Grief and Griefwork are central to the human experience and evolution. To the extent that Open Space is a useful forum in which human experience and evolution may take place, both grief and Griefwork are critical elements. The process itself cannot be rushed. It will proceed at its own pace through the several phases, none of which can be skipped or short changed, for each phase contributes an essential element towards the final goal, which is renewal. No doubt grief is painful, and the process itself is, as the name implies, real work, but it is good work. In totality, and contrary to the popular perception, it is not sad. Indeed it is triumphal, even joyful, creating the way for letting go of what has ended, and leading to new life. Not bad for a days work!
The ground breaking work describing the Griefwork Process was done by Elizabeth Kübler-Ross in her 1969 book, On Death and Dying. It was mind blowing. In one fell swoop she gave meaning to one of lifes most painful experiences: Grief. Yes it was, and is, a pain, but pain with genuine gain. >From the terrible moments of ending, something innate draws us forward. From Shock and Anger, through Denial on to letting go and resolution. We move on. We dont have to invent it, even think it. Happens all by itself, every time, and all the time if we just let it. And that is a critical point... we have to let it happen. We can slow it, even abort it, but doing so leaves us in a life of grief with no resolution. Kübler-Rosss focus was on the individual response to Death. My focus has always been on the larger agglomeration of individuals which we call organizations, what they are and how they develop and transform. And the more I thought about it, and lived deeply in the heart of many organizations, it occurred to me that Griefwork was very much present and critical. At points of ending, all sorts of endings, the process would start, sometimes with the whole organization involved. Shock/Anger, Denial, Memories, Despair, Open Space, Vision those were my descriptors, and yes, Open Space had nothing to do with meetings. For me it was that incredible balance point between what was and what would become. Ill spare you the details, but if you are interested it is all there in my first book, Spirit: Transformation and Development, which is yours for a mouse click at http://openspaceworld.com/Spirit.pdf Open Space Technology was a late comer in all of this, definitely a funny thing on the way to the future until it began to dawn on me that everything I had experienced and described under the heading of Griefwork in Organizations showed up in that funny thing. Which is why I ended up calling it Open Space. Technology was merely an afterthought, and mostly a joke. When an organization is in deep pain caused by market shifts, corporate raiders, internal conflict, international disorder whatever The process of Griefwork kicks in. The initial response is shock and Anger, blame and confusion. They did it! How could it happen to us? Old ways end. New ways are much less than obvious. And the process rolls on! Should such an organization find itself sitting in a circle, creating a bulletin board... if would be fair to say that the Griefwork Process is the script of the emerging drama. Unwritten, unplanned, maybe unknown but very much there, if you just take a moment to see. And if you have never been in such a situation, you can in fact see it in a remarkable video of USWEST, thanks to Peggy Holman. http://vimeo.com/25251316 Shortly told, the situation was that a corporate wide redesign (Process Re-Engineering) had failed massively leaving anger, frustration and confusion in its wake. In one part of the USWEST world, The State of Arizona, it had all gone critical. Somehow, Peggy Holman and her colleagues managed to bring in Open Space, which is marvelously depicted by the video. When asked to describe the course of events over the three day gathering, one participant said (in reference to the second day), Today I think we are searching for solutions for what we were bitching about yesterday. There it is. The passage from shock and anger onto vision and renewal. But dont just listen to the words. The body language is even more compelling. In the opening circle you will see a phalanx of angry faces, arms folded, jaws set. Skip to the end and it is practically a love in. And no, we did not script it! Knowing that Griefwork is central to the fabric and flow of an Open Space is interesting. But becoming familiar with the essential elements of Griefwork and their contribution to the process of healing and renewal can provide a powerful point of insight for anyone who has undertaken the role of facilitator. It is not so much about guiding, or somehow directing, the process, which simply cant be done. It is about deepening our awareness of what is actually taking place. At the very least this awareness will provide some comfort and orientation in an otherwise confusing situation for the facilitator. Should it occur, as it often does, that the first day is filled with acrimony, blame, and anger... all mixed with an apparent unwillingness to face the facts of ending, this is not something that can or should be fixed. It is simply the age old process of Grief doing its work. The natural tendency to attempt soothing the rough waters, and bring about some rational future oriented discussion will do no good at all, and in fact is counter-productive. The likely result is that the process will be aborted and driven underground. A superficial peace may be restored, but genuine healing and renewal are denied. Comforting a fevered facilitator is the least of the gifts that knowledge of the Griefwork process confers. More important are the clues and cues such knowledge provides to the facilitator, guidance on the most effective ways to hold the space. When shock and anger are rampant, the critical role is to keep the space wide open. This means serious Presence and Invisibility, and if that seems to be too hard an assignment, I suggest the Chair Exercise. Find a good solid chair, place it in an out of the way corner, but with a view of the action. Sit in the chair, and hold onto the seat with both hands HARD. Whenever you are tempted to jump in and solve the situation, go ahead but keep holding onto the chair. You will feel pretty ridiculous, but the lesson will be immediate. Sit Down! As the Work of Grief moves along, new opportunities for the facilitator will appear. This is not the time or place to list them all, and my best effort will be found in the second half of my last book, Wave Rider, called the Wave Riders Guide to the Future. http://www.amazon.com/Wave-Rider-Leadership-Performance-Self-Organizing/dp/1 576756173/ref=sr_1_3?s=books <http://www.amazon.com/Wave-Rider-Leadership-Performance-Self-Organizing/dp/ 1576756173/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1427472738&sr=1-3&keywords=harriso n+owen> &ie=UTF8&qid=1427472738&sr=1-3&keywords=harrison+owen I am under no illusion that my efforts represent the Last Word, indeed I sincerely hope that they will constitute an invitation to each and every one of you to explore and share your experience and findings. I am quite sure, however, that Griefwork is not a process we can design, program, or direct. It will happen as it always has on its own timetable. But we can help. Of more immediate concern is the fact that we will have massive opportunities for exploration and assistance. Any fair reading of our current world order (is that an oxymoron?) tells us that there will be a lot of endings, most of them painful, but all of them potential for new beginnings. We have a lot of work to do. 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> http://lists.openspacetech.org/listinfo.cgi/oslist-openspacetech.org
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