It was a planned event: an evening with Gervase Busche organized by the BCODN. It was also unexpected: hearing Gervase talk about witnessing real transformational change happen through dialogic practices like Future Search, World Café, Open Space and more, and not so much through the traditional organizational development diagnostic/data collection approach. I had a permanent smile throughout the night. The man was a-speaking-my-language.
His presentation focused on the aspect of creating and being the container in this dialogue-based approach. Ideas like making it safe, enabling authenticity, manifesting intention and creating ritual for a transformative space. Some different words but similar concepts to hosting conversations that matter. Here were a few of my take-aways for me: look into Akido or Qi Gong , writing a letter to yourself (sent a few months later to remind of your experience – useful for a couple of workshops I facilitate), using institutional anchors (e.g. existing schedule of progress reports in First Nations schools), and checking out Bob Marshak’s Covert Processes at Work.
I appreciated the diagnostic/dialogic contrast that helped me describe hosting work to some of my business colleagues. For more, check out the paper Revisioning Organizational Development and Being the Container in Dialogic OD.
Are you part of a revisioning movement? Where can you share it in planned but unexpected places?