Peggy Holman Founder of Open Space
via Self-Portrait – Peggy Holman.
What is an underlying question that gives form to your work or interest in this field?
“How do we seed, grow, and evolve enlightened communities and inspired organizations?”
What is your personal experience of collective wisdom in groups?
I am a founder of the Open Space Institute (US) and was a steward of Spirited Work, an Open Space learning community for many years.
Whenever I work with emergent processes, in particular, Open Space, Appreciative Inquiry, and Dialogue, I see some degree of collective wisdom appear. My experience is that the more vital the purpose for coming together, the longer the gathering, the more diverse the participation, the deeper the wisdom that appears.
I have had the privilege of working in many different settings, for example, street kids in Bogotá, Palestinian teachers in Ramallah, and journalists in the U.S. They humble me with the insights that emerge from the field we create together.