You can learn more about Spirited Work at www.spiritedwork.org Peggy invited me and it became my refuge and a connecting place where I was rejuvenated. The upcoming session is April 15-17. If you are yearning to be among kindred spirits in a nature setting I extend an invitation to you to join us during the season of the Healer. This is a space that has inspired many to live in the boldness and daring of what emerged from their experiences here. It is a living open space experience. Cheryl
-----Original Message----- From: Peggy Holman <pe...@opencirclecompany.com> To: osl...@listserv.boisestate.edu <osl...@listserv.boisestate.edu> Date: Sunday, March 20, 2005 11:59 AM Subject: Re: What have we learned? >Harrison, > >Thanks for the question asked in such a loving, powerful way. > >Where to begin? Open Space changed my life. So many, many lessons. And >after 11 years of working with it, I still feel I am just at the beginning >of my learning. > >Here is a bit of a retrospective of learnings. > >The miracle of my first Open Space was to see that it somehow enabled the >needs of the individual and the collective to be met. That's when I fell in >love with it. > >I think my very first practical realization was that as a facilitator, I >wasn't responsible for other people's experiences. What a revelation! I >could do my best to create the conditions for the work to be done. Beyond >that, it was up to the people in the room. > >Over the next several years, I found myself talking about my lessons from >Open Space. Some of them come through your words, Harrison, others through >the experience itself: > >Focus on essence -- the form of OS is so elegantly simple that it is a clear >message that what is most important is the core content of whatever the >subject is. I remember very clearly a conversation with Chris Kloth at >OSonOS IV in Washington, D.C. He told me that where other change >communities he was a part of spent most of their time focused on questions >and arguments about process, the OS community was always asking about >essence, purpose, the core meaning of whatever it was we were discussing. >Kerry shared recently a comment from a participant: "one day in open space >was the equivalent of two years of hearings." I think this is because when >all you've got to pay attention to is the essence of what's important, well, >it sure makes it easier to let all the nonsense fall by the wayside and >focus on getting something done! > >Simplicity of design -- you gifted me/us with a very profound design >question: what is one less thing to do? (and I would add implicit in the >question: and have this be whole and complete?) While I sometimes joke that >you came to this by being a master of laziness, I think continually doing >less ensures the focus remains on what is most important. Whether OS or >just life, I find this insight of remarkable power. Anytime a group is >struggling, with how to do something, this question cuts through the mess. >During my Total Quality days, there was a saying: "remedy first, then deal >with the root cause." My definition of remedies were they always added more >steps -- made things more complicated. When the root cause was handled, >100% of the time, it resulted in less steps -- a simpler process. And it >always required looking at the essence, the purpose as the starting point. > >Invitation/Inclusion -- you talk about invite whoever cares about the >subject and welcome the stranger -- whoever comes. It is such a huge gift >to accept the rightness of whomever and whatever shows up. It is also at >times a deeply courageous act of of faith. Through the years I have seen >people healed by the experience of being welcomed, with all of their quirks, >of feeling heard. I have also seen it as a challenging test of people >uncomfortable with those who are different. The rewards for those who >usually exclude others and for those who are often excluded are powerful. >People discover compassion in themselves. Outcasts experience something >often unfamiliar: support. I remember years ago at OSonOS in Monterey >(1998?), an intense day 2 opening circle where there was this conflicted >discussion of "in group" and "outsiders". Finally, this woman, I don't know >her name and I never saw her again, got up and walked, or perhaps she flew, >around the circle, inside and out. Her words were something about belonging >coming from within ourselves. It shifted everything. > >Generosity of Spirit -- you gave OS away, no trademark, copyright, >certification or other hurdles. You said there is one responsibility -- to >give back what you've learned. I look at the extraordinary community that >we've created -- one that shares its stories, its fears, triumphs, >insecurities, and questions. I follow several learning communities. This >one is my home. It is in part because of the incredible ethic of sharing we >gift to each other. > >Abundance -- there is always enough for what is important. When I've >underestimated the number of break out sessions for an event, I often joke >that time and space are infinitely expandable and people figure out where >and when to meet. This is a reminder to me of just how incredibly creative >we are as a species when something is important to us. People find >remarkable solutions. > >These were my first deep lessons from living with Open Space. I think >somewhere about this time, I began to realize that self-organization and >spirit -- the two ways I talked about OS -- described the same phenomenon in >different language. > >And then Spirited Work began. While I already understood Open Space was way >more than a good meeting method, this quarterly foray into living in Open >Space opened a new and deeper journey of understanding. It was Anne >Stadler who helped me understand that the Law of Two Feet is about taking >responsibility for what you love. I now believe this is the essence of Open >Space. It is the power of this one idea -- to take responsibility for what >you love -- that creates the remarkable invitation to listen to our internal >voice and act on its message. Now I understand the dynamics behind what I >originally loved about OS: when people take responsibility for what they >love, they discover that others love the same things. Thus, the needs of >the individual and the collective are met. > >At Spirited Work, watching Anne Stadler showing up wherever there was >disonance or conflict, I learned to welcome disturbances. I came to >understand that they are indicators that something new wants to emerge. And >it was watching the patterns of behavior at Spirited Work, the complex, >unpredictable human behavior as people experimented with living with spirit >in the material world that I have come to understand what Open Space >governance looks like, what it means to make difficult decisions in Open >Space (way beyond consensus), the role of silence in individual and >collective learning. > >I now understand the dynamics of emergence when consciously embraced. >Emergence is spirit in action -- where people discover that what is most >personal is also universal. When this happens, what we in the OS community >call Convergence naturally occurs. People move into coherent individual and >collective action. This has shaped how I see my work today -- to grow the >capacity for emergence through caring for ourselves, others and the whole in >service to meaningful purpose. What I see today is that Open Space provides >the essential conditions for emergence without the destructive force that >comes when the disturbances that signal something wanting to emerge are >resisted. It happens by asking an attractive question that matters (the >theme), inviting all who care to take responsibility for what they love, and >by putting them in a circle to begin and end each day to reflect together. >This pattern enables people to step into what they fear with some glimmer of >hope that something useful will happen. And, miraculously, time and again, >it does. > > >Doing the international Practice of Peace conference -- an experience >planned in OS mostly by people from the Spirited Work community -- brought >new lessons. We took the leap that we would have sufficient participation to >fund inviting 10 OS practitioners from conflict areas from around the world. >We not only accomplished that but created an experience that many, many >participants described as life changing. They describe some variant of >feeling their own capacity to make a difference. I got a deeply embodied >experience of what Anne Stadler named the Radiant Network -- that innate >knowing that we are all connected, that we are held in some mystical way. >When my heart is open, I feel the connection. When not, the connection is >still there, it is just hard to believe it exists. My lesson from PoP is >that what is on the other side of emergence is the coherence of the Radiant >Network. The most powerful OS events bring people to where they feel a >sense of collective consciousness. They touch that place of deep, personal >meaning that connects them to others and they have at least a glimmer of >their connection to the whole. > > >Today, I wonder about how the people I have worked with have been touched by >their time in Open Space. How have they been changed by the experience? >What has been the effect when OS is used over and over in a community or >organization? How have people and collectives been changed by the >experience? That's what I hope we learn through the research questions that >Larry, Chris and I put out. >http://www.openspaceworld.org/network/wiki.cgi?OpenSpaceResearch > >I believe that we are growing people's capacity to deal with what they fear, >what they resist by offering them a path to emergence that runs through >powerful, attractive questions. What are their stories? > > >Harrison, for all that you are and all that you have done, I thank you. >Finding you and your work was a turning point in my life. > >Love, >Peggy > > >________________________________ >Peggy Holman >The Open Circle Company >15347 SE 49th Place >Bellevue, WA 98006 >(425) 746-6274 > >www.opencirclecompany.com > > >P.S. It is curious to me that not one of us responded to Billie and >Barbara's request. Wonder what that says about our community? > > >----- Original Message ----- >From: "Harrison Owen" <hho...@comcast.net> >To: <osl...@listserv.boisestate.edu> >Sent: Friday, March 18, 2005 3:39 PM >Subject: [OSLIST] What have we learned? > > >> In 1985 the first Open Space happened in Monterey California. This year >> (in >> case you haven't noticed) is 2005. In short OS has been around for 20 >> years >> (not counting the 14,000,000,000 years previously). So what have we >> learned? >> >> >> This is not an idle question. A recent publication of the American >> journal, >> JABS - otherwise known as the "Journal of Applied Behavioral Science" >> offered a "special issue" dealing with Large Group Interventions. All the >> usual suspects appeared, but somehow Open Space was among the missing. One >> of the editors, Barbara Bunker, who is definitely an acquaintance, and I >> would consider a friend - told me that they had advertised for "papers" - >> including the "OS Network" - and nothing showed up. Frankly, I don't >> recall >> seeing anything, but my eyesight is getting pretty cloudy. Anyhow, I feel >> inspired to ask a question - What have we learned? >> >> This is not about making a special edition of JABS. And for sure it is not >> about "sour grapes" because we were not really present in JABS. It is all >> about a genuine question - What have we learned???? >> >> My hope would be to inspire/goad/embarrass/encourage each one of you to >> reflect of the past 20 years (or at least that part of the 20 years in >> which >> you participated in the OS community) - and offer up your understanding of >> what you, personally, have learned - about Open Space, yourself in Open >> Space, about organizations in Open Space. And of course anything else you >> choose to share. >> >> I would hope that we would hear from more than the usual suspects. This is >> a >> call to all you Lurkers! Last time I checked there were some 440 folks on >> OSLIST. Not everybody has been heard from! Now would be a good time to >> break >> the silence!!! >> >> And although it is doubtless Politically Incorrect - I suggest a rule for >> our discussion. Pretend this is a closing circle, and we are passing the >> Talking Stick. Take a moment, maybe even a LONG moment (days/weeks) to >> reflect on what you have learned, and then talk as long as you want. And >> not >> just the "good stuff" - the pain and disillusionment as well, if that is >> your story. You have the stick! And please NO COMENTARY! I suggest that we >> just let this roll without response - just like a Closing Circle. >> >> In August we will gather for OSONOS in Halifax. That gathering will be a >> lot >> of things - but one of the things it WILL be is a celebration of 20 years >> in >> Open Space. I can think of no greater birthday present from everybody to >> everybody than a reasoned, articulate description of what we have learned >> in >> the 20 years on the journey. >> >> Harrison >> >> Ps Assuming we have really learned something and manage to give that >> learning expression, there is no doubt in my mind that a copy of our >> Collected Works would be fun to read. ho >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> Harrison Owen >> 7808 River Falls Drive >> Potomac, Maryland 20845 >> Phone 301-365-2093 >> >> Open Space Training www.openspaceworld.com >> <http://www.openspaceworld.com/> >> >> Open Space Institute www.openspaceworld.org >> Personal website http://mywebpages.comcast.net/hhowen/index.htm >> osl...@listserv.boisestate.edu >> To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options, view the archives Visit: >> http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html >> >> >> >> >> * >> * >> ========================================================== >> 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 >> >> > >* >* >========================================================== >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 * * ========================================================== 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