Hey Chris C! I think our views are very much in accord. Great to share the table with you. Speaking of "communities of practice" as I referred to in my response to Artur, the *Art of Hosting* is a group that I have never made the time to explore directly but have always respected and appreciated from a distance. (And speaking of the perceived *value* that can accompany a *name *, if a potential collaborator ever told me that he/she was active in the Art of Hosting community, I would immediately feel a level of deepened trust and assumed shared purpose). I love how the world of Open Space includes these constellations of communities, through whose connections learning and evolution are always happening. To spend some time studying the *form *that these various communities of practice take (how, why, with what results) would be a valuable endeavor some day for somebody :-) w/Love, Chris
On Fri, Aug 9, 2013 at 1:37 PM, Chris Corrigan <chris.corri...@gmail.com>wrote: > Hiya ,Chris! > > I have no trouble with givens as a practice. I learned that from Birgitt > too although these days i talk about it as working in context. For me it is > all part of setting the container for the work. In the Art of Hosting > workshops many of us do we spend a lot of time on design, reasoning that > the methods are simple actually but understanding the pre and post meeting > work, working with the context and setting and holding a container for > cocreation are essential to good work getting done. > > I have no problem with people receiving certificates for attending > workshops but one simply can't guarantee performance with certification in > this field. > > Pass the wine. > > C > > -- > CHRIS CORRIGAN > Harvest Moon Consultants > www.chriscorrigan.com > > *Art of Hosting - Participatory Leadership and Social Collaboration*, > Bowen Island, BC <http://aohrivendell.withtank.com/> November 11-14,2013 > > On 2013-08-09, at 12:48 AM, "ei...@gatewayc.com" <ei...@gatewayc.com> > wrote: > > Dear Chris I agree about all you said, especially about the givens. I > would even dare to say that the prework and the discussion there is what > opens the space. What I do at the beginning of an OST meeting is ritual, > also important but still ritual. > Thanks for your story. > Eiwor > > Skickat från min HTC > > ----- Reply message ----- > Från: "Chris Weaver" <chrisgweave...@gmail.com> > Till: "World wide Open Space Technology email list" < > oslist@lists.openspacetech.org> > Rubrik: [OSList] Certification? > Datum: fre, aug 9, 2013 06:45 > > > Greetings All, > > Ah, I can't resist jumping in to stir the pot. It is an honor to join a > thread peopled by so many folks whom I respect (and appreciate and love) so > much. I invite you to settle in for rather a long story, which may, at > some point, have something to do with "certification." > > After learning of Open Space in Anne Stadler's kitchen, I walked around as > a newbie at the OSonOS in Monterrey (the one fifteen years ago, from which > Harrison was unexpectedly absent, due to a nasty flu, I believe), with my > jaw hanging open to meet so many bold and brilliant facilitators (I > remember especially Michael P, Alan Stewart, Brian Bainbridge, Roxy, and > Birgitt Bolton) sharing stories that I sweetly strove to wrap my head at > least half-way around. > > For a few years I engaged actively on the OSLIST as I began to facilitate > some OST meetings (without even "finishing the book," as I recall) in the > Seattle school where I worked as a teacher. In 1999 I landed here in North > Carolina, where I attended my first OST workshop as part of the Genuine > Contact Program with Birgitt (Bolton) Williams who had recently landed a > few hours away. > > Now I will say that I have an assumption only that at around that time > there was something of a "falling out" between Birgitt and her work and the > work of some other OS facilitators. I do not know, nor need to know, the > details. But I do know that there are some points of practice that have > generated some heated passion in the community and that I think are worthy > of putting on the storytelling table. (I know that there is not supposed > to be a table, but I suddenly imagine myself with Jeff, Chris, Peggy, > Harrison, Michael in a pub somewhere with a rough wooden table, on which I > am happily uncorking a bottle of pinot noir.) > > When I completed the Genuine Contact "Working with OST" workshop, I > received a certificate, but not a certification. (The distinction is > important because there was no intention on the workshop leader's part to > evaluate my "competence" in any way.) Based on my participation in the > four-day experience, I could, if I chose, refer to myself as an authorized > "Genuine Contact professional." The workshop included an exploration of > the form & essence of OST, as gifted so effectively in Harrison's *User's > Guide. *The workshop also shared some suggested approaches and tools for > working in depth with the sponsor of an OST meeting (usually a leadership > team within an organization), both prior to and after the OST event. My > own understanding is that, by referring to myself as a GC professional if I > chose, I would be sharing the simple message that I had had exposure to the > approach of using OST that included these pre- and post-OST meeting > practices and tools. The choice of whether and how to apply these > practices and tools was up to me. > > So that is the part that relates to this thread topic of certification. > As a practitioner, I honor the open-source nature of OST as Harrison's > "discovery" and gift to the world. I refer people to the *User's Guide*(and > also the > *Non-User's Guide *and other community resources) frequently. > > As an aside, I continued in the years that followed to participate in > workshops on other methodologies that are shared through the Genuine > Contact Program (most notably *Whole Person Process Facilitation*, which > I use very often). I collaborated with my Genuine Contact colleagues > around the world in developing the minimal appropriate structure for our > international community. I participated in many mentoring circles, > completed the Train the Trainer workshop, and became one of the 43 > "co-owners" of the program. I also shifted my virtual community > participation to the GC List, and dropped off of the OSLIST for a number of > years. (I am enjoying being back.) > > So here, the plot thickens :-). One of the practices included in the GC > "Working with OST" workshop is the use of...the "givens." So, lubricated > with wine, I am going to place the notion of givens on the wooden > storytelling table for our enjoyment. (This is worthy of its own thread, > of course, but I'll just keep going here.) > > I have only infrequently worked as an external consultant/facilitator. > Most of my work with OST has been within schools and community > organizations. Over the years, I have come to value highly the practices I > learned in the GCP of working with the sponsor prior to and after an OST > (and I know that among other OST facilitators, pre- and post- meetings such > as these are skillfully used and valued). > > In my experience, the purpose of careful preparation with the sponsoring > team is to assist them in considering the state of their organization. > What is the story-line that has brought them to considering an OST > meeting? What's happening in terms of the grief cycle within their > organization? What (deeply now) is the *purpose* of the meeting? What > (deeply now) is the *context? *Basically, I ask the questions, and the > team has the conversations. All this I explicitly place in the reality > that when you sponsor an OST, there is not, nor should there be, any > turning back. > > I use the givens as an essential tool in this process. I draw a circle on > a flip chart and say, If this circle represents the open space, what are > the non-negotiables that form the parameters of the open space? > > In the past, there have been passionate objections to this practice on > this list, based, I think, on the belief that to establish givens is to > close the space before it is even opened. My long-haul experience within > organizations has taught me something different. > > What happens when I ask what the non-negotiables are is that a bunch of > stuff goes up on the flip chart. Then, I probe each one, and ask, "Is this > REALLY a given at this time for this meeting?" The fifteen givens get > whittled down to twelve, and then eight, and then maybe five (ish). As you > can imagine, the level of trust that organizational leaders have in the > people plays in heavily. I let it be. I cannot make them trust more; I > can only model trust, and hold space for trust. > > But I also find that the few givens that remain are, every time, very > important and meaningful. Some examples: Perhaps the organizational > purpose is a given, and perhaps there is value in re-sharing the > organizational purpose at the start of the OST. Perhaps there has been a > year of good work by a sub-group within the organization that has > culminated in a policy that not everyone attending the OST is