HO It's the old radical revolutionary that I love so much! www.alanhalford.com.au <http://www.alanhalford.com.au/> 0421 475 252 skype: alanhalford
Peggy Somehow your note got buried L And I wanted to thank you for the comments. As to when the 5th Principle might be rolled out that may have happened already, unless Doug was doing an imaginary OST. But for sure it will make an appearance in South Africa. I would expect that the initial and near term impact will be just about zero pretty much in line with the previous ³4². When first heard I suspect that at best they create a small curiosity bump Why on earth would anybody bother to ³announce² such things? But they are ³slow-burners.² Somewhere down the road, and not in every case some passing event will open a little space in consciousness and a mild Ah-Ha takes place. ³So that¹s what it all about ³Whoever comes is the right people.² The analogy is probably inappropriate, but I rather think of the Principles (1-5) as sleeping viruses in a computer system which spring to life given the right circumstances. Laying little time bombs of enlightenment, or something. Guess that is just the old radical revolutionary in me still churning about. J Harrison Harrison Owen 7808 River Falls Dr. Potomac, MD 20854 USA Phone 301-365-2093 www.openspaceworld.com www.ho-image.com (Personal Website) To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options, view the archives of OSLIST Go to:http://lists.openspacetech.org/listinfo.cgi/oslist-openspacetech.org <http://lists.openspacetech.org/listinfo.cgi/oslist-openspacetech.org> From: oslist-boun...@lists.openspacetech.org [mailto:oslist-boun...@lists.openspacetech.org] On Behalf Of Peggy Holman Sent: Sunday, May 29, 2011 2:40 PM To: World wide Open Space Technology email list Subject: Re: [OSList] The 5th Principle - Why I think it is Important Harrison, I love the passion and clarity of your voice in this thread! You're not speaking the usual litany -- important and useful for sure, but still exercising the same old muscles. This exchange is in a new place, requiring thoughts and words that travel on different terrain. And I find it alive with your own curiosity for where it will go. It contains an invitation that attracts me! You said the fundamental reason for any Open Space: To enable the participants, individually and as a collective, to more effectively navigate the self-organizing world of which we are part. Yes! I am so with you! That intent is at the heart of my own exploration. As you know, I use the lens of emergence, which describes the dynamics of self-organization from the inside-out. I hear variations of your intent from others as well. My variation on your fundamental reason for opening space is: how does self-organzation become so well understood that anyone and everyone can navigate this natural pattern of change with increased confidence and grace? Not to mention compassion, creativity, and wisdom. Do we need to name a 5th principle? For me the idea that we are always in Open Space -- which you have been saying for as long as I've known you -- points to the intent. So does the way I've come to describe the law of two feet, which I see as the heart of Open Space: take responsibility for what you love. It is an act of service. When people operate from that assumption, it liberates them to more effectively navigate a self-organizing world. Like others, i've taken to heart the notion from you of one less thing to do. So I am not called to naming another principle as a means of making it visible to event participants that self-organization is the sea in which they swim. Still, if something increases the likelihood that people leave an Open Space event better equipped to navigate a self-organizing world, that's huge! As far as I'm concerned, the more accessible the notions of emergent self-organization, the better! So I can't wait to hear what happens the next time you open space at an event somewhere and offer up a 5th principle. More, what happens AFTER the event. Ain't it great to be alive exploring the edge of what you know and what you don't know? Love, Peggy _________________________________ Peggy Holman pe...@peggyholman.com 15347 SE 49th Place Bellevue, WA 98006 425-746-6274 www.peggyholman.com <http://www.peggyholman.com> www.journalismthatmatters.org <http://www.journalismthatmatters.org> Enjoy the award winning Engaging Emergence: Turning Upheaval into Opportunity <http://peggyholman.com/papers/engaging-emergence/> "An angel told me that the only way to step into the fire and not get burnt, is to become the fire". -- Drew Dellinger On May 29, 2011, at 7:40 AM, Harrison Owen wrote: When something sneaks up on you as a Blinding Flash of the Obvious, it is not uncommon for it to take a while to understand what happened. Such is the case with the 5th Principle for me. I make no pretence that clarity has arrived, but I think I am getting somewhere. I