Dan,
There's a kind of 'vibe' around Open Space which might make it difficult
for people working with the format to necessarily see some of it's
nature, and I think this community is missing some gifts from your
perspective because the elusive nature of the spirit of Open Space
doesn't much care for boundaries, constraints, and prescriptions. My
hope is we won't lose those gifts because of the wrapping.
I'd like to respect the poetry of Open Space, and I'm not in any way
opposing the perspective being put forward by Harrison, Lisa and others.
The word constrain according to dictionary.com includes in its
definition words like "force", "compel", and "oblige". This is not in
alignment with the word invitation, nor with the spirit of what we're
trying to accomplish with Open Space.
But I'm drawn to your perspective of looking at Open Space as a game
with simple 'rules' and I look forward to grasping this better. It seems
part of a redefinition or clarification of power, authority, and respect
that is happening in both commerce, government, and families. This is
something I passionately care about, but it remains an open question and
probably will remain one until I die. But I sense from conversations we
had in Nashville at Agile 2013 that you have something for me and for
this Open Space community in this area. I hope this email will help that
happen.
Although Thomas Jefferson wrote "we hold these truths to be
self-evident", that certainly did not imply that British rule at the
time included awareness or acceptance of the "self-evident" truths
espoused in that document. Self-evident does *not* mean obvious. The
truths Thomas Jefferson wrote about could only be held within the
imperfect container of his words after millennia of study and reflection.
And notice the word "hold" in "hold these truths". Thomas Jefferson and
the other founders did attempt to hold and establish these truths into
society with rules, laws, constraints and containers. One of the biggest
things they were trying to constrain was the power and potential evil
inherent in governance itself.
Yes, whether we like it or not, the universe is self-organizing. This
might be a self-evident truth, but it certainly isn't obvious -
especially to those who think they're running this planet with systems
that seem on a bee line to multiple environmental and humanitarian
disasters.
I'll leave with a question. How could seeing Open Space as a game help
us better invite people to play with us in redefining our current
organization structures to let in more Life and Spirit?
Thanks,
Harold
On 9/30/13 11:31 AM, Daniel Mezick wrote:
I request help and guidance. Will you help me understand the rule of
the Open Space meeting format?
If the 1 law & the 4/5 principles are natural and self-evident, I am
confused about the need to mention them whatsoever.
If the 1 law and the 4/5 principles are not natural and not
self-evident, I am confused about how mentioning them is optional.
The 1 "law" (quotes) and "4/5 principles" (quotes again) are either
self-evident, or they are not. I wonder which is the reality.
See also:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Natural_law
http://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Natural_rights
On 9/30/13 8:05 AM, Harrison Owen wrote:
Dan -- I have to agree with Lisa. As said multiple times before, the
5 principles and the Law are descriptive and not prescriptive. Or at
least that is the way they popped into my head: simple observations
of what was transpiring, as opposed to directions concerning what
should be taking place. I have always said "Principles" and "Law"
with a smile, because if you really think about it, they are neither
(principle or law). More like, "funny things that happen on the way
to the future." There is an essential humor, sense of fun in Open
Space -- and if we ever lose it, we begin to take things much too
seriously LI call it High Play.
Harrison
Harrison Owen
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*From:*[email protected]
[mailto:[email protected]] *On Behalf Of *Lisa Heft
*Sent:* Monday, September 30, 2013 3:22 AM
*To:* World wide Open Space Technology email list
*Subject:* [OSList] (was) Open Space in schools - now: OST
boundaries? constraints?
Dan - I have taken the liberty of adjusting the title of this topic
to more closely fit the changed content.
And: I look forward to hearing how others respond...
1/ I see the Law and Principles and *invitations* not as constraints.
2/ And not 'required' as in - some of us do not use the 5th Principle
at all. However, the saying, inviting and simple explanation of these
invitations help to create the structure (as there is a structure,
just not the structure that a lot of people have experienced in
meetings) / to create the container. What I mean by that is that I
have observed that to not offer the invitation of the principles and
law (even in a group of people who completely know and do Open Space)
is not inviting presence and possibility in the same way. So
different dynamics then occur.
And in saying that offering these invitations and explaining this
process help to create the container, I mean a living, breathing,
nutrient-rich container, perhaps similar to some containers like
cellular walls, a bird's nest, a lake, a poem, or a wisp of vapor...
which have some form within which there is flow.
3/ I notice that some super-good OST facilitators can use more words
to explain things, and some use less. And the experience can be
amazing. In my observation, it is not the amount of words, it is the
complete true understanding of inviting Opening Circle and agenda
co-creation (which include a brief explanation of principles and law
and process), and getting / staying out of the way so the
participants can do their own work, see their own patterns, feel
their own co-leadership, and so on.
What do others think?
Lisa
On Sep 29, 2013, at 10:53 PM, Daniel Mezick <[email protected]
<mailto:[email protected]>> wrote:
Lisa says:
"...
The other thing is that for any kind of facilitation, I would not
name boundaries or constraints. It sets peoples' minds in the
framework of boundaries and constraints - rather than opportunities
and possibilities.
Like 'think outside the box' - you are still thinking...of the box!
when / because someone says that. "
Dan says:
I notice that:
1/ the 1 Law and 5 Principles of OST are constraints-in-fact. Are
they not?
2/ we are required to describe these as OST Facilitators; at least,
according to the OST Guide. Right?
3/ the general idea for the Facilitator is, "the less said the
better". No?
I think OST is a most wonderful game.
http://newtechusa.net/agile/how-games-deliver-happiness-learning/
Dan
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