monica, what you call intervention, i see more like rain on a lake. of course each drop is intervening... and still is ever part of the cycle that sustains the lake. the researcher's view, and the story you tell here, is all true but seems to miss or dismiss this other reality, i think. i find much support in this world for our separateness and research and little support for our connectedness and shared wetness. so i try to emphasize the latter.
as far as the commercial transaction stuff, yes, again. all true, but only part of the story, i think. it matters not that these things are for sale. it matters most that they are also available for free. it is only that they are freely shared that they gain any momentum at all and have any ability to generate value for in those other settings. again, when so much of the world supports each of us grabbing for our share, i try to support that other view that says there is plenty here for everyone. i find that this doesn't negate commerce, but expands it. michael Monica wrote: > > I am an educational researcher (as well as a consultant and facilitator). In > educationaal research, it was believed that a researcher could sit in a > classroom and observe, and she would see exactly what she would have seen if > she had not been there. Of course, we now know that that is not true. Just > the fact of her being there was an "intervention" that changed the reality > that she was observing. Asking folks to sit in a circle and telling them > about the 4 principles and the law is far more of an interviention that > that. If you think you aren't intervening, you are fooling yourself. > About the commercialization of Open Space Technology - I have paid to attend > OST meetings, I have paid consultants to conduct them in my organization, I > have paid for training, and I now charge my clients when I conduct OST > meetings. Althought the above may happen for free sometimes, OST has always > been a commercial transaction. > Monica Stewart > Educator and Organizational Learning Consultant > 271 Gilmour Ave., Toronto, Ontario, M6P 3B6 > phone: 416-762-9946, fax:416-762-4351 > email: mstew...@ionsys.com > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Michael Herman" <mher...@globalchicago.net> > To: <osl...@listserv.boisestate.edu> > Sent: Friday, February 22, 2002 1:40 PM > Subject: Re: open space technology as an event or as anintervention--learn > more with us in our Advancedworkshops > > > interesting thought, intervention. for myself, i don't want to > > intervene, and am not sure i could, because mostly i don't hold myself > > out as separate from those i work with. also i think the power and > > brilliance of what harrison has been doing is to author, yes, but more > > importantly then to author-ize *everyone*. it is possible, i believe, > > to do the physical practice (which will always be limited by my own > > physical, bodily limits) while working to not impose new limits that > > really aren't there. one of the ways i have tried to do this was when i > > was writing the collection i called 'evolution at work' and have since > > changed to 'inviting organization.' what i was doing felt very > > important. it was natural enough to wonder about copyrighting that > > material and trying to sell. but very quickly, perhaps simultaneously, > > i see that if it's *really* as valuable as i wanted to think, then it > > was not my place to limit its availablility for the sake of my own > > profit, that instead i should just get it out there, just in case it's > > really needed. if i give it away and it is so important, i am fine. if > > i give it away and it is not so important, then i am also fine... and > > have saved all that work of trying to make it be something bigger. i > > find that this dynamic shows up in almost every open space i care to > > notice... these questions of how open, how separate, how important, how > > bounded i will be in this moment. they show up in money talk, in talk > > of sharing the prep work, of thinking about followup and evaluation and > > wondering if they will ask me to do another event, and should i try to > > teach them anything or just do the practice... some of which does need > > to be considered and other of which is just so much internal noise... i > > find that the noise gets louder in direct proportion with my belief in > > separateness and importance (and also, sneakily enough, my belief in the > > importance of internal noise). it's still a very tricky game, but > > slowly i think i am learning to become a wrestler of the vastness of > > unity rather than a maestro of those internal noises. > > > > > > > > Laurel and Rick wrote: > > > > > > I view OST as neither an event, nor an intervention, but an honest > > > recognition of what happens all the time covertly in organizations > anyway. > > > I think it's refreshing for folks, and a new way of looking at things, > to > > > invite them to do what they do anyway. It's the honesty of the formula > that > > > seems to invite a new level of honesty in conversation. I also think > that > > > the humility of the facilitator is an absolute must . . . how can one > > > recognize the power of the individuals in the circle, while > simultaneously > > > trying to "intervene" as the expert or guru? This seems antithetical to > the > > > philisophical underpinnings of OST. How can we invite people's spirits > out > > > to play in the context of an intervention? > > > > > > Laurel. > > > > > > -- Michael Herman 300 West North Avenue #1105 Chicago IL 60610 312-280-7838 voice 312-280-7837 fax http://www.michaelherman.com ...an invitation. * * ========================================================== osl...@listserv.boisestate.edu ------------------------------ To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options, view the archives of osl...@listserv.boisestate.edu, Visit: http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html
