I thought that I would share my experience this week opening a small space. I had planned a 4 hour open space with a client to enable consultation with staff of the organization about the issues and opportunities for introducing a new program to their scope of services.
I had learned in my initial visit to the organization that relations between the management team and the office staff were strained because of recent layoffs. The unionized staff had taken to adopting rebellious actions and there was difficulty communicating. While there was general agreement about the need to add the new services, there was great concern that the success of the program would be compromised if the office staff decided to place obstacles in the path. We decided together to use open space to give staff opportunity to get their issues and suggestions on the table in a safe environment. I arrived to find that the OS meeting had been bumped from the large room by another conflicting event. The substitute room that was assigned was a board room that had a massive table in it (that I think the room was constructed around). They had forgotten what I had told them about the room set up. The only suitable room was very small... and very hot. The circle of chairs for the 20 expected attendees filled the entire room. I had great angst about how this might all work out, especially as I am a novice practitioner. However, I proceeded and stuck to the principles. As people gathered, there was great tension in the room. While the numbers were small (in this case, thankfully), each category of staff was represented in the circle. I stated the theme and discussed the principles and law. I acknowledged the space issue under the heading of "Whatever happens is the only thing that could have". It was difficult to walk the circle, let alone work clockwise or counterclockwise. A few steps and I had covered most of the distance. If I walked too quickly, I thought that I might become a whirling Dervish! When people were invited to put their issues and opportunities forward, the pregnant pause felt like it lasted 9 months. One member of the group was so anxious that she started to suggest ideas to others. The group did not respond. Instead, they asked questions. The group got into the spirit by asking the person with the question to post it as an issue. They did end up posting 10 issues or opportunities once they got started. The energy levels rose dramatically as the marketplace opened and people negotiated times and places. The hurried off to their breakout rooms and the energy and laughter coming from the rooms was marvelous. We had set up an adjacent office with three computers as a newsroom and whole groups stood at the computer to help with data entry. There was great discussion that happened in the newsroom too. The bulletin board for posting reports was in a connecting hallway near the refreshments and outside the door of the main room. The reports were very rich. About half-way through the session, the Executive Director came to me to say how marvelous the process was (she had not helped to plan the session, but attended as a participant). She stated that she wanted to talk to me at my nest visit about having another meeting with all staff. The "talking stick" used in the closing circle was a candle. It seemed appropriate because the meeting had been about enlightenment. Some of the words people used to describe their experience were: all encompassing, empowerment, we didn't fight, freedom of speech, fun, a sense of togetherness, and marvel at what had been accomplished in such a short time. They acknowledged that had all of those issues been on the agenda of their traditional meetings, they would have met more than ten times over ten weeks. While the information that came from the reports more than met expectations, the palpable side effect of the meeting was a sense of healing of relationships. The tension that had been present in the beginning was replaced with laughter and support. Many of the participants came to me the next day to say how much they had enjoyed the meeting and how successful that they thought it was. The group decided that we should leave the reports posted for the rest of the office staff the next day. People were invited to add comments or ask questions, so the discussions will continue. A group will be formed immediately from the participants to be in charge of communication to their colleagues about the ongoing developments as the program evolves, a suggestion in one of the reports. My learning was that despite the glitches in structure, honoring the principles and process of OST enabled the group to transcend the obstacles and achieve surprising results.
