On 4/10/07, Communications Esther Matte <ema...@excellence.ca> wrote:
I would like your input on something if you have time and wish to share your experience. This particular client was very specific not to insist very much on the responsability side of OS, because people are disseminated in a large territory with low access to technology, so it's not practical to work in groups, and all have an already very heavy workload. The client still wanted action planning in order to have a basic game plan for each priority and act as a "global coordinator", calling on people for their help when needed. ...
That being said, I still wonder if maybe I should have put a little
more emphasis on personal responsibility anyway, as it is really what makes things happen. Even though people are geographically apart with low access to technology, there's still that need for the first phone call or action that will bring others. Any thoughts?
So a couple of things come to mind. It could just be that the client could have used a poll to find out where the energy lay for follow up, and that would have been fine if she was prepared to act on what the group wanted. I'm not a fan of that alone though and, like you, am always looking for where the responsibility might help things along. So, if I were doing action planning following a polling exercise, I'd simply invite people to not only vote with their hearts but with their hands as well and ask themselves, "what next first step am I willing to take to help move this along?" There is nothing that can completely stop responsibility from showing up, not lack of technology or distance or money. But perhaps even better would be to open space again at the end of the day for "what wants to be born now?" or some variation of that theme. I find that in cases like this, a convergence in the heart (as opposed to on the wall) finds deeper patterns that simply grouping and voting cannot uncover and more importantly it invites people to show up one more time and apply themselves to the "first next step" which is all it takes to get something out of the room and into the world. It is a more effective way, in my experience of discerning emergent themes and patterns for action which are supported by an appetite to actually get the work done. In most meetings I do, clients report this as the magic formula. It's important to prepare the process with this eventuality up front so that you are not generating action and movement that the system cannot support of course, but if prepared well, there is ALWAYS action of some kind at the end of OST meetings, and a higher level of engagement than if people were simply to make recommendations and go home. Congrats on this one...a well practiced learning and a generously shared story! Chris I'm looking forward to facilitating more OS events in the future, and
thank you all for your support! Esther * * ========================================================== 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
-- CHRIS CORRIGAN Facilitation - Training Open Space Technology Weblog: http://www.chriscorrigan.com/parkinglot Site: http://www.chriscorrigan.com Principal, Harvest Moon Consultants, Ltd. http://www.harvestmoonconsultants.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
