Dear Hege, thanks for your question on the design of the mind map.
Before addressing your specific question I talk a bit more about
the entire Planning Meeting design assuming that this will also
show more clearly the purpose of the mind map phase itself. Also, I
want to point out that as we kept experiencing Planning Meetings we
continuously worked on the design for more than a decade now and
learnt more about some of the theoretical background on why some
things were important and how to improve on them. All the time, I
am aware that the Planning Meeting is not an OST event... it does,
however, allow for many opportuninities to "remember" open space,
get an inkling, without this being pointed out in any manner, of
the principles, the Law, the Admonition, the force of
selforganisation... and some other things as for instance the
Differentiation/Integration theory (D/I Theory...in German
Aufgliedern/Zusammenfügen, A/Z Theorie) that I was introduced to by
Marvin Weisbord/Sandra Janoff (they deal with this in great detail
in "Don't Just Do Something, Stand There!" which is also available
in a German translation which I gave the title "Einfach mal Nichts
tun!" ... a great read for folks in the facilitation mode).
Ok, here a bit of the Planning Meeting design:
The Planning Meeting starts with a break, about 15 Minutes, in
which people chat, partake from the neverending lush buffet, have a
look at the list of participants that is posted... and finally
follow the lead of the sponsor and me as we sit down in the
circle.
After each member of the Planning Group has introduced himself
(this is the first thing they do, sitting in a circle, after the
very brief welcome by the sponsor, responding very briefly to
three things I have written on a large poster: My name is... / I
work as..at... / Now I'm here to...)
(This takes about 12 seconds per participant, so with a group of 15
no more than 3 to 4 minutes BUT it is a very important 3 to 4
minutes in which everyone speaks, is heard and seen, gives some
very simple information which requires not a great deal of
reflection AND its the first opportunity to work with the D/I
theory: every time a group differentiates, in this case with 15
participants into 15 "subgroups" that instantaneously "integrate"
in the whole group of 15 the group "focuses" on itself and its
resources and improves its capability for collaboration...)
I ask them to get up and move the chairs into a half-circle so they
all face the work-surfaces also set up in a half circle (this is
the second time they do something themselves, actually rearranging
the geometry of the seating design... they do form a circle again
at the end of the Planning Meeting for the closing circle, facing
each other again).
(As we started working with Planning Meetings we did have everyone
sit in a half circle, me standing next to the poster with the three
questions. This seemed to work well until one day a participant,
who had not answered the 3 questions came up to me in the break
later on in the meeting, saying. "I was not going to follow your
instruction as I was sitting in front of you and you were there as
the teacher directing me to do something." This was a grand
feedback which got us to start with a circle with me sitting in it,
too - why had we not seen that from the beginning? - even though it
exists only for a few minutes and is then rearranged, luckily
allowing for an experience of the group of actually doing something
for a few minutes at the very beginning of the meeting which is
always accompanied by laughter, smiles, chatter)
After they have arranged the chairs in a half-circle and sit down I
go through the Planning Meeting design asking at the end whether
the design is ok for them. I do point out that if anyone has to
leave before the end of the meeting that they just do that (The
Law).
After that, I uncover the mindmap and see to it that it is in the
center of the work surface that the group is facing (the work
surface usually consists of 3 to 5 pinwalls)... the poster with the
design moves to the edge of the work surface always visible for
everyone.
Now to your question: I prepared the mind map poster (it is usually
two large A1 flipchart papers pasted together and mounted on a
pinwall) ahead of the meeting with the typical little cloud in the
center of the mind map showing the date of the first workday after
the event, for instance "Monday, September 16, 2013" I step up to
the mind map saying something like this: "I invite you to go on a
journey to the day after the event you are planning in September,
this will be Monday, September 16. From this day in the future you
look back on the event that took place in the previous three days.
You might be at work, in your office... wherever... imagine what is
happening now, what is different, what perspectives have opened up
for you, your project, your group, your community? If something
comes to your mind that you care to share, you step up, grab this
marker (I am holding it in my hand), draw a line from the center (I
draw a line, just that, no words) and use a few words to write it
on the line and say it out loud to the group and then return to
your chair. Now I stand next to the mind map, holding up the
marker, ready to let the fist person that comes up, grab it. From
this point onward I say nothing... true to "Dont just do something,
stand there"... it usually takes not more than 20 seconds before
the first person comes up, grabs the marker, writes something on
the line, repeats it out loud to the group, puts the marker on the
stool next to the mind map where I placed a small box with other
markers (black, blue, green and red marker) or, sometimes, stands
as I did holding the marker waiting for the next person to step
up.
(In the beginning I used to write things on the mindmap until,
happily, I facilitated a Planning Meeting in English for Ukrainians
where most did understand English and could follow the few things I
said but could not express stuff well in English, so I soon gave up
and asked them to write their things on the mind map in their
mother tongue themselves... what a relief. They not only got up,
moved to the mind map, touched it and put their thoughts on it but
also connected theirs with other strings or expanded on other
strings by adding stuff. It was clear this would be the way to go
in from there on.)
