The Spirit of Leadership: Liberating the Leader in Each of Us
Owen is known for originating "open space technology," a technique for conducting "meetings" that have no agenda, no schedule, and no designated speakers or leaders. He is able to cite any number of instances where his technique has been effective in fostering participation and helping group members identify and support a common vision. This system works because, Owen insists, leadership is a quality that everyone possesses; and the real role of any organization's designated leader is to unfetter the inherent spirit within each person and allow that leadership to flourish. Drawing heavily on Eastern and New Age philosophies, he discusses the challenges "our transforming world" presents for leadership. Owen then identifies the five functions of leadership: to evoke Spirit through vision, to grow Spirit through collective storytelling, to sustain Spirit through structure, to comfort Spirit when things fall apart, and to raise Spirit thereby enabling the conditions of renewal. Publicity blurbs tout this as a "new book," but Owen's own preface acknowledges that it was written in 1989 and originally published in 1990.David Rouse