unlike any modern life throws other 99% of your year Equality of all Spiritual breathing space; joy, trust Time to reflect, the anti-soundbite Rediscovering the declaration founding rights; freedom, happiness , right to tear down systems that power over those rights; courage in communion as long as it includes all parties. 5 Natures Transparency of Networks Where your measures systemically value the unique context sustainability and the boundaries between neighbours as important as the parts Know that this is natures evolution model of interactivity; you/cells die if you lose context/dna or mess up reciprocality at boundaries Value the perfect facilitator/host as invisible. Theyve ensured the right people come. The right openness began. The full open access to all information stays to the end and the thereafter of the networking contacts These are the Vital dynamics of 21st C organizations have yet to learn and reconstitute into open governance if a networked world isnt to blow itself up but you do need to have studied the top 50 pattern rules of systems theory not take my word for it. Against these 5 criteria, the café is a false pretender, and needs demoting at least a league for such pretensions imo Chris macrae, [email protected], Transparency Communities www.valuetrue.com * * ========================================================== [email protected] ------------------------------ To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options, view the archives of [email protected], Visit: http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html
