Human to Human • Tenneson Woolf

February 9, 2017

Round World Strategy

I so enjoyed one of my colleagues yesterday speaking to “Round World Strategies.” There were eight of us meeting via Zoom (yes, it looked like a Brady Bunch window). It was an important time to clarify essential bits of information for them to present to their board to propose a 9 month learning leadership cohort for United Church of Christ clergy and lay leaders. There’s lots of good details about timing, location, the invitation, the kind of people we are looking for, format, etc. But what we needed was a story. Round world was it.

When we think that the world is flat, it changes our thinking, right. I imagine those living in that time of world view. “Careful not to go to far — you’ll surely fall off of the edge into an abyss.” The perception of edge taught us to be careful about how far we might venture. Can you imagine sailing into a horizon, falling asleep on that boat, not knowing if you would fall over the edge in the middle of the night? Or trekking out onto the flat plains imagining that there was some point of drop off where it all ended. Brave, right. The discovery of a round world changed that. Amazingly so.

My colleague was naming the significance of a difference in a simple narrative that could hold the distinction. For them, it is about how to change church so as not to drop off of an edge into an abyss or decline into irrelevance. It is a world view layer of shift that is needed, and that is needed by those in power and with resources. The eight of us were not dreaming up just another event. Not a place filler. Not more flat world strategies. Not something to do because we all have oodles of time and don’t know what to do with ourselves. This is about changing the way church is done. And the way that people access spirit within, among, and divine. This is about enough intention and focus such that we might just have us looking back in 10 or 20 years to the time when it all shifted.

That layer of shift requires a story. Round world. Fingers crossed that they can invite the board into that story with honesty, simplicity, and spirt. It would be quite a journey together, trepid and courageous friends together.

February 7, 2017

Open Space Technology Preparation Cheat Sheet

I have hosted a lot of Open Space Technology processes. It feels like a hundred ish — I first learned in the early 2000s. I’ve also coached many people to host Open Space. I love the methodology for its minimal structure and process to support immediate self-organized groups of learning and action. I love Open Space as a way of being that encourages organizing around passion and responsibility, freedom and accountability.

Often when I’m coaching, I’ve needed to do it in a very short period of time. I’ve had an hour to work with people over breakfast or lunch. To be clear, I’m glad that OS is simple enough for this to be doable in such a short time. And, to be clear, as a way of being, OS is to be practiced over a lifetime. Nuance comes only with prolonged attention.

Anyway, in that coaching I’ve needed a kind of cheat sheet. Here’s what I used last week.

Context

This is particularly for the person that is the first voice and walks the circle. I encourage them to speak no more than 2-3 minutes. I encourage them to speak in story rather telling reporting data, and that their energy is what people will draft off of. If you are relaxed, it is more likely that participants will respond in a relaxed way. Clarity encourages clarity. As far as what to say, I usually go for either an origin story about Open Space, something that I love about open space and a story connected to that, or a story about the particular theme for that OS. If the theme is about courage, I tell a personal story about needing courage. The last part for this role is to name the core question or theme that is shaping the OS session. I want that question to be in front of participants.

How It Works

It’s important to share an operational description (in 3-4 minutes) so that people know whats happening and what their choices of participation can be. I usually say something about “minimal structure (in the form of a community bulletin board) to put people to work in a self-organized way that is based on passion and interest.” I then show people the papers and markers in the middle of the circle, telling people that we will use these to populate our bulletin board, reminding them that these are spaces and times to meet because they care — not because they all have to be filled. I then describe choice of roles. To convene a group (or groups). To participate in a group. To bumble bee (participate in many groups). To butterfly (tend to self and welcome surprise).

How It Works Well / Contrast to Traditional Styles

These are the basics of OS. They are the special sauce (in 3-4 minutes). I usually talk about them as principles of freedom to help the group be in it’s needed learning, planning, and action. “Whoever comes are the right people.” My favorite reference to this is from Harrison Owen, saying, “I’d rather have three people that care than 50 that don’t give a damn.” “Whatever happens is the only thing that could have.” This is an invitation for people to work with what and who is in front of them — it’s not a bad principle for being adaptive, right. “When it starts is the right time.” This one speaks to the energy of the group meeting. Sometimes it doesn’t get juicy until it’s been going for a while. “When it’s over it’s over.” I usually encourage both the freedom to end when you are done rather than filling space together. And, as my friend Chris Corrigan taught me, “if you are two minutes from world peace, please keep going!” The last is a reference to the “Law of Two Feet or the Law of Mobility” — if you are not learning or contributing, go somewhere than you can.

