Brendan: I love your story and I love how you refused, gently but unmistakably, to be drawn out of your role of holding the space and refused to allow the space to be closed even a bit, handing back responsibility to the open spacers. Well done!
Regards Esther G'day folks I had a rich open space experience a couple of weeks ago - with a group of departmental managers on a 'corporate planning conference', at a most beautiful five-star resort hotel overlooking the deep blue Indian Ocean about three hours drive south of Perth - the environment was superb, the food great, the weather wonderful...and the Margaret River wineries beckoning in the background... We spent the first morning with managers outlining their 2005 'departmental business plans' to each other in conventional power point displays, followed by an afternoon change of format and emphasis - a session of AI interviews and creative expressions - very well received and fully engaging - they went off on a wineries tour and I went for a siesta....all was well with the world on day one.... Next morning, a day's open space on 'Creating an outstanding team together in 2005 - issues and opportunities?' - got off to a sound start - there were eleven people and they stayed together for topic one - I went off to the lobby for a quiet sit and a coffee....then one of the managers came over and sat down beside me, with a look of serious concern on her face: "I don't know if anyone else has told you yet but the real problem here is the State Manager (the sponsor), he's only new and his management style, or lack of any, is what is ruining everything - in fact we're all looking for new jobs or transfers elsewhere - I thought you should know..." Centre and breathe, breathe and centre, hold space and welcome all.... "Mmmm - how interesting - and what would you like to do about that?" "Well - you're the facilitator - and I don't think anyone here will be brave enough to say this in public - we are all frightened of the repercussions..." "Mmmm - so, you don't think the real hot issue will get brought up here today?" "No - it doesn't seem like it - no-one has put it up there and I think we're all too scared to raise it" 'Mmmm - and if you choose not to raise it, then it will stay where it is - a bit like a 'dead dingo' under the table..." "Well, I suppose so - but then this is going to be a very artificial process" "Mmmm - well, I guess if you, or anyone else, are not willing to raise it, then that's your choice and whatever happens will happen..." "Well that's true (with a quizzical expression - may have been 'murderous' ) but why have we come all the way down here to leave out the really important issue that we're all concerned about?" "Mmmmmmmm (more disguised centering and breathing) - great question - why indeed? I'm sure you'll work out what you want to do about it...." "Well - that's not much help really - I think I'll go and join the group - they actually seem to be discussing something quite intensely..." "Mm (less c&b now required) - sounds like a good move - enjoy your morning" followed by a couple of substantial, quiet "Mmmmm's" and the coffee.... Couple of issues for me - the desire of the manager to seek an alliance with the 'outsider' - putting me in the picture was the way in and my need to be 'en guarde' - I guess that's what we get paid for in this 'counter-cultural' facilitation role The manager's need to externalise something that was going on internally at that moment - and she chose me - for whatever reason to express this - I was partially 'active listening' (open to whatever she had to say) and partially 'blocking' (holding my boundaries and centre) - in a wee moment of tension...afterwards I felt relieved and comfortable - I didn't think I had compromised the essence of the process and yet had given her some space to declare that which she was unable to contain within herself any longer....rich learning indeed! By the way - the third topic that morning - on 'self-managing teams' - brought out a lot of previously unannounced issues around differing styles of management and led into some wonderfully rich and heated conversation about the new managers style and how it conflicted with the previous incumbent's style that had been more 'command and control' - and they were used to that and liked it - they didn't want to change - this was accompanied by a lot of hot air and release of steam/tension...emotions and passions were abundant... They did get to the hot issue for sure....the State Manager told me later how delighted he was - the issue had come out through the group - and had not been imposed by him - the OS works its mysterious magic yet again! Thanks for 'listening' Brendan * * ========================================================== osl...@listserv.boisestate.edu ------------------------------ To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options, view the archives of osl...@listserv.boisestate.edu: http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html To learn about OpenSpaceEmailLists and OSLIST FAQs: http://www.openspaceworld.org/oslist Esther Ewing The Change Alliance 330 East 38th St., Suite 53K New York, NY 10016, USA Telephone: 212-661-6024, Fax: 866-296-6712 Assisting organizations to build capability _www.changealliance.com_ (http://www.changealliance.com/) Certified Panoramic Feedback Distributor (360 instrument) _www.panoramicfeedback.com_ (http://www.panoramicfeedback.com/) Certified Kolbe Distributor: _www.kolbe.com_ (http://www.kolbe.com/) * * ========================================================== osl...@listserv.boisestate.edu ------------------------------ To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options, view the archives of osl...@listserv.boisestate.edu: http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html To learn about OpenSpaceEmailLists and OSLIST FAQs: http://www.openspaceworld.org/oslist