knew in the moment that it seemed like a GIT (good idea at the time), I even had some inklings as to its use and purpose but hardly more. True it created a nice symmetry: 5 Preconditions for Open Space (Real business issue, complexity), 5 Principles, 5 typical results (High Learning, High Play). And of course all that is easy to keep track of with the 5 Fingers on the hand although you might need a third hand. Shiva, Where are you? J The 5th Principle, like the preceding four is descriptive, not prescriptive. It does not tell anybody what to do or what should happen, rather it simply alerts people to what will be happening in any case. The reason we do this at the beginning of an Open Space is to provide a little forewarning that may (will) offer some comfort to people along the way. As we all know, OST can seem like a strange new world for 1st timers. Just about all of their presuppositions and practices regarding meetings will be trashed. No announced agenda, no Leader, a facilitator who is most apparent in his/her absence All the normal Comfort Guides for the traditional (boring) meeting are disappeared. We know all that, and we also know that when venturing into strange territory, having a few advertisements of things to come can make it all a little more comfortable. The original principles do just that in terms of the people who might come, actions/happenings that might occur, the role of time and of course, the ending of it all. But what about space? Isn¹t it odd that in conversation about something called ³Open Space,² space/place is never mentioned? I am pretty sure that the reason it never occurred to me previously was that the venue (space) was simply a part of the logistical scene rather like computers, magic markers and flip charts. All needed but hardly worthy of a Principle, if indeed there was any principle involved. No reason to even mention it for the comfort of those present. So what¹s different now? The key difference for me is a growing concern and interest in what might or could happen after the event. We have always been interested in the follow-on, follow-up of the key decisions and insights that may have emerged during a gathering implementation, so to speak. But for me those specifics are of infinitely lesser import than an enhanced awareness that Open Space does not end at the venue¹s doors. If a group of people leave an Open Space Event, well satisfied with their accomplishments, but believing that all of that was the product of a special, unique, and rarely to be repeated method or approach, I think they have been severely short changed. Such people might naturally think that the magic of their moment was due, in whole or in part, to the power of the design, the brilliance of its originator (that would be me L), and the consummate skill of the facilitator. How wrong can you get?! There was no design, at least in a sense comparable to other ³methods² (AI, Future Search, etc), which are all are carefully researched and constructed. Yes it is true that we ³sit in a circle, create a bulletin board, open a market place, and go to work² but none of that came out of years of research and practice in Group Dynamics, with a linage to Lewin and other greats in the field. It just happened as a result of what seemed to be a good idea at the time. Truthfully all of this has been the source of continuing confusion and embarrassment ever since the field of Large Group Interventions was identified by the likes of Billye Alban and Barbara Bunker. The opening chapters of their book described in detail the antecedents of the new methods and then there was Open Space which was only included as a last minute addition, and simply doesn¹t fit. As for the brilliance of the originator, we know the story of that one! The inspiration was actually a desperation play fortified by two martinis! The originator was in fact so brilliant that it took him almost five years to understand that Open Space was interesting and potentially important. Slow learner! Facilitator skills? Useful, but not necessary. The truth of the matter is that anybody with a good head and a good heart can ³do it.² This does not mean, of course, that experience and practice don¹t make a difference. But I think the major difference is a reduction of the facilitator¹s anxiety level, but that difference has only marginal impact upon group performance. This seemingly odd phenomenon is due to the fact that the facilitator is not ³managing,² ³running,² or ³doing² a process. The process ³does² itself and is deeply ingrained in all the participants, whether they know it or not. The facilitator¹s sole function is Invitation to invite the people to do what they already know how to do. And then gracefully get out of the way. Making a graceful exit can take years of practice. And now we come to a critical question, I think. Why do we do what we do? When we facilitate an Open Space what are the