Christine wrote: "you wait for the point at which Particle becomes Wave"
I love the poetry, but I am not too sure about the Physics - but then I never claimed to be a physicist! Having said that, I have always loved the way physicists think. A major portion of their work is done in a purely imaginary world attempting to deal with entities that for the most part are neither seen, touched, tasted or smelled. A number of years ago when I was at Johns Hopkins University, I fell in with a bunch of physicists, and when the conversation got dull - which was rare, I found a virtually failsafe pot stirrer. As slyly as I could, I would introduce the odd question, "Does the Atom exist?" Since nobody has ever seen one (our optical technology would not resolve to the atomic level) that lovely picture of a nucleus with spinning electrons is and remains an artist's conception, or as the physicists might prefer to say, theoretical construction. Now granted there are multiple and powerful indirect means for testing that theoretical construction, and apparently it has held up pretty well, but not without some anomalies. A lot of physics gets done simply by working around the anomalies (the parts that don't fit), but the anomalies remain, and every now and then stick up their pointy heads in uncomfortable ways and send the whole imaginative enterprise off in some new and surprising directions. The latest one, of course, is String Theory. At this point, I am totally over my competence, but I sort of grock the picture. Tightly coiled filaments of energy vibrating in 11 dimensions (forget about the 4th dimension!!!). And maybe the whole thing (entire cosmos) "enclosed" in a mammoth Brane (as in membrane). What a picture - somehow we got back to music of the spheres! Part of my enjoyment comes from the delicious paradox that the "hardest of scientists" spend most of their lives playing in a completely imaginary world. And then folks make fun of us when we talk about Spirit! Of course, the theories of the physicists have led us to some remarkable and concrete achievements, right here in the "real" world. But on balance, I don't think we have done so badly either. 2008 folks sitting in a circle and manifesting complex structure and control sufficient to get real work done! I would call that Spirit at work. Others might think of words like delusion, poetic image, or febrile imagination. Oh yes, Particles and Waves. For a long time now I have felt that the distinction we have typically made between individuals and groups is really not all that helpful. To me individuals and group are not so much distinct entities as polar expressions of a single reality. One thing manifest in two ways - it's all Spirit, sometimes appearing as individuals and sometimes as groups. The analogy to particles and waves is exact, I think. It is all energy, sometimes manifest as particle, and sometimes as wave. Useless thought? Perhaps, but I have found it very helpful when I have attempted to image the complex, interconnecting flows we experience in Open Space. The nice linear, discrete patterns that the group process folks have given us simply fall apart (for me) when I attempt to use them for the purposes of describing and understanding the deep process we experience every time a group sits in a circle, creates a bulletin board, opens a market place, and goes to work. Harrison 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 -----Original Message----- From: OSLIST [mailto:osl...@listserv.boisestate.edu] On Behalf Of Christine Whitney Sanchez Sent: Wednesday, March 09, 2005 11:50 PM To: osl...@listserv.boisestate.edu Subject: Re: elevator speech and structure Thanks to everyone who has responded so far about about a speech on a very slow lift (thanks, Kerry:-) In a few days, I'll compile what you've all said and give it back in one package. This wonderful quote just came my way today. Hmm... particles and waves, high structure and self-organization - Open Space... "So the binary nature of life gives us a multiplicity of yes/no choices from which we choose our path, constantly branching in the direction of our yes decisions. Each minute yes/no decision is a binary decision. Understanding this helps you understand another binary, co-equal aspect of Life. When you want to enter a different aspect of Life, you wait for the point at which Particle becomes Wave. And just at that split second before the Particle is gone and the Wave takes over, you enter between, and you become Energy. At that point where the Wave becomes Particle again, you enter between, and you re-become who you were or you make a different choice. Which is possible. I think it is that space in which healing occurs." -- Paula Underwood Spensor, Oneida tradition. Christine Christine Whitney Sanchez Triune Milagro, LTD 480.759.0262 VISIT OUR WEBSITE: <http://www.triunemilagro.com/> www.triunemilagro.com Invoking the wisdom and capacity of the human spirit! -----Original Message----- From: OSLIST [mailto:osl...@listserv.boisestate.edu]On Behalf Of Harrison Owen Sent: Wednesday, March 09, 2005 8:12 PM To: osl...@listserv.boisestate.edu Subject: FW: elevator speech and structure Structure - You bet your. . . OS has structure. Controls too. And more so of both than just about any other way of being in organization. Just think what happens when 2008 folks gather and create 236 concurrent work sessions, of which 200+ end up not only meeting but accomplishing enough to write up in a report. That was not accomplished by levitation. Indeed the level of effective structure and control was vastly in excess of what any planning/conference group could even dream of. And it all happened in about 20 minutes. Nobody ever suggested that a self-organizing system did not have structure and control. But there is a real difference. The structure and control are all emergent. More to the point, they are all appropriate to the people that use them, the task they are performing, and the environment in which they work. Change any of those variables and the structure and controls will immediately change. Talk about the "agile organization." So I don't think it is an oxymoron at all. Harrison 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 -----Original Message----- From: OSLIST [mailto:osl...@listserv.boisestate.edu] On Behalf Of Robyn S Berkessel Sent: Wednesday, March 09, 2005 4:50 PM To: osl...