Sharing Learning

Open Space is about creating a format for good learning and planning to happen. Given that we are not obligating people to be in it, or to go to everything, it is important to create a practice of sharing what happened. Harvest is that. Sometimes through a template or worksheet. Sometimes through a formal collection of notes and action plans. Sometimes through a playful return like a haiku or a limerick. It is an art to create full intention to share, yet not to do it in a boring reports way. Sharing headlines is a real skill. Regardless, people need to know in advance what they are expected to come back with. I usually plan on 1-2 minutes to introduce this.

Back to the Theme

With all of that good description in front of participants, it’s important to come back to the theme, the umbrella under which people are being encouraged to name their important questions — no regretful wishing that you could have talked about your favorite topic but didn’t. I often encourage people to sit for a minute in silence, and then open the market place so that people can create their ideas. How long to give it depends on the size of the group.

Set Up

One more piece. Not everyone wants to be a voice in Open Space. Not everyone needs to. There is some important physical set up also. Creating a grid, or other form in which places and times can be clear. Identifying places to meet with paper and markers. Making posters for the them and for the principles. Creating a harvest template.

That’s it — 10-15 minutes to set the container and then get out of the way so that people can do their work. You’ve opened space. Now your job is to hold the space — it’s not facilitating people’s groups for them. A cheat sheet so as to gain entrance to the lifetime of nuancing.

February 7, 2017

On Systemic Complexity & Policy

A participant at last week’s Art of Participatory Leadership shared a story about systemic complexity that I continue to think about. He was speaking very thoughtfully and articulately about the reality of conflicting programs that are often reduced to a combative battle of certitude, and that more typically fuel polarity. For example, clean energy is a great desire, and for many reasons, a direction to move toward. However, with clean energy comes many unemployed coal miners who know only coal mining.

This participant’s example closer to home about competing programs was from his own community in Tacoma. Kids need to eat healthier meals in school. It’s a good desire that comes from serious commitment to wellness promotion and to reducing epidemic diabetes. Some of these kids that he was describing rarely get greens. So, the obvious and simple step was to create a salad bar at school. Good accomplishment, right. It would be, except that another program, also committed to wellness promotion and safety had to shut the salad bar down for health risk. Open foods. Grrrr.

It was after hearing this story that this participant and a few of us sitting together strung together the awareness below as it pertains to systemic complexity and policy.

In bureaucracy (society, large organizations) policy is what drives change. That’s just what a system can see and listen to.
For policy to be effective it must come from an engaged community and leadership that recognizes the essential nature of community learning together. More and more policy needs to legitimize experimenting and continuous learning. It’s not just more street lights to create public safety. It’s that, and more. It’s that, and an attitude of continued curiosity to experiment and adapt.
For engaged community, we must get good at asking questions about what people care about. Why is safety important to you? When have you experienced a time when you felt unsafe in this city? When is a time that you have experienced safety? What made that so? It isn’t just data that matters when engaging community. It is story and personal connection, perception, and vision.

There is not “one thing” to agree upon. If there is, it is a value, not a program. Or, it’s a process. I continue to appreciate people like this person from last week who are working the edges of evolving themselves, teams, organizations, and society in systemic complexity.

February 6, 2017

Less Confrontation, More Conversation

I learned something important last week through a friend and colleague who identifies herself as a business person. It was a story she told that started with the line, “The Chamber of Commerce made me want to puke — so I joined it.” She went on to describe how fierce commitment to “free enterprise” was the trigger for her. She was translating that, and seeing it, as license to “do whatever you want” regardless of detrimental impact on the bigger picture.

I loved how she described herself “powering up” for the meetings with her desire to get “free enterprise” out of the mission statement. She presumed a battle coming and with people who simply didn’t understand or couldn’t understand the bigger picture.

My friend’s story, however, took a turn. Rather than combat and confrontation, she turned to inquiry and curiosity. Rather than argument, she invited conversation — “What is free enterprise to you?” She invited each person in the chamber to talk.

I don’t know all of what was shared in that conversation, but knowing my friend, I can guess that there was some good, important, and thoughtful listening. I can imagine a few remarks about trying to put kids through school. Perhaps a few about third and fourth generation businesses that began with immigrant grandparents. I can imagine people sharing their desire to grow their city.

My friend shared that by the end of the meeting she had gained respect for every person in the room. Less confrontation. More inquiry and curiosity. It makes all of the difference.