Michele – I just can’t resist. When the facilitator (Communications
Skills) leaves the circle all together and goes and takes a nap –
that is Open Space. By the way, I suspect you will find that
reading will not get you there. Just do it!
Harrison
From: OSLIST [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of
Michele Frankel
Sent: Thursday, July 19, 2007 4:53 AM
To: [email protected]
Subject: Re: Invisible Leadersip
I don't know why I am drawn to Open Space. I have not read enough
yet of what it really is but on invisible leadership in a theatre
and a communication context I have a few experiences.
Theatre
Bringing actors together to devise, they have in the past not only
said 'we did it our selves' but also we are going to carry one
doing it - without leadership. It was suggested on a panel at the
theatre museum, that as a feminist woman theatre director in the
late 7O's early 80's , I was shy and or uncomfortable with the
notion of assuming leadership power.
Communications Skills workshops with students.
The facilitator sits slightly out of the circle. The facilitator
uses I statements or emphatics ( nods, gestures, listening
sounds) , research has found, this encourages other participants to
speak more and have more words in each of their sentences.
'The art is making it look like there is no art.'
Are there many/any speech therapists, involved with open space?
Michele
On 7/19/07, Pankaj Bhargava <[email protected]> wrote:
Very true. And only such leadership builds institutions. Because
when the work is done, people say "we did it ourselves". Yet it is
so uncommon to find because the gratification for many comes from
the thrill of being in spotlight and being applauded for their
charisma than the joy of having built people and thereby an
instituion. Yet all great companies have been built by many
invisible leaders.
Regards
Pankaj
-- original message --
Subject: Invisible Leadersip
From: Harrison Owen <[email protected]>
Date: 18th July 2007 3:32 pm
A friend once said, the mark of a true leader is that you never notice
him/her. I think it was Gandhi who said something like, with a good
leader,
the people think they did it all by themselves. Another friend who
was the
director of a very large federal agency (and my boss for a period
of time)
told me that every time he had to resort to an overt use of his
position,
power and authority, he had failed in some substantial respect.
I know that we have been treated to the headliners on the
conference circuit
billed as "charismatic," "inspirational," "aggressive" leaders. They
probably have all of those characteristics, but I don't think any
of them
really make for good leadership. Those sorts of people tend to fill up
space, and hog the stage. It may look good under the klieg lights,
but in my
own experience it is a real downer when it comes to individual and
collective performance in an organization.
I doubt that anybody is ever totally present and absolutely
invisible, but
that is not a bad ideal. It creates a lot of space in which good
things can
happen.
Harrison
-----Original Message-----
From: OSLIST [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of
Craig
Gilliam
Sent: Wednesday, July 18, 2007 10:01 AM
To: [email protected]
Subject: Re: Report from the field
Harrison wrote:
"No question that experience is a plus when it comes to the subtle
art of
doing nothing, being fully present, and totally invisible."
These three descriptive images struck a deep cord in me--1) the
art of
"doing nothing, being fully present, and totally invisible."
I am not certain what I am asking, but here is a attempt to ask or
invite
conversation on this notion of invisibility. I both love it and
hate it!!!
My question is around the image of totally invisible. Wow! at the
danger
of revealing my own "stuff," that one is tough, but powerful.
Especially in
a "game or culture" where I believe invisibility is
counterintuitive. Some
of it or maybe a lot of it is ego, but does this word invisible mean
different things in different situation or contexts? If there is a
difference, how does one separate unhealthy invisibility from healthy,
needed transparency, vulnerability and "not being seen"?
I like OS not only as a technology/methodology, but as a way of
being and
doing leadership in all contexts and as a way of learning about
systems.
Does invisibility have a shadow side? Is there sometimes when as a
leader,
invisibility, if not practiced artfully, whatever that means, can be
counter-productive or a way of not taking responsibility?
The bigger question I am trying to get at is: I would love to hear
more
discussion about this notion of leadership and invisibility. While it
strikes deep, I am working to understand the implications and effect.
