Hi Peggy, We met in Melbourne, and I've been off the List for a good while, and so pleased to be back.
Here are some random thoughts, spontaneous and maybe useful to hitch-hike with?? My observation is that when academics of like mind (indeed any group sharing jargon) get together, they discuss in the familiar vernacular and get lost in intellectual familiarity. The diversity will cause fantastic creative tension, push people to re-frame what they say and how they say it, discover new meaning in their own as well as other people's stuff. I think this is what you've already said, however some comment about how OS is made for diversity might be helpful to Tom. Your response is paraphrased perhaps...but if I was not familiar with OS, I would want to know more about how to let go. Yoiks, what might the surprises be? In Sociodrama, we would talk about the role that Tom is taking which is something like Universal Fixer. OS allows him to develop the roles of Naive Observer, Skilled Questioner, Light-footed Dancer with Geeks. If it suits the circumstance, I might muse with/coach Tom about the roles he might take in order to 'let go', to let him of the hook of I'm responsible for all this'. That's part of the beauty of OS too. It's so easy once you "get it". Cheers, Ros. ____________________________________________ Ros Crompton Professional Coach, Speaker, Facilitator Momentum Learning Phone: +61 3 9808 4202 Mobile/Cell: 0417 229 335 <mailto: [email protected]> [email protected] <http://www.momentum-learning.com/> www.momentum-learning.com ____________________________________________ -----Original Message----- From: OSLIST [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Peggy S. Holman Sent: Friday, December 03, 2004 10:45 AM To: [email protected] Subject: [OSLIST] Academics from different disciplines Friends, I'm looking for examples for a colleague I'm working with on a conference. He's expressed a concern about OS in a situation among a group, mostly academics, from different disciplines. I haven't yet allayed his fears. Our exchange on the subject is below. I'd appreciate any stories or words of counsel from you. Thanks for any support on this, Peggy 1. I am in the midst of reading George B. Dyson's DARWIN AMONG THE > MACHINES: THE EVOLUTION OF GLOBAL INTELLIGENCE. Brilliantly done, very > provocative. Lots of stories of brilliant people in the last 400 years > envisioning, inventing, getting in trouble, etc., co-creating (and > co-being) the dense weave of our increasingly interdependent world of > digital and human intelligence. > > Aside from the fact that Dyson should be on the waiting list for the ES, > there is the fact that I don't understand 10-15% of what he says due to > jargon and unfamiliar conceptual / experiential frames. This made me > wonder: With the ES [Evolutionary Salon], we are bringing together a fairly diverse group who > have fairly diverse languages (jargons) and conceptual/ experiential > frames. Will those who are speaking be patient and capable enough to > familiarize the newbies to their universes and languages? Will some of > the newbies want to get clear each step of the way, while others will just > want to move on, riding over the grey areas of semi-comprehension in > search of the light ahead? Will people who already know the language and > worldview of the speaker tolerate slow-downs to help others catch up, when > they could be surging ahead to some new insight with their same-worldview > colleagues? > > I've never arranged a conference with this diversity of (not just views > but) languages and experiential groundings. Do you > folks have any ideas about helping such cross-disciplinary conversations > work? I may have some other people I can ask if we don't have the > expertise among us. > >MY RESPONSE 1. To your concern about people understanding each other, please, let it go, or be prepared to be surprised. The beauty of open space is that people get their needs met, with all their differences. It is DESIGNED for diversity; it's where it shines. BACK TO TOM: > > Thanks for the advice, Peggy. Coming from you, I just might take it! :-) > > But I'm still wary -- not so much as a participant (I can tolerate a lot) > but as a designer (I feel responsible for not making any bad judgments > that could have been avoided). I'm interested in stories involving not > just differences in viewpoint, experience, etc., but differences in > academic expertise and language. Do you have examples of interdisciplinary > academic Open Spaces? > > When I try to envision being in an OS session with Dyson and a bunch of > geeks, I can feel that either they or I would walk out in frustration. > That's the law of two feet at work. AND it is a failure to bridge between > the two worlds -- > which, in our case, is the primary purpose of the gathering.... How to > satisfy both needs... > ___________________________________ Peggy Holman The Open Circle Company 15347 SE 49th Place Bellevue, WA 98006 425-746-6274 www.opencirclecompany.com [email protected] * * ========================================================== [email protected] ------------------------------ To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options, view the archives of [email protected]: http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html To learn about OpenSpaceEmailLists and OSLIST FAQs: http://www.openspaceworld.org/oslist * * ========================================================== [email protected] ------------------------------ To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options, view the archives of [email protected]: http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html To learn about OpenSpaceEmailLists and OSLIST FAQs: http://www.openspaceworld.org/oslist