As the mind map expands, people who already put something up, get
up again expanding on their original input or expanding on the
input of others or adding a new string... often intentionally using
certain colors, adding symbols, connecting things. Each mindmap I
have seen is unique and always immediately identifiable by group
members as theirs. As things ebb I ask "Is it over?", sometimes it
is, sometimes a few more things go up. In all, it takes between 12
and 18 minutes, pretty independent of the size of the Planning
Group. After the mind map is finished I do three more things.
First, I point out that though the mindmap is a two-dimensional
picture of what the situation will be on the day after the event
they will probably also see more dimensions reflecting their
aspirations, dreams, visions, hopes, believes... secondly, I say
that the mindmap will be in the room for the entire meeting for
them to consult in the following steps of the Planning meeting and
can be expanded on any time and thirdly I move into the "My Theme"
phase.
(Further Phases are "Our Theme", "Who all needs to be at the
conference", "Nuts and Bolts" and the closing circle under the
heading "How was it today?").
Greetings from Berlin mmp
On 01.06.2013 19:15, Hege Steinsland wrote:
Michael - I would love to see how you design the mindmap? Do you
just write the question in the middel and let people write out
from that, or do you do something more than that?
Hege
31. mai 2013 kl. 18:16 skrev Michael M Pannwitz
<[email protected]>:
Dear Patricio, the "Day after" contributions are collected by
the participants themselves on a poster-sized (A1) mind map...
everyone who wants to add something to the mindmap gets up,
walks to the poster and puts it there in his/her own writing or
expands on a strand of the mind map... pretty independent of
the size of the group this takes 12 to 18 minutes. This happens
very close after the beginning of the Planning Meeting and is
the first "self-organized" step (I just stand next to the mind
map holding a felt tipped marker... if no body steps up the
Planning Meeting shuts down, well, to tell the truth, this has
never happened).
The neat thing about this mind map is that the sponsor or
whoever is in charge for documentation rolls up the mind map
(and the other documents that are created) and posts it again
at the review meeting of the Planning Group shortly after the
event. On the average, somewhat rough, 85% of the stuff that
went onto the mind map (aspirations, descriptions of the
future, perspectives...) are considered by the Planning Group
to have actually been actualized. Not any other approach I know
of that has such a record.
Aside from it being used for "evaluation", the mind map is
also posted again at the "Next Meetings" of which there is at
least one about 10 weeks after the event (this Next Meeting is
already announced with date and time and place in the initial
invitation to the event that the Planning Group created). Its a
very quick way to find ones way back to the event... all that
is required is that it is posted at the Next Meeting(s), no
need to comment or speak on it.
On another level, the mind map action leaves a deep imprint
(not that I had envisioned this but it showed up in working
with it): members of the group wanting to contribute to the
mind map STAND UP... WALK FROM THEIR CHAIR TO THE MIND MAP...
TOUCH IT AND WRITE ON IT PERSONALLY... AND WALK BACK TO THEIR
CHAIR (sometimes taking a little detour via the buffet to get
coffee or an apple, after all, this was exhausting). In other
words, its the first step in taking physical ownership of whats
happening... a foretaste of open space (mind you, the Planning
Meeting is not an os event, its a step by step structured and
guided event with the "little" difference that nothing happens
at the Planning Meeting that the participants dont do
themselves... this has its dark side: They actually are
planning their own event and if the sponsor is not properly
briefed that they WILL do this and assume leadership and that
he needs to understand this, big problems might appear).
Have a great day mmp
On 31.05.2013 14:27, Patricio Bastian wrote:
Dear Elder,
to helpanswer yourconcern.............“I specially like your
starting looking to the Day After....What is happening the
day after the event? Which perspectives do I see now? What
has changed? This, I´ll try next time, yes! “
I mentionthat I'm developing my dissertation with that
question.
I enclose the approach:
*Problem Formulation*
The general question asks whether the Open Space is an
effective technique to produce sustainable organizational
change and if it is superior to other organizational
intervention techniques, which are based on smaller groups
and a highly structured setting with a view of the
objectives. This question can generally be divided into the
following questions:
• Are individuals able to self-organize when subjected to an
unstructured context? • Open Space Is capable of producing
organizational responses that the Organization needs? • Do
organizational change (to have occurred) sustainable over
time? • Do on these indicators than traditional techniques in
terms of efficiency and effectiveness?
*Research Objectives
General Purpose*
Evaluate the effectiveness of the technique of Open Space,
representing intervention techniques in large groups, to
produce an organizational change that accounts for internal
and external demands of the Organization.
