Dan – Should it be true that self organization is a core function of life, and that Open Space is a way to access that core function, it would follow that life in all of its aspects would show up in one way or another in Open Space. And the only thing we know for certain about life is that it ends. Everything else is up for grabs. The 5th Principle (When it’s over, it’s over) acknowledges as much. If something changes, something else ends. Happens regular as clockwork. Ending can also be called Death.
Death, however, sends most people scurrying for the sidelines. Until very recently we weren’t even supposed to talk about it, and those who did were thought to be obsessive, morbid, and weird. I guess I can understand this, but the price is a heavy one. We end up with a very monochromatic, idealized sort of life – void of the deep ebb and flow that makes life so varied and interesting. That sort of life may appeal to lovers of certainty, which would include most of us and particularly managers and executives. Unfortunately it is pure illusion. Never happened, never will. Fact of the matter is, at least in the world I inhabit, everything has a beginning, middle and end. Ending is almost always painful, but it seems to be the essential precursor for beginning. No ending, no beginning. Which would also mean that evolution, change, transformation, growth and development all would be out of the picture. But there is no getting away from the pain. It is there and real, and if we as human beings are to continue our growth and development that pain must be dealt with. In my experience, it is the Griefwork Process that enables us to do just that. Not only in extreme moments, but every day as the changes/death marking our growth as individuals and collectives pass on by. So does death, change, ending, grief, renewal take place in Open Space? I dearly hope so, and if not we should chuck the whole deal. Harrison Winter Address 7808 River Falls Drive Potomac, MD 20854 301-365-2093 Summer Address 189 Beaucaire Ave. Camden, ME 04843 207-763-3261 Websites www.openspaceworld.com www.ho-image.com OSLIST To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options, view the archives of OSLIST Go to:http://lists.openspacetech.org/listinfo.cgi/oslist-openspacetech.org From: OSList [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Daniel Mezick via OSList Sent: Sunday, March 22, 2015 12:46 AM To: Harrison; 'World wide Open Space Technology email list' Subject: [OSList] Death, Grief and Birth in Open Space The SPIRIT book covers grief and grief-work in some depth. I find this theme of death and dying ("passing") to be a major part of what is typically unspoken and typically going on in an Open Space... when and where the stakes are high. There is a death/"annihilation" going on there, that seems to be part of what it takes to actually get from here to there. Harrison uses these terms and words in the post below: * "terminal" * "last rites" * "damaged org" * "survival stuff" Ouch. That smarts! "Birth" seems an obvious aspect of healthy-and-well-functioning Open Space...does this go for "death" as well? On 3/21/15 4:18 PM, Harrison wrote: Dan --- Our organizations are definitely stodgy. Even the best of them seem to clunk along when compared to what they might be doing. God knows how you could ever produce any numbers to prove this assertion, but I have yet to met anybody (even the wildest enthusiast) who would affirm that their organization was running in top form. Good yes... but with lots of room for improvement. But I suspect that the critical issue is NOT a matter of “low level of development,” rather it is a case of self inflicted wounds causing radical sub-optimization. The “cure” would then be to stop the wounding, at least until we could see how things might go. Of course, if the situation really is terminal, then by all means, Bring it on! That could be SCRUM, Facilitation, Last Rites, whatever... So what would an organization look like if it stopped being shot? How would it perform? Sounds pretty abstract and difficult to visualize... but I do believe we get the picture in wild living color, every time we have the privilege of opening the space for a damaged organization, where the trouble is real and palpable. I’m not talking about the two hour Open Space on some frilly, safe topic. I mean the real deal where the stakes are seriously high. Survival stuff. My experience is shared by many, and the stories are often told. My most recent encounter was with a very large US federal agency, which according to its director was so dysfunctional that “most of the people could not find their rear ends with both hands” (That’s a direct quote). They were in trouble by any standard, and the Chief was so out of options that Open Space sounded like a safe way to go – even though he had never seen one. Well we did it... and the organization I saw bore no relationship to the one that had been described to me. The people were all the same, the issues were familiar... but the behavior was brilliant. Total flowing conversation with real engagement and workable solutions. Mind Bending! And the chief was blown away – walking around with a silly grin on his face. I invited him to lunch because I wanted to feed him several drinks and ask a question. We had the lunch, and after the drinks, came the question: “What are you doing, Sir, as a matter of everyday business that converts 177 bright, engaged, competent people into blundering fools?” He looked a little surprised and I said, “I think you might want to stop doing it.” Dan – That’s my point. Before we do anything more, different, or otherwise – I sincerely believe we need to stop and appreciate what apparently happens very naturally, all by itself, with minimal or no assistance. And after that appreciative moment, we might think of a few things to do, but only a very few. Harrison Winter Address 7808 River Falls Drive Potomac, MD 20854 301-365-2093 Summer Address 189 Beaucaire Ave. Camden, ME 04843 207-763-3261 Websites www.openspaceworld.com www.ho-image.com OSLIST To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options, view the archives of OSLIST Go to:http://lists.openspacetech.org/listinfo.cgi/oslist-openspacetech.org -- Daniel Mezick, President New Technology Solutions Inc. (203) 915 7248 (cell) Bio <http://newtechusa.net/dan-mezick/> . <http://newtechusa.net/blog/> Blog. <http://twitter.com/#%21/danmezick/> Twitter. Examine my new book: <http://newtechusa.net/about/the-culture-game-book/> The Culture Game : Tools for the Agile Manager. Explore Agile Team <http://newtechusa.net/services/agile-scrum-training/> Training and <http://newtechusa.net/services/agile-scrum-coaching/> Coaching. Explore the <http://newtechusa.net/user-groups/ma/> Agile Boston Community.
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