Barbara, I am intrigued by your ????? I sense there is a deeper conversation there? Suzanne
On Mon, Nov 16, 2009 at 8:56 AM, Barbara Bunker <bbun...@buffalo.edu> wrote: > I think that this very interesting conversation is moving from disasters to > situations where we feel that more could have happened....sometimes because > we > didn't do all that we might have done in the contracting or in the event > itself > or...?????? B3 > > Barbara Bunker > > On Mon 11/16/09 4:46 AM , Tonnie van der Zouwen > i...@tonnievanderzouwen.nl sent: > > So pleased to see I am not the only one with events that turn out > > more or less as disasters. I am very pleased this topic showed up. > > For my PhD project I read a lot of stories about OS and other large > > scale interventions, but it seems as if in formal literature all > > projects are successful. Maybe we don't like to talk about the less > > successful ones, so thank you all for sharing. Then again, what is > > success and when is going to show? I notice that especially in > > projects that "fail" you see the working principles very clearly. > > I want to share a story of an OS I facilitated a few years ago. It > > really educated me J . It is about an organization that consists of > > 55 schools on 70 locations in one city. The public schools in the > > city are dealing with a negative image: many children from lower > > income families, too much foreigners, lower quality of education. > > They face a serious decline in pupil numbers. If the trend was not > > turned around some schools would have to close and the image of the > > public schools would become even worse. We had two meetings with a > > preparation team of seven people. We planned a one day OS as start of > > a bigger project to make the schools more attractive. The OS is > > planned on an already scheduled directors meeting. A second > > conference is planned a few month later. They didn't want to invite > > parents or teachers, that had something to do with dirty laundry. > > What happened? > > The OS is in the communication museum in the city centre. The > > conference room is long and narrow. Murphy's Law is working: The > > project leader is unable to come. The sponsor, the general director, > > is delayed. After reception with coffee, about 70 directors take a > > seat in a wide oval of chairs. My colleague Ronald, who is > > specialised in school marketing, starts with a visualization of > > twenty minutes. He tells a story of what parents are experiencing > > when they visit one of the schools. Then the sponsor explains the > > goals for the day and for the larger change process, including > > personal targets for acquisition. After one hour, I introduce Open > > Space. The theme is: How do we make our schools more attractive? > > Energy levels are low. Looking at a lot of skeptic faces, I feel my > > energy dropping too. For a few minutes no one enters the circle to > > announce a topic. I just wait. Finally, eleven groups are formed for > > the first round and seven for the second round. The sponsor is > > enthusiastic about the process: they are really taking responsibility > > for subgroups and some groups have lively discussions. He sees the > > lack of taking own responsibility as one of the problems in his > > organization. Each group produces a report in a news centre with ten > > laptops. Reports are copied in a nearby copy centre. During lunch, > > information about school marketing and support options is displayed. > > Participants read the reports. After a plenary discussion, > > participants place stickers on flip charts to select the most > > important items. A third round for action planning is on the agenda, > > but energy is dropping fast. In the corridors I hear some very > > negative voices. At three o'clock p.m. the sponsor decides to skip > > the third round and start with the conference evaluation in the > > closing circle. Am I pleased with that decision? It was enough for > > that day, but what about action planning? In the closing circle some > > are positive about the exchange of experiences and the opportunity > > for everyone to contribute who wanted to, some pass the microphone > > with a sceptic face. Every participant receives a binder with the > > reports and information about school marketing. The next week the > > planning group meets for the third and last time. The evaluation is > > positive in general, but they say the program could have been shorter > > and the beginning more energetic. The twelve items with the most > > stickers are selected for follow up actions in a project team. The > > second conference is called off. > > I evaluated this case after two years, for my PhD study, using an > > evaluation instrument with success factors and effects I developed. > > The overall project was a success. A negative trend of ten years is > > turned into a positive one. The image of the schools is improving. > > The sponsor thinks the OS was worth the effort, it raised awareness > > of the urgency and collective responsibility for the issue. Among > > directors and consultants, perceptions of causes and effects differ > > strongly. It worked, but couldn't it have been done much better? > > There hasn't been another interactive project so far. Was this the > > only thing that could have happened? School directors face a lot of > > problems, maybe this was all the energy they could offer. But what if > > we had insisted on inviting more diversity, other voices? Same people > > - same interaction certainly showed here. What if we skipped the long > > introduction and opened space as soon as possible? My presence was not > > good, I felt intimidated. I think it could have been done much better, > > in any case by me. > > Hope to hear more of your learning experiences, > > > > Tonnie > > VAN: OSLIST [mailto:osl...@listserv.boisestate.edu] NAMENS Suzanne > > Daigle > > VERZONDEN: maandag 16 november 2009 2:08 > > AAN: osl...@listserv.boisestate.edu > > ONDERWERP: [SPAM]Re: [OSLIST] Facilitation disasters - your stories > > please > > Such wise words on a topic that has generated so much insight. > > I felt myself seeped in what has been described and discussed. This > > community of learning and sharing is the best! > > Suzanne heading back to Florida after 2.5 wonderful days of Wave > > Rider surfing in Orillia, Canada! > > > > Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry > > ------------------------- > > FROM: Harrison Owen > > > > DATE: Sun, 15 Nov 2009 19:53:12 -0500 > > > > TO: > > > > SUBJECT: Re: Facilitation disasters - your stories please > > Absolutely Annamarie! It is all about choosing. A friend told me - > > never sell Open Space. It is like teaching a pig to sing. Sounds > > terrible, and annoys the pig. I think so. > > ALSO - There really isn't any sale to be made or choice, for that > > matter. The nasty truth is that the whole cosmos is self-organizing > > (Open Space) - and so the fundamental choice was made just about 13.7 > > million years ago. We do, however, have the choice about how well we > > "do" it. Or more extremely - whether we want to maintain the delusion > > that we are actually in control, and if not us, then surely somebody. > > Ah - the great aching simplicity of the days when we actually knew > > what we were doing, and did what we knew… > > Harrison > > Harrison Owen > > > > 7808 River Falls Drive > > > > Potomac, Maryland 20854 > > > > Phone 301-365-2093 > > > > Skype hhowen > > > > Open Space Training www.openspaceworld.com [1] > > > > Open Space Institute www.openspaceworld.org [2] > > > > Personal website www.ho-image.com [3] > > > > OSLIST: To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options, view the > > archives Visit: www.listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html [4] > > > > -----Original Message----- > > FROM: OSLIST [mailto:osl...@listserv.boisestate.edu] ON BEHALF OF > > Annamarie Pluhar > > SENT: Sunday, November 15, 2009 7:13 PM > > TO: osl...@listserv.boisestate.edu > > SUBJECT: Re: Facilitation disasters - your stories please > > Such an interesting conversation that you have started Robyn. > > My own experience was (gulp!) 15 years ago. My life has taken twists > > and turns away from group facilitation - the fact that I'm on the list > > now has everything to do with a current contract/assignment. Before > > meeting the client - knowing what they were looking for "empowering > > the people" "new ideas" "enthusiasm" and "excitement" I thought that > > sounds like OS. Turns out those are just words.. they only want want > > is safe and familiar and what they did last year. > > 15 years ago, I was facilitating a two-day annual retreat for a > > smallish company. Day two was to have been OS. It was started OK, > > but the owner of the company hijacked the process (I can't remember > > the exact words) - he invited (he's the boss so invited...) everyone > > to go on a hike with him on a trail. When I was invited to go, I said > > "no" on the grounds that I wasn't sure everyone was there and some > > might be looking for the group. I was told that they ended up having > > a very good conversation on top of the mountain. > > I think that the contracting process is the most important. what I'm > > holding to is that the client has to choose OS rather than it being > > recommended... > > Annamarie Pluhar > > PLUHAR CONSULTING > > > > Results through effective group process > > > > _802.451.1941_ > > > > _802.579.5975 (cell)_ > > On Nov 14, 2009, at 7:44 PM, Robyn Williams wrote: > > Hi folks > > On Friday I was facilitating a 2 hour workshop primarily using Open > > Space > > principles as requested, and as I would have suggested anyway given > > the task > > in hand. My own 2 feet did the walking less than halfway through > > when the > > 'person in charge', who I'd not met before, interrupted the process, > > criticised me, and gave me directions (in public) and not for the > > first > > time. The agenda items were being announced, and her direction was > > that all > > the issues should be dealt as a whole group and indicated that I > > should > > facilitate that. I said no, thanked them for their time, wished them > > well > > for the rest of the session, and left. > > Given the short duration and the task at hand, this had been a > > long-winded > > arrangement which resulted in more questions than answers. Arranged > > by a > > delegated person without authority, I wasn't able to ascertain who > > was > > really 'in charge' (I was told that it was a group project, ie all > > team > > leaders) or get agreement for a meeting to clarify expectations. The > > day > > before the workshop I contacted the Director of the department, had > > a > > pleasing chat, and arranged to meet before the session. That session > > was > > cancelled later in the day, and a shorter session was re-convened > > for > > another time (when critical people could be available). Sure bells > > were > > ringing but I started to think that I was being overly consultative. > > I mean > > what could go wrong in 2 hrs? Right? > > On the way home I reflected on how it had unfolded and my part and > > felt that > > I'd done as well as I could do under the circumstances despite my > > inner-critic suggesting that walking out was pretty extreme and > > surely I > > could have done better. Needless to say I've learned lessons from > > this and > > have damage control ahead of me this week (sigh). > > So what would you do, or have you done, when your role is > > undermined? > > And how did you reach closure with the client/s? > > Best wishes, Robyn > > Fremantle Western Australia > > PS WA colleagues - anyone available to debrief this with me? > > * > > * > > ========================================================== > > ------------------------------ > > To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options, > > view the archives of osl...@listserv.boisestate.edu: > > http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html > > To learn about OpenSpaceEmailLists and OSLIST FAQs: > > http://www.openspaceworld.org/oslist > > * * ========================================================== > > osl...@listserv.boisestate.edu ------------------------------ To > > subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options, view the archives of > > osl...@listserv.boisestate.edu: > > http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html To learn about > > OpenSpaceEmailLists and OSLIST FAQs: > > http://www.openspaceworld.org/oslist * * > > ========================================================== > > osl...@listserv.boisestate.edu ------------------------------ To > > subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options, view the archives of > > osl...@listserv.boisestate.edu: > > http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html To learn about > > OpenSpaceEmailLists and OSLIST FAQs: > > http://www.openspaceworld.org/oslist * * > > ========================================================== > > osl...@listserv.boisestate.edu ------------------------------ To > > subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options, view the archives of > > osl...@listserv.boisestate.edu: > > http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html To learn about > > OpenSpaceEmailLists and OSLIST FAQs: > > http://www.openspaceworld.org/oslist > > > > Links: > > ------ > > [1] http://www.openspaceworld.com/ > > [2] http://www.openspaceworld.org/ > > [3] http://www.ho-image.com/ > > [4] http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html > > > > > > * > * > ========================================================== > osl...@listserv.boisestate.edu > ------------------------------ > To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options, > view the archives of osl...@listserv.boisestate.edu: > http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html > > To learn about OpenSpaceEmailLists and OSLIST FAQs: > http://www.openspaceworld.org/oslist > -- Suzanne Daigle NuFocus Strategic Group 7159 Victoria Circle University Park, FL 34201 FL 941-359-8877; CT 203-722-2009 www.nufocusgroup.com s.dai...@nufocusgroup.com * * ========================================================== osl...@listserv.boisestate.edu ------------------------------ To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options, view the archives of osl...@listserv.boisestate.edu: http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html To learn about OpenSpaceEmailLists and OSLIST FAQs: http://www.openspaceworld.org/oslist
