Yes, Christine, it is beautiful.
Thanks for the story.
I bet it will come up at the WOSonOS2023!
tickle selforganisation whenever you can
cheers
mmp
Am 23.06.2023 um 18:27 schrieb christine koehler via OSList:
Dear all,
Peggy who gave me a hand on my last OS event suggested I post the
story here. Hoping we would share more stories of OS again.;)
Here it is. Hope you enjoy it !
I was contacted by an international organization a few weeks ago,
following another OS event someone attended last year and that I
facilitated and this someone recommended me when a facilitator was
looked for.
Issue was as follows :
Sponsor was the secretariat of a partnership of 3 international
organizations, working on an international strategy. This year was mid
term of the strategy and there has been an independent evaluation of
the strategy. Evaluation has been submitted to leadership and
approved. Now the project management team needed to answer concretely
to those 8 recommandations and 40 sub-recommandations.
This management team that meet usually by visioconférence agreed that
they needed to do that in person.
So they agreed for a 2 days gathering.
When they called, the seminar was planned 4 weeks later.
I said I could help.
Tova pointed out that I was brave and indeed I was. Or foolish more
probably. Because the evaluation pointed 40 detailed actions...
I felt I could help only with OST.
They agreed. `
Here is what happened.
Pre work was difficult because
1/ timing was really tight (4 weeks...)
2/ they were over busy.
I insisted to have a planing team with the 3 different partners of
strategy. But one of them was still more busy than the others and we
could only see us once, one week prior to the event. Of course this
lady was very doubtful about OST and we didn’t ’t have time to adresse
her concerns fully.
The other person from the 3rd organization was also skeptical but the
feeling was different.
This lady raised of course her concern again in the opening circle the
morning of the event : we won’t be able to address all the 40
sub-recommandations !
So we took into account her idea and opened a Parking Lot for topics
we could not explore fully as there were a few missing stakeholders,
and a few topics that were to be addressed in future meetings
already planned in the coming weeks.
It was interesting to see how this lady was torn :
From the very beginning of the prework , when I learned that she would
be the only one from the funding agency, and that this was of course
the most delicate matter, I suggested they invited more people from
her organization. But she didn’t invited them, saying : "there is no
agenda, I can’t invite them".
We were in her building, her organisation was the host of the meeting.
As I was explaining how we were going to create the agenda, she
suddenly disappeared and came back 10 mn later with one of her
colleague, who finally stayed the whole day and participated in many
discussions (on and off ;).
The second day, I saw that she had invited also another colleague who
had a few chats here and there, not really in, but beautifully
butterflying.
It went very well of course.
On the second day, we started with a very top-down 15 mn time from one
of the partner who needed to give information to all. Then we split
into the 2 additional topics that were not held on day 1.
Then I did CHEEKS IN CHAIRS activity that Peggy had told me about :
Everyone standing, I asked : what really stands out for you right now ?
Someone would start. As soon as everything that stand out for someone
was said, this person would sit down.
We laughed : After only 3 people, everyone was seated..
So much convergence visible.
Then we worked on the action plans. I had asked for giant printed
templates, and more breakout rooms.
There were more butterflies during the action planning… argh, this
lady dealing with money was upset again.
At the end of day 2, one very important action plan was missing : the
host completely had disappeared for a few hours.
...
But 4 days later, the action plan appeared in my mail box;)
The closing was all about being so happy to have met everyone and
connected.
Here is what they told me when I debriefed with the sponsor :
They particularly appreciated the calm and sense of intimacy the
breakout sessions created.
Although they all left absolutely drained. So much work done..
They felt it enabled everyone, including the new people, those who are
coming into the strategy and still need to learn so much, to get
comfortable to participate from the very beginning , each one as equal
. This is not common in this kind of organizations , there are people
who are held much more above others…Usually they are the ones who talk.
They had very good feedback from participants and are already
spreading the word of OST .
And what they were most happy about what that everyone made the
subjects their own, which they are sure will facilitate the strategy
in the coming years, as each of them needs to take decision according
to what is happening in its own area or field.. self-organizing I
would say.
Beautiful isn’t it ?
;)
Have a great week end
Christine
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Michael M Pannwitz
Draisweg 1, 12209 Berlin, Germany
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The annual Worldwide Open Space on Open Space
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from October 18 through 21, 2023.
Check the website
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