Opening Space for Peace and High Performance 2023

I thought I knew what peace meant? Now I don't.
I thought I knew what high performance was, but now I don't believe I do.
We thought we understood the world, and wow has it surprised us!

Therefore we ask…

What does Peace mean?
What does High Performance mean?
What do they mean now, as so much continues to change?

This is an invitation for people with various backgrounds to explore how we can invite peace for impact, leveraging the practice of Open Space.

Who’s invited?

People willing to use their gifts and expose hidden ones...

People willing to explore and take action to redefine our futures together...

People willing to create & support impact...

This is the space for people like you — like all of us.

What to expect?

A time to share, to learn and to deepen our conversational practice in our work, in our homes, and in our communities around issues, initiatives and possibilities that matter to us and that we want to explore together.

When is it happening and where?

January 13th, 14th, 15th, 2023

We hoped to meet in person, but we've switched to virtual-only again this year to best serve our community. As in 2021 and 2022, we will gather on QiqoChat.com using Zoom and other online tools.

How are we going to work together?

Our dialogues will be in Open Space Technology, a loose structure powered by five principles and one law which guides behavior and provides clues in self-management.

Whoever comes are the right people  
Wherever it happens is the right place  
Whatever happens, is the only thing that could have  
Whenever it starts is the right time  
When it’s over, it’s over

The law of mobility (or the law of two feet) — every person is responsible for their own learning and moves to conversations they find the most rewarding and where they can make a difference.

How it all started...

For nearly a quarter of a century, people from around the world have come together to open space over four or three days in New York City, at International House.

Over the years, this gathering has always been unique and special. It was like coming home for those who attended before; for those new to Open Space, a welcoming place that quickly felt like home.

Past gatherings were hosted by Harrison Owen, Karen Davis, with Devorah Gilbert and Ralph Copleman; in recent years, Suzanne Daigle, and the Open Space Institute

‘Opening Space for Peace and High Performance’ has been the call for more than a decade. Now more than ever, in its broadest applications of self, life, work, community, and world; it speaks to the urgent need of our times.

Last year, the convening question was: “HOW MIGHT — AND WILL WE GENERATE GLOBAL IMPACT THROUGH THE GIFT OF OPEN SPACE?”. This question is still very much alive in us, fueling dialogues around the world.

We are excited you are joining us in this adventure. Be prepared to be surprised!

January 13-15, 2023

In the late 90’s Harrison Owen wrote The Practice of Peace. It was around that time that the tradition of holding a learning event in Open Space during the Martin Luther King federal holiday weekend began. The teachings of Dr. King and the work of Open Space around the world are inspired by similar values, principles and mission.

If you are sensing the shifts and invigorated by the possibilities of navigating change in ways that tap into our unique individual and collective potential, we warmly invite you to join us.

SCHEDULE

We are excited you are joining us in this adventure - any one or all three days. We welcome arrivals for reception and networking at 9am EST (-0500 GMT). The opening each day happens at 10am and ends 3pm EST.

On Saturday after news and announcements we include an option for all to join the hosting organization Open Space Institute - US' annual member meetup from 3:30pm to about 4:30pm EST or whenever it is over.

Please view this Daily Flow page to better see what it looks like in your time zone.

DONATION

Our desire is to include all who want to participate. The suggested donation is $25 for the three days to cover our costs. Any amount above will be welcome with the goal of continuous educational activities to foster learning in Open Space through OSI US. If financial circumstances are difficult, know that you will be welcome at no cost.

Registration is necessary to have access to the sessions.

CONTACT

Karen Davis at +1 (212) 595-9107 or karen@karenjdavis.com.

YOUR HOSTS

Open Space Institute US: OSI-US holds space for Open Space and serves by: providing access to resources on Open Space; connecting individuals and groups to inform, inspire, mentor, and sustain each other in opening and holding space; and being an inclusive learning community. We believe that inspired behavior can be an everyday experience and that humanity is only limited by its perceptions of the possible. OSI was created to grow that sense of possibility and make it a reality by focusing on: learning, research and practice. Our board currently includes Karen J. Davis, Harold Shinsato, April Jefferson, Rijon Erickson, and Susan Liao.

Karen J. Davis: Karen, a consultant with organizations globally, is committed to enhancing the health, effectiveness, and joy of human systems. She is dedicated to co-creating global communities through working and learning with colleagues throughout the world. For a decade Karen was graduate faculty in Santiago de Chile. She serves on the boards of Open Space Institute of US, the International Organization Development Association and previously the Organization Development Network, as well as on boards of community and cultural organizations. Karen is a co-author in The Sustainable Enterprise Fieldbook. She has been involved with Open Space since before its naming. When not traveling or working around the world, she lives in New York City, returning regularly to her native Arizona. Summers, she is on her farm in rural Quebec, Canada. Karen describes herself as a gardener and a world citizen.

Harrison Owen: Harrison is President of H.H.Owen and Co. His academic background and training centered on the nature and function of myth, ritual and culture. In the middle '60s, he left academe to work with a variety of organizations including small West African villages, urban (American and African) community organizations, Peace Corps, Regional Medical Programs, National Institutes of Health, and Veterans Administration. Along the way he discovered that his study of myth, ritual and culture had direct application to these social systems. In 1979 he created H.H.Owen and Company in order to explore the culture of organizations in transformation as a theorist and practicing consultant. Harrison convened the First International Symposium on Organization Transformation and is the originator of Open Space Technology. He is the author of Spirit: Transformation and Development in Organizations, Leadership Is, Riding the Tiger, Open Space Technology: A User’s Guide, The Millennium Organization, Tales From Open Space, Expanding Our Now: The Story of Open Space Technology, The Spirit of Leadership: Liberating the Leader in Each of Us, The Power of Spirit: How Organizations Transform, The Practice of Peace,and Wave Rider: Leadership for High Performance in a Self-Organizing World.

Click this link to see who's coming.