What a colourful and vivid story. Thank you Brendan for taking the time to describe it so richly!
I got as curious as Jeff about the billabongs (first needed to look up the word). Maybe there are a space where special flowers and animals can flourish? Please fill us in :-) Marai > Am 18.05.2018 um 09:54 schrieb Jeff Aitken via OSList > <oslist@lists.openspacetech.org>: > > Thank you. Very rich. Lots to appreciate here. > > One initial question stands out: how do billabongs act in open space? > > (We know about the butterflies and bees.) With thanks > > Jeff > San Francisco > > > On Fri, May 18, 2018, 12:38 AM Brendan McKeague via OSList > <oslist@lists.openspacetech.org <mailto:oslist@lists.openspacetech.org>> > wrote: > > Hi folks > > Here is a story (Irish style) of a recent Open Space meeting 'in disguise'. > I hope it adds something to our ongoing learning and collective wisdom. > > Cheers > Brendan > > > Open Space as Yarning Space - an Australian story > > Context > A group of five different ‘language/family groups’ wishing to pursue their > intention of working together to submit a claim for native title over a > certain area of land that their families had continuous connection with for > many years. There was a history of disagreement, division and destructive > conflict between some of the group during the past 10 years, illustrated by > separate, competing claims over parts of the area in question. They had > arrived at a place where most of the elders had decided it was time to work > together otherwise their chances of achieving a successful claim in the > national Native Title Court would be unlikely. In order to prepare > themselves for the next steps in submitting a formal legal claim over the > region, they suggested it would be appropriate to spend a couple of days > together so that ‘they could sit and yarn' about the issues that divided them > in the past, about how they might reconcile with each other and how they > might work together in the future. The sponsor, a representative of the > regional Land Council that would be responsible for resourcing the meeting, > wondered if an Open Space style meeting would be appropriate. > > > Naming the Process > Another part of the context was that the sponsoring body did not have a > favourable disposition towards Open Space. I’m not sure of the details, > although it sounded like someone in senior management had previously > experienced some sort of Open Space meeting and wasn’t impressed. My contact > within the system asked that we not call it an Open Space meeting. I was > happy to oblige and we came up with the loosely described notion of creating > Yarning Circles ('yarning circle' is frequently used in indigenous vocabulary > in Australia to describe a group, often referred to as 'a mob’, sitting in a > circle discussing/having a yarn about whatever mattered to them. So the > underlying concept was similar, without the structure of an OST meeting). > > From an introductory meeting with the family leaders, we formulated an > invitation that asked the questions: ‘how will we work together AND respect > our individual differences and identities?’ > > In describing the process, I simply renamed the main circle as the group > Yarning Circle, and the break-out spaces as Yarning Places…everything else > pretty much the usual set-up. I shortened the principles on the posters to > read: Right People; Right Time; Right Place; Right Yarning…the Law of Two > Feet; Butterflies, Bees and Billabongs; Be Prepared to Be Surprised…and > linked my introduction to each of these. > > > The Event > There was a lot of anticipation about what might happen. The complexity of > longstanding inter-familial, inter-generational disputes is well known in the > world of native title in Australia. Security guards were hired for the > meeting so that only those who were entitled to be there (another > interpretation of 'the right people') were admitted. This was to do with the > requirement that only those who are directly descended from the original > ‘traditional owners’ of the particular areas are entitled to be part of the > discussions and eventual decision-making process. There are strict protocols > around anthropologist 'connection research’ to ensure that this is the case > and these reports often generate additional conflicts among family groups. > > On the first morning of the two-day event, while people were beginning to > gather in the meeting space, there was a very animated and highly charged > interaction between two rather large men (I subsequently discovered these > were two brothers who had not spoken directly to each other for nearly ten > years) and this generated a burst of high tension energy. A security guard > intervened, in a very professional, low-key way, creating a pause between the > men and providing an opportunity for some of their mutual relatives (mostly > the older women) to exert a calming influence on them…fortunately, they > seemed to be well practiced at such interventions! > > I was certainly wide awake now! Too soon for a nap…and I wondered, rather > nervously, how the rest of the meeting might go > > The men calmed, the senior elder (one of the women) gave a ‘welcome to > country’ asking that everyone in the room (about 60 participants) respect the > ancestors, and each other, during this very important time together. I was > then invited into the circle…I did my usual intro, with slight variations of > language, verbal and body, to adapt to my environment. A the end of my > introduction, as I usually do, I wished them well for the work of the day, > handed the space over to them and exited the circle…. > > As I was heading towards the edge of the meeting area, I noticed a couple of > people dive straight in the centre for their paper and pen…and to my > surprise, the first topic announced was from one of the family members of the > feuding brothers who invited the whole family to meet in the first session to > sort out the issues that had been dividing them for the past decade. And it > was an amazing ‘yarning place’…for much of an hour, there were loud voices, > quiet