Thanks,
Craig
----Original Message Follows----
From: Harrison Owen < [email protected]>
Reply-To: OSLIST <[email protected]>
To: [email protected]
Subject: Re: Report from the field
Date: Sat, 14 Jul 2007 08:16:53 -0400
Alan - I like what you are doing here! And yet I felt a cautionary
flag fly
at some points. You said (the sponsor said), "I invite everyone to
express
your passion and responsibility for things you feel are important.
Let's see
where Open Space takes us!" Nice, and I also think it is worth while
remembering that Open Space doesn't take us anywhere. We do the
"taking."
Open Space, as a process, only invites us to do what we all can and
do do,
naturally. Success for me occurs when we get rid of the middle man
(OST).
And I find these thoughts take me further to consider the role of the
facilitator. No question that experience is a plus when it comes to
the
subtle art of doing nothing, being fully present, and totally
invisible :-).
I think it is also true that anybody with a good head and a good
heart (more
heart than head) can play the role very effectively - just as
effectively as
someone with years of experience! It is not only that Open Space
is so
simple (which it is), it is also just natural, which is another way of
saying that everybody has equal access, provided they choose to
walk through
the door. The other day I got a note which said in part, "I was
surprised to
find out that there was a hierarchy in the OST community and
everyone having
a specific place to hold, voices are not equal and politics
prevails in
certain circuits Just the same old same old... I'm not sure this
is what
you envisioned with OST." I have no idea what the specific
circumstances
were, and less interest in finding out. But presuming that we have the
creeping tentacles of elitism sneaking in - a good dose of the Law
of Two
Feet and a clear recognition of the Universal License of Open Space
(everybody has one by birth) should do the trick. Or something.
Harrison
_____
From: OSLIST [mailto:[email protected] ] On Behalf Of
Alan
Stewart
Sent: Tuesday, July 10, 2007 3:47 AM
To: [email protected]
Subject: Re: Report from the field
Harrison and All
Picking up your focus on respect and how it emerges .
Tom Atlee, who you may be aware of, <http://www.co-
intelligence.org/>
http://www.co-intelligence.org
articulates very nicely the 'reason' why processes such as Open
Space are so
critical to bringing forth a spirit of 'We are in this together.'
Or, in these words which I found when poking around in Jack
Ricchiuto's
<http://www.designinglife.com/> www.DesigningLife.com , to help
promote
awareness of
"Our behaviors change only if we decide to belong together
differently."
Margaret Wheatley, author of 'A
Simpler Way'
Tom notes: "Co-intelligence, dialogue and democracy all flourish
best among
peers. It isn't a matter of everybody being equal in every way. It
is a
matter of everyone having comparable power to influence the outcome
of their
interactions and, most importantly, everyone giving each other
respect.
This is, unfortunately, seldom the case. Most of us have deeply
ingrained
ways of not respecting each other -- sometimes without even knowing
it. This
is one of the main reasons that we need "processes" and
"facilitators" to
help us get good results from our meetings and conversations."
As those of us who facilitate/host conversing processes know, the
according
of respect occurs spontaneously and naturally when conditions for self
organizing are in place. And that this happens (at least for now)
in the
hands of skilled and experienced process facilitators working with
sponsors
who intuit the potential value in letting go of control.
In the case of the group with whom Vivien Pau and I were working in
Shanghai
last week:
The notion of 'circularity', which comes from cybernetics - the
study of
self organizing systems (or of how 'one thing leads to another') -
may be
useful in understanding what transpired.
Being treated with respect was not a novel experience for the
participants
in this instance. For what was readily apparent to us was that the
CEO (an
Aussie) habitually accorded respect and trust to his colleagues.
This led
him to take a 'risk' of bringing in OST for the company's
deliberations even
though he had not ever experienced it. He did so at Vivien's
suggestion,
whose professional judgment he trusted having engaged her services
last year
with good outcomes. In turn the team of 40 people 'dived in' when
trusting
the process as their 'boss' - who they greatly respect - said it
was OK.
