Dear Ost community Thank you for this rich and dynamic dialogue......I have been enjoying and reflecting on these treads of credibility building, more or less structure in the OST community, purpose of the board and now the GRAND IMPERIAL MASTER OPTION - maybe the most wonderful solution to all our problems......unless we remember that it has been tried many times before and did not work well as far as I have seen at least.
- the dialogue seems to hit the core of our different practise, beliefs and assumptions in this work of opening space for ourselves and some others....... and cover a great necessity looking at the core of what we share here. I have felt space opening and closing like breath as I have read the different opinions, insights and suggestions - some times breathing became stressed and then relaxed with the next mail. Our circle of open space learning bouncing in its round corners but not breaking - i find that healthy. - we have not found the Truth yet - but it would be wonderful to nail it down so that all our clients and family members etc would finally understand what we do ??!! .....in this strange pioneer work of transforming ourselves and our ways of leading, meeting and organizing and discovering a simple natural way of reconnecting as the human we are - always where by the way ......in the original circle of humans - where clarity and purpose, heart and courage where leading.......and following......dance, create and change... and we can keep opening, looking and learning more and doing less - being less and letting others do more of what they want and need to ....... I hold a few questions now : What is the intent of the OST community in the first place? Where and how does getting started with OST practice and long time OST experience dance in our midst ? How do we keep inspiring each other to go for integrity and staying the student ? Where is the border line between a community of practise and a cult who know best? How to trust more than I have trusted until now ? How to find the balance between accomodating clients and inspire to be a more human amateur and less just professional pawn? just a few thoughts as the sun break the rainy last winterish day here at the lake in Denmark By the way, I find my heart saying HO to grand imperial student Harrison's perspectives - I feel space opening as I click his meaning and my own ....... thanks and cheers - - toke *********
I have been following the discussion initiated by Kerry with interest and from afar -- recently opening some space in Serbia. Anyhow, I have been mulling over the notion of the credibility (or lack thereof) of Open Space. On the one hand it amazes (and sometimes amuses) me that some folks talk about OS as if it were this wild, new, risky, presumably untried approach. As most of us know, it has been around for a while and always seems to work. So where is the novelty and risk? I believe the key to the conundrum lies in paradigm shift -- or God forbid, Transformation. Seen from the point of view of the paradigm all of us grew up with, and most (in the west or Western influenced world) still hold -- Open Space should not work. Indeed, it can't work. And if it did, the impact on the predominant view of organizations would be disastrous, to say nothing of expensive for an awful lot of folks who earn their living in service to those organizations. Small wonder that Open Space has not found ready acceptance in the world at large, to say nothing of credibility. A friend once said, Harrison, You have developed the ultimate scam. The client does all the work and even writes the report. Funny, but i guess that is true -- especially when viewed from the reigning paradigm. So anyhow, I rather suspect that if we had detailed reports from all the thousands of Open spaces that have occurred -- data up the kazoo so to speak -- I sincerely doubt that Open Space would be any more credible. I think the stories we share on this list are great -- and very instructive. But as sources of credibility they are pretty useless. To the best of my knowledge, nobody ever decided to do Open Space on the basis of argument and/or data. The decision comes from a different place, be that desperation (no other options) or a profound faith in the capacity of the Human Spirit to rise to the occasion -- or both. And then we come to the Status of Open Spacers. Personally, I rather fancy the title of Imperial Grand Master. I just hope I can run fast enough before you guys puncture my balloon, rain on my parade, or worse. The title, however, does have a certain ring to it. But it is worth while to remember that there was a point when this Imperial Grand Master had done only one Open Space. I can't say that experience is not important, but I think there are other qualities that are infinitely more important. Integrity and authenticity, for two. As we all know full well, the process is so simple that virtually anybody can carry it out. It is also extremely forgiving to the point that parts can be skipped, words mis-said -- and everything just works fine. But if there is a problem with integrity and/or authenticity, we are in deep kimshee. The most obvious case is when some one stands up to proclaim the space to be open, but everybody knows the agenda has been set, and the plans made. Nasty taste! So I find myself retreating to my old position. Anybody with a good head and a good heart can do it well, and not much else is required. Thank God. Harrison Harrison Owen 7808 River Falls Drive Potomac, MD 20854 USA phone 301-365-2093 Open Space Training www.openspaceworld.com Open Space Institute www.openspaceworld.org Personal website www.mindspring.com/~owenhh 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
-- "It's the space between the notes.....". Miles Davis Some of the project we are currently involved in : Den Levende Netværksskole - et vindue mod verden http://liv.acu-vejle.dk/ Netrepreneur - leadership training for Entrepreneurs in a networked world http://www.netrepreneur.dk Art and business Folk High school http://www.concept-for-hire.dk/ost Open Space on Evaluation of social work http://www.rorbak.dk/evasoc/ International network of leaders http://www.fromthefourdirections.org/ Leadership in networks - training of small business leaders http://www.mg50.dk/gruppe/ Convening strategic conversations - workshop http://www.shambhalainstitute.org/ World cafe network - Starting conversations that matter http://www.theworldcafe.com/ComConversation.html Toke Paludan Møller InterChange Aps - at the edge of nature - City office at "DAYS - like this" http://www.days.dk/ - Mejlgade 50, st., 8000 C Århus, Denmark Ph: +45 70 20 13 35. Mobile +45 2616 6919 Fax: +45 8619 1135 email: t...@interchange.dk URL: http://www.interchange.dk Home office at the lake - Stengaardsvej 5 A, 8600 Silkeborg, Denmark