aware of, and > that policy is a given. Perhaps a "law of the land" that administrators, > but not all participants, know about is a given. Perhaps it is a given > that the organization will stay within a certain budget, and any ideas > generated beyond the budget will have to include the funding source to > support them. > > Yes, the givens are shared with the group at the start of the OST. In my > experience, this does not close the space, but rather it opens the space > clearly and honestly. More importantly, it is a tool for building trust. > When participants hear their formal organizational leaders share, clearly > and transparently, what the givens are, they are more trusting that their > own ideas will be honored after the meeting and not squelched. > > And this is what happens. Using givens is a way to profoundly mitigate > the phenomenon, with which any seasoned OST facilitator is familiar, of > leadership freaking out and clamping down on the results of an OST. The > practice does not (thankfully) prevent the productive chaos and re-framing > that happens after the meeting, but it greatly reduces the phenomenon of > *reactionary > fear* on the part of formal leadership. The result is that leadership is > more inclined to sponsor another OST soon, and indeed to invite other > groups withing the organization to utilize OST themselves. > > Perhaps because I have worked inside organizations for many years, I have > a deep respect for the challenges that formal leaders face. Perhaps an > organization is possible without any formal leaders, but I have not yet > encountered this. In the school where I work, there is a fragile and > indeed even tender respect for our formal leaders whose responsibility it > is to hold the space for the organization in the community. When > leadership is in its integrity, followership is a natural and beautiful > thing. > > Okay, I will pour the last of the bottle into all the glasses. Sadly, I > won't hear your fine words until tomorrow, but so it is, according to the > odd and illusory parameters of space & time. > > Take Care, with Love, > Chris > > > > > > > On Thu, Aug 8, 2013 at 8:21 PM, Donna Read < > donna.r...@managing4wellness.org> wrote: > >> Amen to that, Harrison! Blessings, Donna >> >> Sent from my iPhone >> >> On Aug 8, 2013, at 17:36, "Harrison Owen" <hho...@verizon.net> wrote: >> >> Jeff – as a sometime perpetrator and totally confused (certifiable) I can >> attest that if at any point I were to intimate that I actually knew what I >> was doing, that would be a significant error. However I feel quite >> comfortable in my not-knowing if only because the “process” (OST) is not >> something I “do.” Under the best of circumstances my contribution is to >> invite folks to do what they already know how to do – to be what they >> already are. It always works, and it works even better when I get out of >> the way. **** >> >> ** ** >> >> Harrison**** >> >> ** ** >> >> Harrison Owen**** >> >> 7808 River Falls Dr.**** >> >> Potomac, MD 20854**** >> >> USA**** >> >> ** ** >> >> 189 Beaucaire Ave. (summer)**** >> >> Camden, Maine 04843**** >> >> ** ** >> >> Phone 301-365-2093**** >> >> (summer) 207-763-3261**** >> >> ** ** >> >> www.openspaceworld.com <http://www.openspaceworld.com%20> **** >> >> www.ho-image.com <http://www.ho-image.com%20> (Personal Website)**** >> >> To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options, view the archives of >> OSLIST Go to: >> http://lists.openspacetech.org/listinfo.cgi/oslist-openspacetech.org**** >> >> ** ** >> >> *From:* oslist-boun...@lists.openspacetech.org [ >> mailto:oslist-boun...@lists.openspacetech.org<oslist-boun...@lists.openspacetech.org>] >> *On Behalf Of *Jeff Aitken >> *Sent:* Thursday, August 08, 2013 7:17 PM >> *To:* World wide Open Space Technology email list >> *Subject:* Re: [OSList] Certification?**** >> >> ** ** >> >> having been trained by the motley lot who dreamed up this stuff, i can >> attest that even that great privilege does not mean that i know much or >> should be let near the folks in your organization.**** >> >> **** >> >> jeff.**** >> >> On Thu, Aug 8, 2013 at 3:53 PM, Peggy Holman <pe...@peggyholman.com> >> wrote:**** >> >> To be certified confused…where do I sign up? **** >> >> ** ** >> >> Chris -- thanks for your decidedly clear and unconfused comments on >> certification. **** >> >> ** ** >> >> I seem to recall in some past conversation that rather than >> certification, lineage is alternative to the client conundrum of who am I >> hiring? To be trained by the creator, or by someone who trained with >> creator, on down the line seems to have worked for a variety of practice >> traditions through the ages.