In the Open Space world, we talk about the four pre-conditions that make for great open space events: diversity, complexity, passion and urgency. The more you have of these, the juicier the event becomes. That is counter intuitive to most ways of thinking, because in most cases it seems that problem solving processes aim to homogenize, simplify, rationalize and slow down. If we can just get a handle on the problem, the thinking goes, we can apply the best possible solution. This mechanistic view does not work with so-called “wicked problems.” It can generate solutions or options or ways forward …
From the excellent The Blog of Henry David Thoreau: “Science is inhuman. Things seen with a microscope begin to be insignificant. So described, they are as monstrous as if they should be magnified a thousand diameters. Suppose I should see and describe men and houses and trees and birds as if they were a thousand times larger than they are! With our prying instruments we disturb the balance and harmony of nature.” In an era where measurement leads to management, and therefore it’s measurement uber alles, this quote reminds us that things have their most powerful place in the whole …
Today at an Open Space I kept saying that the muber of people present was 53. Some folks corrected me, but the truth was that the number present kept changing as people came and went, but I was trying to make a point. Fifty three is a prime number. Prime numbers are good numbers to use to estimate a group’s size in Open Space because they are not easily divided. Ha ha.
Matt made me do it… These are my URL ABCs: A is for artofhosting.org/ – The website for a set of emergent facilitation approaches, supporting training by Toke Paludan Moeller B is for blogger.com – My home away from home C is for chriscorrigan.com/parkinglot – My home away from Blogger D is for dailykos.com/storyonly/2005/4/25/133951/651 – Jeez…how did I get so sidetracked? E is for en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Wikipedia_Signpost/2005-04-18/Lucene_search – Very excited that Wikipedia search got fixed F is for fns.bc.ca/ – Home of the First Nations Summit in BC G is for gmail.com – Checking email H is for haloscan.com/comments/salishsea/111441125579757903/ – Comments on …
I discovered that I have been linked at Declan’s blog, STV for BC – Vote Yes!, which encourages us to vote yes for the shift to a single transferable vote system of electing government. Declan’s blog is the one that was getting all the attention from Elections BC last week. Also, following up on the Olympics logo story, Marja-Leena send me a link to this article quoting an Inuit Elder on inuksuit (the proper plural) and why what the Olympic Committee has on it’s hands is not infact, even an inukshuk. As if the goofy smile wasn’t a hint. More …