Hi David,
Thanks for sharing contrasting thinking around boundaries and
containers. I very much enjoy the boundaries breaking thinking of
Harrison, and I'm also curious what you've learned from Glenda Eoyang's
theory and work? Would you share a little more deeply what you find
helpful from her work in understanding Open Space?
Living in the country, I've had personal experience that good fences
mean good neighbors. But "good" for a fence doesn't mean impermeable. A
fortress wall is not the sign of a good neighborhood. But no boundaries
also doesn't indicate a good neighborhood either. I knew someone from a
church I was part of who lived in East Palo Alto, and he said if you
locked you're doors - the locks would be broken. You had to give access
to your property, and only then would they leave you alone.
My understanding speaking with Lisa Heft about facilitating Open Space -
she needs to "own" the room. Not in order to control people, but having
the authority to manage the space. Mostly so someone from authority
won't come in and shut it down if he or she gets uncomfortable with what
people do (or don't do).
Thanks,
Harold
On 4/7/14 10:26 AM, David Osborne wrote:
Harrison,
I think this is one of the few times I have a different point of view
that you. I believe OS's have natural containers built in. I also
believe you need a container for open space to be effective. I think
the difference stems from having a different definition or viewpoint
on what a container is and can be. My view has been heavily influenced
by Glenda Eoyang's theory and work in this area. For something new to
emerge from self organization something has to hold our bind the
diverse agents together for them to have exchanges across their
differences.
- The room or space the OS is being held in is a container.
- A concept or idea that people care about brings the people
together.....it binds or contains them creating the space to have the
conversations to emerge.
- The bulletin board is a container.....scheduling a specific
conversation at a specific place and time.
In my experience there are always multiple containers that are
massively intertwined.
My thoughts along the way.
David
On Sun, Apr 6, 2014 at 9:33 PM, Michael Wood <[email protected]
<mailto:[email protected]>> wrote:
Thanks, Harrison, for your response to my question on
'boundaries', particularly your paraphrasing of my question -
which was spot on. One thing I've taken from this brief
conversation is that although considering the boundaries can be
useful, we also need to accept that boundaries are never entirely
clear, always moving on a spectrum from clear to uncertain/murky
and if we, as a sponsor or facilitator, get overly bound up with
boundaries then we might have moved, once again, into being too
controlling.
Michael Wood
Perth, Western Australia
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Message: 1
Date: Thu, 03 Apr 2014 12:01:40 -0400
From: "Harrison Owen" < [email protected]
<mailto:[email protected]>>
To: "'World wide Open Space Technology email list'"
< [email protected]
<mailto:[email protected]>>
Subject: Re: [OSList] Open Space and boundaries
Message-ID: <000301cf4f56$00776480$01662d80$@net>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII
It has been common for us to speak of Containers and Boundaries as
somehow essential to Open Space. I can't quite find the place, but
I do remember saying something like that myself, as in, "The role
of the facilitator is to create the container..." It certainly
made sense at the time, but I always felt a little uncomfortable
with the image. Too mechanical, coercive... too something. And
Michael has brought the subject up again. "So...here we have a
situation where the 'boundaries' are actually in a state of
complex flux and uncertainty. The financial 'givens' are
ambiguous; there is no 'locum'
pastor in place because of legal uncertainties with the existing
pastor...etc." You might call it "messy boundaries" -- and he
raises the question whether one should press ahead with Open
Space, or wait until the "mess" is settled down. On the one hand,
Michael "hunches" that one should press on -- Open Space. But his
hesitation comes, I suspect, from the prior notion that fixed
boundaries/containers are necessary for an effective Open Space.
What to do?
Some thoughts (new ones for me): Containers are great for cooking
soup, but are unneeded and maybe even problematical in Open Space.
It is all about holding things together. In Open Space groups of
people come together to deal with their issues. At the very least
that would mean gathering in some common time/space, be that
physical or electronic. It would seem that this co-location could
be facilitated were some suitable "container" provided, presumably
by the sponsor/facilitator. This certainly makes sense, and as a
rough way of speaking, it seems to describe what is going on. But
as I think about it, I think we may be missing a most important
point. Coming together in Open Space happens because people care
to come. And they continue their connection as long as they care
to do so. (Law of two feet)
>From the "outside" it might look as if they were held in place by a
container, but that is illusory. The actual dynamics are
centripetal, the force is mutual attraction... people are "there"
because they care to be there and not because they are contained
by some external structure. In a word, we as facilitators really
don't do a thing, and creating a container is the least of what we
DON'T do. The people, from the beginning, do it all.
Of course, there are situations where groups come together under
orders, mandates, whatever. And they are definitely "contained."
It is also true that the tighter that container, the less likely
self organization will take place. If true, providing a container
is not only unnecessary but also destructive. In the name of
Opening space, we effectively close it. Or so I suspect it might
be. Just thinking...
Anyhow Michael, should my mental peregrinations lead anywhere
useful, it would seem that your "hunch" was spot on. Forget the
boundaries/container.
Just invite the space to open.
Harrison
Harrison Owen
7808 River Falls Dr.
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USA
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www.openspaceworld.com <http://www.openspaceworld.com>
www.ho-image.com <http://www.ho-image.com> (Personal Website)
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-----Original Message-----
From: [email protected]
<mailto:[email protected]>
[mailto: [email protected]
<mailto:[email protected]>] On Behalf Of
Michael Wood
Sent: Tuesday, April 01, 2014 9:59 PM
To: ' [email protected]
<mailto:[email protected]>'
Subject: [OSList] Open Space and boundaries
A Case Study....
One of the principles that I have generally worked with in Open
Space is helping the client get clear on the 'boundaries' of the
space that's being opened. For example, helping people who come
into the space to know 'what up for grabs here and what isn't?
What decisions have already been made?'
So picture this (purely hypothetical of course)....a church
community in which the pastor has (in many peoples' opinion) run
off the rails and the main church body is in the process of trying
to dismiss him; the church is in compete disarray and completely
conflict ridden, many people have left; the pastor who holds all
the keys, banking passwords; church telephone connections etc etc,
has taken legal advice and had hunkered down in the church owned
house where he continues to hold the reigns of power (via some of
his 'allies' in the church) despite not formally being the Pastor
of the church anymore....
So...here we have a situation where the 'boundaries' are actually
in a state of complex flux and uncertainty. The financial 'givens'
are ambiguous; there is no 'locum' pastor in place because of
legal uncertainties with the existing pastor...etc etc.
So in terms of 'Opening Space', do we wait a bit longer until some
of the legal boundaries are clarified, OR open space right away in
the midst of the mess....my hunch is the latter, but any thoughts
from anyone?
Cheers
Michael
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