A reflection on re-engaging mainstream with margins, from a recent OST
event:
Someone noticed that a core subject had not been raised during the first
day of the event. It was puzzling - how could an event on this theme not
address the ongoing puzzle of this particular subject? At morning news
(as facilitator, inviting people to speak) I said something like: Are
there subjects not raised yet that, perhaps, the "oldtimers" here have
tired of banging their heads against? I remind you that we have new
faces here today, and fresh ideas: I invite you to try again.
The subject was finally engaged in an informal lunchtime session,
outside in the sun. And later, it was continued inside in another
session. To the amazement of some, headway was made where none had been
found previously. It was exciting, to me, to see a leader re-energized,
who seemed to have given up hope of finding true collaborators on this
subject. I believe a couple of folks left the event early to take action
on the plans they'd hatched (since they were, for a brief moment, all in
the same geographic place and could start face-to-face). A sort of
natural convergence!
I also wrote about the effect of combining beginners and experts in a
single event in this article:
http://www.infoq.com/articles/open-space-beginners-experts
(warning: it's IT domain specific, so contains jargon. But I suspect you
can read around the jargon and still understand the article, as it's
about how people interacted at the event, not really about the technical
topics themselves).
These experiences suggest to me that OSonOS is an important aspect of
the life of this community - that we should "walk the talk" and level
our own playing field, making opportunities for more senior and
brand-new members, and all in between, to engage as equals and spark new
and important things. It seems that this has naturally emerged in the
Stammtisch, OSonOS and WOSonOS events. Being a senior or junior member
of the community seems less likely, in my opinion, to result in
disparity while we are practicing the democratizing effect of the circle
ourselves.
These comments likely reflect my own perceptions and optimism as a more
"junior" member of the community. Can those more experienced confirm my
hunch?
deb
Raffi Aftandelian wrote:
Hi all, again!
This thread reminds me of a question posed by a trainer in an OST
mini-learning workshop last year:
"Is there a mainstream and a margins in the OST practitioner community?"
He was referring to the work of Arnold Mindell, founder of process
psychology, and his work with rank and diversity. One strong indicator of
the health of any group is how well the mainstream (the majority
tone/perspective/culture) integrates and engages with the marginalized.
I think he really meant to ask "How would you describe how the mainstream
engages the margins in the OST practitioner community?"
Raffi
--
Deborah Hartmann
Agile Process Coach
deborah dot hartmann DOT net
"Learn the principle,
abide by the principle, and
dissolve the principle."
-- Bruce Lee
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