I am a little curious, Susan, what you mean by "diagnostic tool." In my experience, every Open Space is a Diagnostic Tool - in the sense that what shows up is what's there. I have often thought of OS as a collective Rorschach test. Since there is no pre-determined content, everybody makes their own content and interpretation. But OS does not stop with diagnosis. It is simultaneously diagnosis, prescription, treatment and around again one more time. I think my major learning is that the medical model used here doesn't really work that well. I don't think it works all that well in Medicine - but it really falls apart when applied to group behavior. The linear description of "D-P-T" looks great on paper, but it is always iterative, and often (always?) happens all at once. I think you should warn your readers that if they use Open Space it will make a real mess out of the nice, linear process that shows up in all the textbooks, medical and organizational. When everything happens all at once, it is kind of hard to figure out what you are doing, at least "doing" according to the old rules.
Harrison Harrison Owen 7808 River Falls Drive Potomac, Maryland 20845 Phone 301-365-2093 Open Space Training www.openspaceworld.com <http://www.openspaceworld.com/> Open Space Institute www.openspaceworld.org Personal website http://mywebpages.comcast.net/hhowen/index.htm [email protected] To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options, view the archives Visit: http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html -----Original Message----- From: OSLIST [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Susan Smyth Sent: Friday, December 31, 2004 4:57 PM To: [email protected] Subject: Request for stories re: OS used to help determine training Hi all- I'm currently under contract to write a book for Wiley on a training and development topic. We want to include a recommendation to use OS as a diagnostic tool. Pleases contact me if you would be willing to share experiences using Open Space to discuss a possible training or performance improvement issue. I've mostly used os to move forward strategy development or improve specific issues like inclusion and racial harmony, etc. Thanks in advance for your help. Susan Smyth Smyth Management Resources 2451 Covey Run S. Cincinnati, Ohio 45230 513 624 7177 Fax 513 624 7277 * * ========================================================== [email protected] ------------------------------ To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options, view the archives of [email protected]: http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html To learn about OpenSpaceEmailLists and OSLIST FAQs: http://www.openspaceworld.org/oslist * * ========================================================== [email protected] ------------------------------ To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options, view the archives of [email protected]: http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html To learn about OpenSpaceEmailLists and OSLIST FAQs: http://www.openspaceworld.org/oslist