**** >> >> ** ** >> >> Still no guarantee, as Chris noted below.**** >> >> ** ** >> >> appreciatively,**** >> >> Peggy **** >> >> ** ** >> >> ** ** >> >> ** ** >> >> ** ** >> >> ** ** >> >> ** ** >> >> On Aug 8, 2013, at 10:35 AM, Chris Corrigan <ch...@chriscorrigan.com> >> wrote:**** >> >> >> >> **** >> >> Ohh I love this topic too, because as we go on and on it becomes clearer >> and clearer to me that Harrison's original idea (which predated Open >> Source) was sheer genius. There is an expression in english: "Closing the >> barn doors after the horse has left." It's too late to certify people in >> Open Space Technology, and thank God! **** >> >> ** ** >> >> You simply cannot certify people as a way to protect the brand and the >> reason is simple.**** >> >> ** ** >> >> Certification is based on an industrial quality assurance model In other >> words, every product leaving the factory is guaranteed to work the way we >> say it is going to work. If it doesn't you can have your money back and >> we'll give you a new one that works. Every product can be tested before it >> leaves the factory to be sure it works reliably,**** >> >> ** ** >> >> You simply cannot do that with facilitators. No amount of certification >> will guarantee that a client will get what they want every single time. >> And a facilitator taking a single training in Open Space or some other >> method will by definition NOT be perfect leaving the factory. You need to >> develop a practice, and even still there are contexts and situations that >> will challenge and surprise you. "Be Prepared to Be Surprised" is the only >> certification I can reliably give to anyone that has trained with me. We >> are not engineers, architects or doctors. We are people whose skill is in >> responding well to myriad and changing contexts.**** >> >> ** ** >> >> The International Association of Facilitators went down this route. I >> have seen some horrible facilitation done by people who are certified by >> the IAF. So much so that I have no faith in that certification as standing >> for anything. It is a worthy idea but it simply cannot be implemented.** >> ** >> >> ** ** >> >> Open Space is a brand like brainstorming is a brand, like using markers >> and flipcharts is a brand, like parliamentary procedure is a brand. In a >> few more decades, with any luck, the world will have forgotten where it all >> came from and it will just become a basic operating system of groups. In >> the last 10 years that prospect has really come on as people have stolen, >> mashed up, mixed together, modified and redesigned Open Space Technology. >> Participatory process is becoming an acceptable way of doing things, and >> will only become more so. Most conference goers for example are now able >> to report on conference evaluations that they would have rather had a world >> cafe or an Open Space than a keynote address. I see it all the time. >> There is a fluency in the world with this method and others.**** >> >> ** ** >> >> I fundamentally distrust anyone who makes a concerted effort to certify >> Open Space. If Harrison Owen, the guy that put it all down on paper, >> refuses to do it for excellent reasons, then I wonder what gives anyone >> else the right to do it. **** >> >> ** ** >> >> And for me that is a terrific example of how to steward something that >> really has an impact in the world. Offer it up and let it go and only >> defend it from those that would try to own it. Thankfully Open Space >> Technology I think is at a place in the world where it defies ownership. >> Anyone who tries it will simply be laughed off the stage. **** >> >> ** ** >> >> Chris**** >> >> ** ** >> >> ** ** >> >> ** ** >> >> On Thu, Aug 8, 2013 at 9:29 AM, Kári Gunnarsson < >> kari.gunnars...@simnet.is> wrote:**** >> >> I love the Certification dialogue and I think that the recurrence of >> the dialogue is necessary. As I have looked around of things that >> trace there roots to open space or give the impression to be similar >> is some way. Some of these processes have the Certification hierarchy >> protecting the Quality of the Brand and the revenues steaming from the >> property that the brand name is. >> >> The hierarchy of the Certification process associated with Brand names >> is a way to close space and create tension witch in turn will fuel the >> flow of cash from the people that can pay, excluding the people that >> can not. It is an exercise in creating a closed