@listserv.boisestate.edu Subject: Re: elevator speech and structure Judy - thanks for the feedback and for drawing attention to the apparent oxymoron (structure and self organization): (1) bankers like structure ... and (2) I think there is structure is chaos ... the structure in OS, as I would explain, is in the design - opening the space, inviting topics, setting up the market place, reports etc. You might call them parameters or boundaries...what happens within that structure is the delight of self-organization. Robyn. -----Original Message----- From: OSLIST [mailto:osl...@listserv.boisestate.edu] On Behalf Of Spady's Sent: Wednesday, March 09, 2005 4:29 PM To: osl...@listserv.boisestate.edu Subject: Re: elevator speech Robin, I, too, am interested in some advice on how to briefly explain OS to clients...especially in writing. Thank you so much for sharing this blurb that you wrote. It's great! :-) I do find something a bit confusing though. You state: "Open Space meeting is highly structured through the capacity of self organization." Isn't it sort of an oxymoron to use "highly structured" and "self organization" in the same sentence...? or Highly structured with regards to anything that is OS? I'm curious to know others thoughts on this... Judy ----- Original Message ----- From: Robyn S Berkessel <mailto:ro...@litglobal.com> To: osl...@listserv.boisestate.edu Sent: Wednesday, March 09, 2005 12:48 PM Subject: Re: elevator speech Christine, I concocted this to email to a banking executive this week. It is a combination of words from Michael Hermann and Chris Corrigan (from and some of Harrison's recent musings. Hope it is helpful. I also welcome feedback from anyone. Regards, Robyn. What is Open Space Technology? Open Space Technology is a simple and highly effective meeting method that enables groups of people to deal with issues constructively and speedily. Five Preconditions for Open Space * Real issues of concern * Diversity of players * Complexity of elements * Presence of passion * Decision time was yesterday. In Open Space meetings, participants create and manage their own agenda of parallel working sessions around a central theme of strategic importance. There are Four Principles of Open Space * Whoever comes is the right people * Whatever happens is the only thing that could have * Whenever it starts is the right time * When it's over, it's over. There is One Law of Open Space * The Law of Two Feet - if you find yourself in a situation where you are neither learning nor contributing, use your two feet. Open Space meeting is highly structured through the capacity of self organization. Those who care, and are prepared to take responsibility for change, step up and drive the change agenda with an energy and commitment that no imposed management-driven design could prescribe. What will happen? We never know exactly what will happen when we open the space for people to do their most important work, but we can guarantee these results when any group gets into Open Space: * All of the issues that are MOST important to the participants will be raised. * All of the issues raised will be addressed by those participants most qualified and capable of getting something done on each of them. * In a time as short as one or two days, all of inputs and plans for immediate action will be documented in one comprehensive report -- finished, printed and in the hands of participants when they leave. * The meeting duration depends on the number of people and issues they put on the agenda. With groups of 5 to 2000 one-day workshops or, three-day conferences, the results are powerful and effective Impact of Open Space It all begins with an invitation * Palpable passion * Voluntary responsibility and accountability for issues of concern * Connection at all levels across all divides * Opening of the mind and heart * Energy for change and action "In the 20 year period since 1985 when I created Open Space, it has been used in excess of 60,000 times in 108 countries with groups ranging in size from 5 - 2000. Typical applications have included such things as strategic and tactical planning for Rockport Shoes Inc - in which some 400 employees established goals and directions for their company in addition to developing a totally new product and redesigning their inventory system. All of this was accomplished in 2 days, and except for the opening and closing of the event there was absolutely no intervention by the facilitator (me) at any time. The people did it all by themselves. In another case, some 2008 German Psychiatrists gathered for a single day's event intended to synthesize their collective learning at the conclusion of their biannual conference and further build the common body of knowledge. In all they created 236 working groups in about half an hour, self-managed the entire process and produced a book of proceedings as a record of their effort. In the United States, a much smaller group (23) of architects, technicians, and executives completely re-designed the AT&T Olympic Pavilion for the 1996 Olympics. They essentially started with a blank sheet of paper, and at the conclusion of 2 days had a totally new design down to the level of working architectural drawings for the $200,000,000(US) project. Once again the group did it all without outside intervention." Harrison Owen, esteemed creator of Open Space <http://www.litglobal.com/> -----Original Message----- From: OSLIST [mailto:osl...@listserv.boisestate.edu] On Behalf Of Christine Whitney Sanchez Sent: Wednesday, March 09, 2005 1:58 PM To: osl...@listserv.boisestate.edu Subject: elevator speech Hi Everyone, I have been given 5 minutes, at a meeting next week, to "brief" 300 CEO's about Open Space. Do you have a favorite elevator speech that has helped people understand the essence and application of OS? I'm especially eager for any thoughts about the relationship between OS and governance. Thanks in advance, for anything you can share. Christine Christine Whitney Sanchez Triune Milagro, LTD 480.759.0262 VISIT OUR WEBSITE: <http://www.triunemilagro.com/> www.triunemilagro.com Invoking the wisdom and capacity of the human spirit! * * ========================================================== 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 * * ========================================================== 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 * * ========================================================== 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
