Dear Peg et al:
Huzzah!!(2):
1) a "new" dimension for the proposed National Science Foundation
Innovation and Organizational Change research project; and
2) my filing of OST stories by topics system works!
Re #2, Michelle Cooper's <coop...@interlynx.net> "Subject: Opening a small
space...a very small space" (Fri. May 8, 1998) came up. Not identical in
perspective to Peg's 12-14-98 question, but relevant.
Re #1, Methinks we need to get specific about what kinds of "small space"
we're thinking about--Small (short) Time Space, or Small Physical Space.
Re Peg's question, "I wonder what makes the difference in opening small
(short time) spaces? ...Resonance of the theme...the 'tightness or
looseness' of the community...(and / or) the context in which the space is
being opened."
My experiences have shown all three to be important. At the risk of
playing a cracked record, I'll cite the story I told at OSonOS VI, about my
church's doing three days OST work in four hours.
Resonance of the Theme (A Minister of Our Own by January 1999?)...
Our attainments would have been impossible without it.
Tightness or looseness of the group...
I'm not too sure that I know what that means, and will let it go, for
now.
The context in which the space was opened...
Vital to our attainments were the following contextual elements.
A) The event had been publicised in the church newsletter for two
months.
B) Each stakeholder (church member) had received a personal invitation.
C) Each stakeholder had also received copies of all minister
retention
relevant documents [a Birgitt Bolton "Harrisy?"].
D) We retained the services of a non-stakeholder facilitator.
E) The decision to use Open Space Technology was made, over the Church
Board's objection, by the Long Range Planning Committee, who invoked
their authority to run the event the way they (the LRPC) thought best.
F) Vehement objections to the first principle (Whoever comes are
the
right people) by a stakeholder who'd returned, the night before, from a
three month absence and hadn't read his mail.
Worthy of note are that:
**items E) and F) brought high inputs of passion to the event;
**within the OST process, these anti-OST passion elements were converted
into
theme focussed energy and were major contributors to the event's success.
My question...Does passion deserve a place of it's own in Peg's "I wonder
what makes the difference...." schema, or should it be left as an element
of "The context in which the space was opened...?"
Yours Aye,
Leon