*Specific Objectives*
• Analyze the operation of the Open Space and organizational
skill. • Measure and analyze the impact that technology has
on the organization. • Compare the Open Space with other
organizational intervention technique. • Contribute empirical
and theoretical analysis of intervention techniques in large
groups.
Of course, I appreciate your comments to the discussion in
my thesis. Your input is a valuable aid.
Thank you, thank you very much.
Sincerely,
*Patricio Bastian Duarte*
**
*Note: *Mynative language isSpanish. Pleaseexcusetypos
*De:*[email protected]
[mailto:[email protected]] *En nombre
de *Eleder_BuM *Enviado el:* viernes, 31 de mayo de 2013
5:50 *Para:* Michael M Pannwitz; World wide Open Space
Technology email list *Asunto:* Re: [OSList] What to do when
a conflicted and important part is missing?
Hi Michael!
I´ll say that till now, I used to hold much less detailed
preparation meetings.
I would just come, say hello, and, more or less,...
1. explain briefly OST for the ones that don´t know it: best
conditions, how the event will go on, what the resulsts
are,...
2. open a wide conversation to get to the core of their
invitation. Then I would write a draft and fix it with the
core group during the days after.
3. Spend dome time thinking on the invitation process:
who&hows,...
4. speak about all the logistics, place, food, materials,
helped by a mind-map in which I have organized all this info
And it has worked ok so far.
Knowing that your more detailed and paused focus worked
hundred of times makes me open to try (some part of) it next
time.
I specially like your starting looking to the Day
After....What is happening the day after the event? Which
perspectives do I see now? What has changed? This, I´ll try
next time, yes!
It´s weird for me, anyway, to spend a 10:00-16:00 time slot
in the preparation,... and it really makes sense, the
sponsors and the facilitator start opening space in a calm
and passionate way from the preparation meeting!
Thanks so much for your wise advice and rich information
pieces,
best,
Eleder
2013/5/30 Michael M Pannwitz <[email protected]
<mailto:[email protected]>>
Dear Eleder, the core idea of the planning meeting is that
its not me as facilitator to do stuff that the sponsor of the
event (and his planning group) can do themselves. So the
first step is to find out who the sponsor is. This might
sound silly, but in real life it is often surprising that it
is not clear at all. If you find, that you yourself are the
sponsor you can stop worrying and find a facilitator for your
event. If you know you are not the sponsor and know who the
sponsor is, tell him/her that, after it is clear it is going
to be an event using OST (which means the prerequisites are
in place, this must not be clear to you but the sponsor needs
to find out), that a planning group needs to gather. This
group should in some way mirror the
organisation/community/group that is expected to gather in
the open space event. Usually, the planning group consists of
5 to 20 people. They need to be invited by the sponsor to the
planning meeting.
Ok, here is the design of the planning meeting which takes
3,5 hours either before lunch or later in the morning with
lunch as a break or in the afternoon or early evening...
preferrably in the space in which the os also is planned
10:00 Break, Arriving, Coffee …..
10:30 Welcome by the sponsor who introduces the facilitator
for the following steps
Introducing ourselves All Introducing the agenda
Facilitator
10:45 The Day After What is happening on "Monday, June 17,
2013, the day after the event? Which perspectives do I see
now? What has changed?
The group itself creates a Mindmap with their
thoughts/inputs
11:15 My Theme for the Open Space event Individually 3
minutes, All announce their themes 2 minutes,
Work in subgroups 15 minutes Reporting
to the whole group 5 minutes Weighing the Themes
10 minutes
Break beginning at noon Time for a look at the large meeting
room and lunch
2:00 Our Theme / provisional Characteristics of an
action-orienting theme…. A small group (3 to 5) of volunteers
sit in front of the entire group and designs the theme for
the meeting, provide an extra chair for inputs from the
large group, fish-bowl style.
2:45 Who all needs to be at the conference? So that the
expectations expressed for the day after under the chosen
theme will actually be met Brainstorm, identify participants
essential for the process Check the Theme, still ok?
3:15 Nuts and Bolts Collect things to do Who will take care
of what?
3:45 How was it today
4:00 End
This design has been used hundreds of times and works with
any group, even teachers, lawyers, scientists and mixtures of
them and especially well with children and in neighborhood
groups in all cultures around the globe.
I will seperately send you a pdf documentation with pictures
of a planning meeting.
Greetings from Berlin mmp
On 30.05.2013 16:56, Eleder_BuM wrote:
Michael, you say,... /"if they in fact meet and follow the
simple design I have described on this list."/ / /could you
tell us more about this design?
Thanks so much for your attention,
Eleder
____
_______________________________________________ OSList
mailing list To post send emails to
[email protected]
<mailto:[email protected]> To unsubscribe send
an email to [email protected]
<mailto:[email protected]> To subscribe
or manage your subscription click below:
http://lists.openspacetech.org/listinfo.cgi/oslist-openspacetech.org
