Mark, thank you for this wonderful description of your living practice of
open space~~I could feel spaces billowing open inside my own imagination as
I read it.
a fragrant and full-of-blossoms day in Seattle,
Christy
--
Christy Lee-Engel, ND, LAc
One Sky Wellness Associates
6300 9th Ave NE, Ste 300
Seattle, WA 98115
voice: 206.363.5555
fax: 206.363.5533
mobile: 206.399.0868
Practice: http://oneskywellness.com
Weblog: http://lifecultivatinglife.blogspot.com
Open Space News: http://www.openspaceworld.org/news
On 4/28/06, Mark R. Jones (AT&T) <mark_r_jo...@att.net> wrote:
Hi Glory.
The beauty of the work back then was that I was fully-embedded in
organizations in senior management roles. As part of a commitment Anne
Stadler and I had made to exploring what it meant to "live our lives in Open
Space", I had decided to experiment with leading and managing my
organizations "in Open Space".
This meant that along with doing on average bi-weekly OS events for
various organizations — for-profit and non-profits — I conducted my
leadership teams, program and project teams, and Lean Kaizens (12 per week
on average across my "span of control"), staffs, and work groups in Open
Space. I carefully and subtly trained my staff and organizations to
function in Open Space.
Some cool observations from the experiments:
* With teams conversant in trying to "Live in Open Space", I found that
I and they could convene
profound and productive "spaces" as short as fifteen minutes, and as
long as several months
— yes, in corporate settings
* In 1997 I blended "Living in Open Space" with principles from
Buddhist living to build a
team (and set of organizations) that could eliminate a "$3million" a
day production problem.
It took about six weeks for folks to really get it — and when they
did, they not only solved the
production problem but innovated a set of processes and tools that
are still in use today
* In 2000, I tried the blended approach in the bowels of the US
Government. About three
to four months into the experiment, a Government manager exclaimed
that "we" had been
doing that "Open Space stuff". I had never used the term "Open
Space" in that setting.
Apparently folks got curious about what they were experiencing in
the daily life of the
organization and started to research what it might be. And
discovered that in fact we had
been conducting our work in Open Space. This came as quite a
surprise to some of the "OD"
folks who had "made up their minds" about things like OST and AI —
without ever (knowingly)
participating in them.
* Working with the CEO (who was my boss) from my previous company, my
job was to infuse
and embody a ""Living in Open Space" practice into our work force,
and particularly our
executive decision-making processes (think "off-sites"). I watched
as this contributed
to our financial success as an organization, and allowed me the
financial option to "retire"
from the "rat race" and explore living my life in Open Space in the
service of the transformation
of consciousness. Which is what I do nowadays !
In the seventies I spent five years living in an intentional community
(7x24 residential community). We did not "Live in Open Space" -- yet the
experience profoundly positively shaped my life. I had an extended family
that had experimented with convening itself ala OS-like Law and Principles
for a number of years. Anne Stadler suggested that the next experiment
should be an intentional community based on "Living in Open Space". So she
founded the "Spirited Work Community" in 1999. With that, our focus (Anne
and I) changed from predominantly organization-oriented OS to
community-oriented OS. And I drastically reduced the pace and my
involvement in OST events. This experiment led us to India in 2001, and
later again in 2004 with an expanded configuration that included Peggy
Holman. The 2001 trip brought about the establishment of the Radiant
Networking" experiment — which continues to this day, and shapes the work
and participation of Anne, Peggy, and myself (individually and
collectively).
In the nineties, the "pace" was exciting and profoundly meaningful to me.
And eventually, I felt that I had pretty much "mined the goodies" — I was
no longer being surprised and growing from the experiments. The results
were always positive and always the same — which was good — but I needed to
find the next learning and growth edge. I kept notebooks to track and map
my experiments.
My experimental trajectory regarding Open Space progressed from Item-1 to
Item-8:
(1) OST for the increased effectiveness of individuals
(2) Living in OS for the evolution and transformation of individual
consciousness
(3) OST for the increased effectiveness of groups and organizations
(4) Living in OS for the evolution and transformation of
organizational consciousness
(5) OST for the increased effectiveness of communities
(6) Living in OS for the evolution of collective ("Community")
consciousness
(7) Living in OS as an integral wellness practice for the
transformation of (individual and
collective ) consciousness — Self | Other | The Whole
(8) Radiant Networking — Practices of Peace — Integral Wellness
"Pace" drove both Anne and I to our explorations of what I call
"efficiency":
What is the minimum necessary but sufficient gentle structure upon
which we can hang things ?
Harrison sometimes frames this as "what is one less thing to do?"
Peggy sometimes frames this as "what is the basic underlying pattern?"
Tom Atlee sometimes frames this as discerning "pattern languages"
Anne has taken this to the simple inquiry of "what is optimal . . . "
Based on conversations that Peggy, Tom, Chris Corrigan and I have had — I
suspect that the more one mucks — with intention and intensity — with Open
Space, the more Open Space becomes a "life practice" for everyday living and
community. And one becomes even more appreciative of the experience — thus
the more deeply and pervasively one mucks with it. Nowadays, I rarely refer
to Open Space Technology, for me Open Space has simply become a way of
living.
Thanks for the compassionate and inviting asking !
*Mark R. Jones
**Chief Executive Officer
The Sunyata Group
The Integral Wellness Group
*
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Renton, Washington
USA 98058-1788
Phone: 425-413-6000
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