Thank you for sharing your discussion about "Who is authorized" and "Who authorizes"
I like the tone of where you are at and appreciate the challenge of ensuring that these discussions happen to be sure that we are all doing are best to move forward with bringing Open Space into the world in the best possible way. We have a bigger challenge than we might appreciate at this time, and that is to really use all of our learnings to date and all of our beliefs about what organization can be, to really walk our talk. In thinking about "form follows function" OSI Inc. is in a position where more initial structure has to be in place before it is grown naturally, and that is because of your 503-c-3 status. But that is reality. So within this context you have set things out as best as you can and tried to remain as loose as you can. I think that is important and great!. In my experience, I have watched other groups do just this at their start with lots of good intentions. The kitchen table, high passion point. And in my experience, the next stage is always where some significant problems start to emerge. I would like to use our collective skills, expertise and wisdom to see if OSI Inc. can grow through that stage without these problems. In my opinion, we need to be intentional in our discussion about this. Some of the bits I would like to see discussed are: 1. Are we being observant of where the power lies. Do those who hold power for moving OS forward claim that this is so, and then ensure that the power is used wisely and well. (Please don't groan, it is exactly at this point that I have watched wonderful efforts go down---people saying that they don't have power, and then not being AWARE of how it is being used). Power is a good thing, not a bad thing, but it needs to be claimed. 2. Those nagging items of accountability, authority, and responsibility. I think that your meeting was about starting to wrestle with these. I think that you need to bring more folks into agreement (or not) about how you saw this, which is what you are trying to do via listserve list, I think that if you can come up with some agreed upon statements to do with these three, you will save a lot of future grief. Right now, as I read it, it is at the "my opinion" stage only. And now I confess to my increasing confusion. I thought that I read that this was discussion of the OS Training Learning Circle, And yet the discussion seemed more about OSI Inc.And I truly am getting confused about the two and their "formal" connection. And since I've been paying close attention and I'm confused (or maybe that's why I'm confused), I wonder if anyone else is. The points I've made above really pertain to the growth of the Institute, and relate to the comments I read about same in the note from Anne. For me, growing your OSI Inc., I should say "our" since I'm now a member, along with OSI Canada is a huge passion for which I am prepared to take lots of responsibility. Folks here have asked me to be the "point person" for the focusing of the formal dialogue between the two institutes as we grow. There is a huge will on the part of those of us in OSI Canada to be an incredible model of growing the two institutes together and in a way that we've not seen role-modelled in other organizations. The very stuff we tell other organizations that they can do. So I thank you for this opportunity to dialogue on something that affects us all. Birgitt