system to fuel a >> business plan. And naturally, any start up consultancy offering some >> tools will need some flow of cash to pay the phone bill. >> >> When I was at Wosonon in Berlin back in 2010, I head one participant >> saying. "You always have the clients that you deserve". >> >> By knowing that the space for clients is well open and the law of >> mobility is active from them is perhaps a little scary. This scare can >> be remedied by letting go of the outcome and commit time to prepare to >> be of more benefit for my future clients. >> >> Here I have opened up many lines of thoughts that stay with me when I >> think about this topic. What I would like to have written down is some >> sort of vision on how to go about using the open space as a central >> idea and core philosophy in a practise. >> >> On Certification, my vote would go for "no central Certification", but >> I don't mind that various offspring's of Open Space go ahead and >> create there own brand name with the associated cash flow headaches >> and salaried sales staff of Certification trainings in there bid to >> get a bought with a handsome cash out from lager companies. >> >> That said, I would like to see more people get interested in the >> "boring" methought of meeting, working and begin together called open >> space. >> >> By the way, I am bored to tears by people hearing about open space and >> begin pissed off by the way open office layout (also called open space >> in my country) has been ruining there work experiences. >> >> This is starting to be a long rant, Ill stop now. >> >> With the breeze from Iceland >> Kári**** >> >> >> >> On 8 August 2013 14:50, Harrison Owen <hho...@verizon.net> wrote: >> > Certification (whatever that might mean) seems to be a perennial topic. >> I >> > suppose that is understandable, but for myself it is a horrible idea. My >> > reasons are several. First of all it is too much work. The thought of >> > developing the criteria, programs, and even worse, “protecting the >> brand” is >> > totally exhausting. We’d have to have certifiers to certify the >> certifiers >> > and so on ad infinitum. Second reason – Open Space seems to be taking >> care >> > of itself. When folks come on with “A little Open Space,” “Sort of Open >> > Space,” “Modified Open Space,” ... the participants (increasingly) >> > understand that they aren’t getting the genuine article—and say so. I >> recall >> > one instance where a large gentleman stood up in the middle of the >> “program” >> > and loudly proclaimed, “This sure ain’t Open Space! I’m out of here.” >> And he >> > walked. I guess you could call that “Market Certification.” Best of all >> --- >> > it works all by itself. One more thing not to do!! >> > >> > >> > >> > Harrison >> > >> > >> > >> > Harrison Owen >> > >> > 7808 River Falls Dr. >> > >> > Potomac, MD 20854 >> > >> > USA >> > >> > >> > >> > 189 Beaucaire Ave. (summer) >> > >> > Camden, Maine 04843 >> > >> > >> > >> > Phone 301-365-2093 >> > >> > (summer) 207-763-3261 >> > >> > >> > >> > 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 >> > >> > >> > >> >**** >> >> > _______________________________________________ >> > 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 >> > >> >> >> >> -- >> Kári Gunnarsson >> kari.gunnars...@simnet.is >> gsm: +354 8645189 >> _______________________________________________ >> 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**** >> >> >> >> **** >> >> ** ** >> >> -- **** >> >> ---**** >> >> CHRIS CORRIGAN >> Facilitation - Training - Process Design >> Open Space Technology - Art of Hosting >> >> http://www.chriscorrigan.com**** >> >> *Upcoming workshops***** >> >> ** ** >> >> *Wise Leadership in >> Practice<http://www.kaasamine.ee/koolitused/wise-leadership-in-practice> >> * >> >> *August 22-25, Sänna Cultural Manor, Estonia* >> >> ** ** >> >> *Art of Hosting - Art of (Inter)action* <http://www.aohmontreal.org/en/>* >> *** >> >> *October 8-10, 2013, Montreal, PQ.***** >> >> ** ** >> >> *Art of Hosting <http://aohrivendell.withtank.com/> - Participatory >> Leadership and Social Collaboration***** >> >> *November 11-14, 2013**, Bowen Island, BC, Canada.*** >> >> * * >> >> ** ** >> >> _______________________________________________ >> 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**** >> >> ** ** >> >> _______________________________________________ >> 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 >> >> > _______________________________________________ > 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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