None of these other people had ever heard of OST prior to the event.
We supplied the form of words with which the CEO introduced the
Open Space
component. These concluded with:
"I invite everyone to express your passion and responsibility for
things you
feel are important. Let's see where Open Space takes us!"
As I reported the process fitted very well with their existing ways of
interacting with each other. And their consistent feedback at the
closure
indicated their delight that Vivien and I had accepted their
invitation to
open space for them.
Now they have the language and the experience to carry them forward
with
greater vigor and awareness.
And we are inspired likewise.
My observations on the role of young women as integral team members
brings
this to mind:
If I were to wish for anything, I should not wish for wealth and
power, but
for the passionate sense of the potential, for the eye which, ever
young and
ardent, sees the possible. Pleasure disappoints, possibility never.
Soren Kierkegaard
Go well
Alan
.
----- Original Message -----
From: Harrison Owen <mailto:[email protected]>
To: [email protected]
Sent: Sunday, July 08, 2007 8:15 PM
Subject: Re: Report from the field
Alan - the experience of respect in Open Space is a first for many
people,
and may be the first step to renewal, creativity, and for some,
healing.
There seems to be a natural progression from respect to trust to
hope. At
least I have seen it play out that way on countless occasions. This
progression is most obvious (and most needed) in highly conflicted
environments. I guess it is most obvious there because people usually
experience so little respect that it comes as very much of a
surprise. It is
a constant wonder to me that people can survive in situations
bereft of
respect and literally dripping with a level of pathology that for
me is
incomprehensible. It is an even greater wonder (mystery) that these
same
people can consider this situation to be "normal." If the
"situation" were a
concentration camp, that makes a certain amount of sense - but more
often
than not we are talking about a "perfectly respectable" business or
corporation. Then again, I guess it is not so strange for the standard
organizational structure seems perfectly designed to limit, even
eliminate,
essential human connection, to say nothing of respect. Folks are
locked in
boxes and deprived of information all in the name of efficiency,
effectiveness and productivity. The name of the game is fear and
control.
Nothing new here, and hardly a deep insight - but under the
circumstances
Open Space is definitely revolutionary, if only because people are
invited
to leave their cages. The greatest wonder may be that we are ever
invited to
open space.
Harrison
_____
From: OSLIST [mailto: [email protected]] On Behalf Of
Alan
Stewart
Sent: Saturday, July 07, 2007 7:54 PM
To: [email protected]
Subject: Re: Report from the field
Hi All
To resume the flow post July 4 holiday and Live Earth connectings
(still
going strong in the Western hemisphere) ...
Here for your information is a brief report on a happening last
week in the
East which you may find helpful for your
purposes. This is slightly adapted from what I sent it initially to a
marketing agent here in Hong Kong.
"Am back after a very productive few days in Shanghai co-
facilitating a
workshop which featured an Open Space component for the senior
management
team of a large international hotel company. This was with my
friend and
colleague Vivien Pau.
They got Open Space in one. By this I mean there was no stopping
the flow of
respectful interaction. For example, the CEO and the most recent
recruits
talked to each other animatedly if they found themselves in a
session which
they felt strongly about.
From your barest soup con [small taste] experiencing of group
conversational
processes you may have a glimpse that when all feel totally
respected and
included remarkable outcomes are likely.
Among these are new found deeper relationships and associated
questioning
from which emerge changed mindsets, creativity, innovation,
collaboration,
commitment. The overall result? $ and Joy.
The immediate outcome of the two day event was a clear set of
strategies by
which to achieve defined goals by the end of next year.
And a request for me to change my flight so as to stay on to party
with them
after the closure. <smile>
The 40 people present - from all around China - included several young
women, ie around age 30-35 (in my 'take') who were very articulate
and who
contributed with great confidence. Wondrous to observe!
You may be most heartened to know that organisations whose
financial success
is based on such an open corporate culture exist in China. For
others are
sure to follow when given the opportunity to notice what may happen
when
they engage the services of skilled facilitators."
With warm regards
Going well
Alan
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