Harrison, Your story of Freedom Shock among senior health care scholars reminds me of a couple of incidents from my own experience with the other end of the age spectrum.
Also about 30 years ago (what was in the water then?), I had my first experience as a first year teacher observing FS among high performing 10 year old kids who were used to receiving lots of teacher approval for being well behaved and doing lots of workbook pages. I was interested in neither of those. They were shocked and quite disoriented as they tried to figure out the new "rules". A few years later, at a small private school in Pennsylvania, USA, I taught the oldest kids - 11-12 year olds. David, a 12 year old who was a brilliant student and had been at the school all his life, was outraged that I would not assign him work - he had to choose what he wanted to work on. He grew more and more belligerent about it, eventually disrupting other students. I told him he had to allow other kids to work. He insisted that I assign him some work. We had the following exchange: "David, why are you here?" "To learn." "Then get started." "No. You won't assign me any work." "But you know what is available to work on, so get started." "No." "David, why are you here?" "Because my parents sent me here." "Oh, then go ahead and go outside. That way you will satisfy your reason for being here and you won't be bothering anyone else." With that he headed outside and went down to the principal's office to get me fired! Fortunately, she knew what I was up to and simply reiterated the conversation that I had with him! Freedom Shock, having run its course, dissipated and David had a great year! ~Alan Klein -----Original Message----- From: Harrison Owen Thanks Peggy -- as usual you are lucid and on target. You got me thinking about Freedom Shock. I suspect we all experience it -- but for some it becomes an immobilizing experience. I first noticed FS some 30 years ago (Oh my God!) when I designed and "ran" a program for senior health care professionals. We were aiming specifically at those folks who were likely to be the next Assistant Secretary for Health, head of Blue Cross and the like. For such people, one more degree program or bunch of courses seemed rather beside the point, if only because most of our candidates were already the dean of a medical school with multiple degree or something similar. It seemed to me that such folks needed to be put right in the middle of the system and invited to do some good. The design was a simple one. I created a Board of Governance composed of the current leadership of the American Health Care System (Head of Blue Cross, Assistant Secretary of Health, Chairman of the House and Senate Health Committees etc). The board met in what I would now call an Open Space environment, and were invited to identify the major issues facing the system. The scholars (as we called them) were then invited to take any issue, any subset or combination of issues -- and do good. This could mean writing a law, staging a conference, making a study. The only condition was that they had to make a formal proposal to the Board. If accepted (all were) the scholars were off and running. They had two years at full salary and plenty of "walking around money" -- and no conditions other than they do something useful. About two months into the program, the Scholars called for a meeting with me to discuss a "major" issue. They wanted me fired! But my resignation would do. I asked what the grounds were, and was informed that in their view I was not, "managing the program." When pushed, they said that I hadn't told them what to do. Needless to say I was a little surprised -- if only because these were highly educated, well experienced, consenting adults who had won admission into a very competitive program (2000 applications for 5 positions) -- and the whole point was -- they were responsible for the content and mode of their education. All they had to do was ask for help if they needed it. Without thinking about it particularly, I took a piece of paper and wrote out my resignation and laid it on the table. I told them that if they cared to pick it up, I was gone. Today I would say that I just gave them more space. A lot more space. A look of horror crossed most of the faces and nobody moved. After a moment of silence, one of the Scholars said, "I think this meeting is over." And they all left.=20 >From that point on the program worked perfect. Bumps and potholes for sure -- but the Scholars pursued their interests, grew their skills -- and two years later assumed high level positions -- just like we had hoped. For me it was a major learning moment -- all about just how terrifying real Freedom can be. But I also think I learned that the antidote for Freedom Shock is more freedom -- Create more space! Had I acceded to their request for more "management," we would have been right back where all other such programs were. And I would have been subject to constant complaint because I never could have done it "right." More to the point, the Scholars would have been placed once again in the servile position of "student." And they would have complained about that too!! 30 years later, and confirmed by 20 years of Open Space -- I still think the antidote for Freedom Shock is more freedom. This doesn't mean running away, or abandoning the cause -- but rather to back up just a little more until folks genuinely understand that their freedom is real and present. It is their responsibility to pursue what they care about. I will do everything I can to create a nutrient rich environment -- but they, and they alone can claim the freedom and the learning as their own.=20 I think I have also learned that there is no way to "ease folks" into an acceptance of their freedom. Every new degree of freedom is always shocking. Just like every dip into the swimming pool is always shocking. I guess you can try to go in slowly -- but I think that only increases the agony (brrrrrr. . . ). You just have to jump in. * * ========================================================== [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