voices, shouting, tears, hugs, reconciliation, laughter, resolve and > agreement to disagree on what had caused their disturbances and, beyond that, > agreement to work together in the future so that they could contribute > constructively to the collective claim for Native Title….amazing to witness. > > For the remainder of the first day, people wandered, sat, stood and lounged > around the room, energy and passion flitting and flowing in their own time, > with differing degrees of high intensity, laughter and lightness. > > And for good measure, we also had a ‘space invasion’ in the afternoon, when > another group that had been seeking to prevent this combined claim going > ahead, and had convened a separate meeting in another part of the conference > venue, entered the space uninvited. Some of the leaders in the room stood up > and started towards the exit saying they would not stay while this new group > was there. In the pause of surprise and wonder, I could only think of asking > a question: ‘I don’t really know what’s happening here, would someone please > explain?’ That led to the incoming group, some of whom were related to the > meeting group, requesting to read out a short prepared statement to the > meeting group and then to leave. The meeting group agreed to listen. The > statement was delivered, there was silence and no return comments, the > incoming group left the room and the existing group spent the rest of the > afternoon discussing how they would respond to the information in the > statement…a new agenda emerged for Day Two. > > The second day of the meeting saw the group working together in the Yarning > Circle, as an extension of ‘morning news’, for the first part of the morning, > then breaking out into yarning places in response to new issues that were > emerging. After a stretched-out lunch, the group converged to feed back the > Action Plans before a very emotional, enthusiastic and energised closing > circle (that included a short impromptu dance of celebration…) > > > The Outcome > On the next day, following the two day Yarning Circle, there was a formal > meeting with their legal representatives to ratify agreements made and > provide instructions to be taken forward into the due process for native > title claimants. Needless to say, this meeting was nothing like an Open Space > meeting. However, the group on the previous afternoon had decided how they > wanted the room to be set up for the formal meeting and, guess what, they > chose to have five different circles for each of the five family groups and > one centre circle for the elders from each group to enter when it came to > delivering decisions to the legal representatives…creating a very different > environment from the usual 'top table and rows'. That’s another story! > > > Concluding Reflections > A few thoughts: the presenting context seemed suitable for Open Space; the > meeting methodology was renamed, the underlying structure was retained; the > conflictual energy that appeared prior to the meeting provided a catalyst for > release of built-up tension and the courage to address what had caused it by > those who lived within it; the stunning significance of self organisation at > work, developing resilience to cope with a potential distracting/de-railing > invasion; the use of the opportunity (the space invasion) to generate new > agenda, to strategise and commit for the follow-up formal legal meeting (a > complex adaptive system at work?); the presenting signs of relationship > building, collective commitment and deeper levels of trust. > > > Sponsor feedback > > 1) Why did you chose to use Open Space? > We held a two day OS community consultation followed by a native title > authorisation meeting. > For the community consultation we needed an approach that allowed for a > general theme, linked to progressing a native title claim, that allowed for > the native title group to work out for themselves the best way to work > together on a native title claim and beyond. OS provided the environment for > this to occur. > > 2) What did you notice about the process, the engagement and the > outcomes in this particular context? > The OS approach to the meeting allowed for the attendees to take ownership of > the direction of the two day meeting and, as a result, the > outcomes/undertakings that were generated. In turn, the outcomes provided a > roadmap for how the different traditional factions within the larger native > title group could effectively cooperate while acknowledging and respecting > differences. The outcomes will feed into the rule book and policy manual for > the corporation earmarked to be the PBC. > We used some OS concepts to good effect in the authorisation meeting. > > 3) What did you learn from this experience? > That our clients can truly benefit from an OS meeting and that certain > elements of OS can be introduced even into meetings with an agenda prescribed > by legislation. > I am convinced that an OS meeting should be convened early in the process of > working with a native title group, particularly if there are internal > divisions. > If used properly, I consider OS could also be useful in some overlapping > claims. > > > Who knows what will happen next…indeed, that's not ours to know in the > complex and mysterious world of emergence! > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > OSList mailing list > To post send emails to OSList@lists.openspacetech.org > <mailto:OSList@lists.openspacetech.org> > To unsubscribe send an email to oslist-le...@lists.openspacetech.org > <mailto:oslist-le...@lists.openspacetech.org> > To subscribe or manage your subscription click below: > http://lists.openspacetech.org/listinfo.cgi/oslist-openspacetech.org > <http://lists.openspacetech.org/listinfo.cgi/oslist-openspacetech.org> > Past archives can be viewed here: > http://www.mail-archive.com/oslist@lists.openspacetech.org > <http://www.mail-archive.com/oslist@lists.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 > Past archives can be viewed here: > http://www.mail-archive.com/oslist@lists.openspacetech.org
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