goals, objectives, purposes? The answers to this question may seem so blatantly obvious as to render the question meaningless. Of course, we open space in order to solve a problem, build a building, create a plan, unstuck a dysfunctional organization And for the individual participants we open space in order to bring a little joy, inspiration and renewal to the folks. For ourselves, we open space because it is fun, challenging, exciting and on occasion financially rewarding. These answers, and many others of a similar sort, roll easily from the tongue, and they are all quite valid. Missing from this list, however, is an answer which for me is perhaps the most important. For me the fundamental raison d¹être for any Open Space I am involved in is -- To enable the participants, individually and as a collective, to more effectively navigate the self-organizing world of which we are part. Along the way we will hopefully accomplish other good things: a new plan made, a community issue resolved, a building designed. And for the participants there should also be an experience of accomplishment, ownership, participation, inspiration, to say nothing of some real fun. However, if everybody walks out the door on the final day with only the completed plan or building design, albeit accompanied by some good warm fuzzy feelings I do not believe the mission has been accomplished. The Mission Accomplished sign will be displayed when participants walk through the venue doors with the understanding that everything they experienced on the ³inside² may be used on the ³outside.² Actually ³inside² and ³outside² is a misapprehension. It is all one thing! Everything is Open Space or more accurately everything is self-organizing, despite the fact that there is a continuing delusion to the contrary. Strange talk? Indeed, such talk in itself, would appear to be delusional. After all we all know that somebody is in charge, and that our organizations are the creatures of our making. In such an environment, playing by the airy-fairy rules (principles) of Open Space is an iron clad predictor of failure. That¹s what it says in all the books, and is emblazoned on the walls of every ³well managed² institution. Under such circumstances the average participant might be forgiven for a little skepticism. But skepticism is a healthy thing, and after all we have been there before. I suspect that every single 1st time participant in all the Open Spaces I have been a part of, entered with some degree of skepticism, and in those instances where I actually asked, they all admitted that their confidence level for a ³successful² outcome was close to zero. Nice idea, but it just couldn¹t work! No amount of argument on my part ever convinced a soul, and for sure the recitation of the 4 Principles did little if anything to change their opinion. They remained confirmed skeptics UNTIL they had the experience. At that point, the 4 simple Principles became useful prods to their critical process. They help people to see, really notice how the ³impossible² became common place. From that point on, they had some real work to do but they now had something to work with. Now back to the 5th Principle -- which is simply an invitation to notice that all the marvelous things which occurred ³in² the event needn¹t stop at the venue door. In fact they can and do occur anywhere. ³Wherever it is, is the right place!² Will that Principle convince anybody? No, absolutely not at least until they have had the experience. At that point, the 5th Principle will join its fellows as a simple statement of the obvious. So I am stuck with the 5th Principle, not for reasons of symmetry or theory. In fact it messes up a whole bunch of great signs that have been make, to say nothing of all the books I have written. But what else is new? Harrison Harrison Owen 7808 River Falls Dr. Potomac, MD 20854 USA Phone 301-365-2093 www.openspaceworld.com <http://www.openspaceworld.com> www.ho-image.com <http://www.ho-image.com> (Personal Website) To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options, view the archives of OSLIST Go to:http://lists.openspacetech.org/listinfo.cgi/oslist-openspacetech.org <http://lists.openspacetech.org/listinfo.cgi/oslist-openspacetech.org> _______________________________________________ OSList mailing list To post send emails to OSList@lists.openspacetech.org To unsubscribe send an email to oslist-le...@lists.openspacetech.org To subscribe or manage your subscription click below: http://lists.openspacetech.org/listinfo.cgi/oslist-openspacetech.org _______________________________________________ OSList mailing list To post send emails to OSList@lists.openspacetech.org To unsubscribe send an email to oslist-le...@lists.openspacetech.org To subscribe or manage your subscription click below: http://lists.openspacetech.org/listinfo.cgi/oslist-openspacetech.org
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