Jordan -- Some years ago Boeing did a 500 person, multi-site open space for everybody who cared about doors. It seems that they needed to redesign the way they made doors for their aircraft. Complicated process involving 25,000 people in 5 (I think) countries -- and doors are different. What works on a 747 won't make it on a 777, etc. Somewhere out there are people who were involved directly in all this (I wasn't) -- but I do know folks were pleased.
Harrison On Sun, Mar 19, 2023 at 1:59 PM Peggy Holman via OSList <[email protected]> wrote: > Welcome Jordan and Raynel! > > Raynel, you ask about impactful Open Space experiences. When I ran into > Open Space in 1995, it changed my work and my life. (Thank you Harrison.) > It taught me that when I am organizing something, I am not responsible for > other people’s experiences. My work is to cultivate a space that invites > people to show up authentically and connect with others. Open Space took me > on a journey to learn about complexity and what it could teach us about > working with disruption in human systems, like organizations and > communities. That has been central to my work ever since. > > From Anne Stadler, I learned the essence of open space (not just the > methodology but the philosophy and life practice) is to take responsibility > for what you love. Imagine that! How often are we invited to even ask > ourselves what matters to us, much less spend time with others who care to > explore it and act on it? To me, that is the heart of why Open Space > Technology creates magic. > > It also taught me that breakthroughs emerge when the needs of individuals > and the whole are both met. It’s when people start talking about “we” > without sacrificing themselves in the process. That was what hooked me when > I attended my first Open Space at U S West in 1995. (It’s the one in this > video <https://vimeo.com/25251316>.) I saw 250 telephone company union > workers, managers and others grapple with tough issues. At the end of 2.5 > days, they were all in agreement: it was time to rehab the basic plant. > Everyone was shocked that union people and management agreed to bring on > contract labor (a contentious issue in contract negotiations) because it > freed employees to do the deeper work. People got their needs met and so > did the organization. > > Many organizational stories have this sort of breakthrough dynamic. > > Jordan, you ask how Open Space translates from ideation to action. I’ll > give you a consultant’s answer: it depends. What is your purpose for > gathering? Often, most often I find, Open Space is used to bring together > the diversity of people who make up a system to explore a complex or > conflicted subject. There may not be an explicit expectation for action out > of the convening. What I do find you can reliably expect for outcomes > (Excerpt from Engaging Emergence: Turning Upheaval into Opportunity > <https://peggyholman.com/papers/engaging-emergence/>): > > *Individually, we are stretched and refreshed*—We feel more courageous > and inspired to pursue what matters to us. With a myriad of new ideas, and > confident of mentors, supporters, and fans, we act. > > *New and unlikely partnerships form*—When we connect with people whom we > don’t normally meet, sparks may fly. Creative conditions make room for our > differences, fostering lively and productive interactions. > > *Breakthrough projects surface*—Experiments are inspired by interactions > among diverse people. > > *Community is strengthened*—We discover kindred spirits among a diverse > mix of strangers. Lasting connections form, and a sense of kinship grows. > We realize that we share an intention—a purpose or calling guided by some > deeper source of wisdom. Knowing that our work serves not just ourselves > but a larger whole increases our confidence to act. > > *The culture begins to change*—With time and continued interaction, a new > narrative of who we are takes shape. > > > When the focus of a convening is a “now what?” sort of question and the > culture supports initiative, I find novel, ambitious projects often result. > One of the challenges in understanding outcomes is beautifully expressed by > Tova Averbuch in her wonderful book, Initiating and Inviting Generative > Change: Entry and Contracting for Emergent Outcomes In Results Driven > Organizations > <https://www.amazon.com/Initiating-Inviting-Generative-Change-Organizations/dp/1777184649>. > In essence, since the outcomes aren’t preset, it can be elusive to connect > actions with the great conversations people have. People often say of Open > Space, great conversations but nothing happens. She tells a great story of > talking with someone about taking a new job. They had that "great > conversation, no action" exchange and then she realized that the creation > of the job they were discussing came from that Open Space! In her words: > > When a result is pre-planned someone holds it long enough to know where it > originated, or at least so it is perceived. When an outcome is emergent, > one of two things happen. Either it organically blends into the > organization without anyone thinking about where it was born. Or, when > people are deeply engaged in the work, they attribute the outcomes to > themselves, their passion, initiative and self-organization. They perceive > the gathering as an opportunity they were lucky to have experienced. Both > perceptions are true and show organic ownership. > > > So there are some thoughts for you Jordan and Raynel. > > If you are looking for someone to interview, I am open to doing that for > you. Just drop me an email and suggest a time or two to talk with your team. > > Appreciatively, > Peggy > > _________________________________ > Peggy Holman > [email protected] > Twitter: @peggyholman > > Bellevue, WA 98006 > 206-948-0432 > www.peggyholman.com > www.journalismthatmatters.org > > Enjoy the award winning Engaging Emergence: Turning Upheaval > into Opportunity <http://www.engagingemergence.com> > > > "An angel told me that the only way to step into the fire and not get > burnt, is to become > the fire". > -- Drew Dellinger > > > > On Mar 19, 2023, at 9:15 AM, Jordan Wareham via OSList < > [email protected]> wrote: > > Good afternoon everyone from sunny Florida! > > My name is Jordan Wareham and like Raynel, I am a doctoral student in the > Bowling Green State University program in Organizational Development & > Change. > > My background has been in commercial aviation. I have been an airline > pilot, pilot instructor & examiner, and now have spent the last 4 years in > management with major airlines, currently service as the Director of Safety > for an airline based in Florida. > > I really see tremendous applicability for OpenSpace inside the airline > industry and I’m looking forward to learning from everyone here. > > One question is around some of the mechanics. When it is decided to invoke > an Open Space discussion, I’m gathering it’s around a central issue. The > discussion of that issue is what generates the areas that people feel > passionate about (hope i have it right so far). My understanding is then > that individuals will take responsibility for championing certain issues > and everyone will break into working groups…but what happens then? Is it > the expectation that the working groups will effectively ideate and solve > the issue and develop action plans? I’m just curious how this translates > from ideation stage to action items. > > Also, wondering if there is someone who might be willing to serve as a > “method master” for our group to interview and learn from. As part of this > semester’s class, we are needing to identify individual(s) who can mentor > our group through an interview process and provide support for questions. I > don’t believe it would be much time commitment and we would really > appreciate learning from someone who has been actively applying Open Space > in their practice. > > Thank you! > > Jordan > _______________________________________________ > OSList mailing list -- [email protected] > To unsubscribe send an email to [email protected] > > > _______________________________________________ > OSList mailing list -- [email protected] > To unsubscribe send an email to [email protected] >
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