STORIES, The Newsletter of the Open Space Institute (US), Issue 2, September,1999
Purpose of the Newsletter The purpose of the newsletter is to make our stories available to each other so that we continue to learn and grow. We hope they will serve you for education, examples, connection and pleasure. This newsletter is intended for the use of friends and members of the Open Space Institute (US). It may be reproduced in any useful way with acknowledgement. When copying, please include the author/contact/publication information at the end of each story. In This Issue 1--OST and Transformation 2--Accountants in OS: Not So Conservative 3--Open Space Does IT (Again!) 4--The Future of Police Training OST and Transformation Suzanne Maxwell, Maxwell and Associates, New Mexico and Jonathan Reams, Institute for Transformative Leadership, British Columbia Our story concerns an Open Space Technology event convened as part of the Institute for Transformative Leadership's conference, "Awakening to Transformation," held in Nelson, British Columbia. The Institute's four principles are Jonathan Reams, Jonathan Taylor, Keri Dickie-Clark and Patrick Quinn-Young, The Open Space consultant is Suzanne Maxwell, Maxwell & Associates and ProcessWorks, Placitas, New Mexico. Our story is presented in the form of a Dialogue between Jonathan and Suzanne. Jonathan Early last spring, I was searching for someone to add to our list of presenters for a conference on business and consciousness, and saw Suzanne's smiling face on a web page that also described her as someone who did OST. I had read bits and pieces about OST, and was interested in talking about new processes that could be used in business. So I called her up, and of course we talked about process in general much more than anything specific. I asked if she was interested in participating. She was, but said to me that it was difficult to talk about OST. It was much better to do it. Suzanne There was something about Jonathan's way of talking about what he wanted to do that attracted me. There seemed to be a depth of understanding beyond his descriptions of his experience. He spoke of an Institute, newly forming in Nelson, British Columbia, whose birth came about following Jonathan and Patrick's involvement with a group that brought the community together to address potential Y2K issues. The numbers of participants in the Y2K gathering were extraordinary! In a population of only 9000 they had attracted 420 people. As he talked about their experience in doing this, and the subsequent formation of the Institute, it seemed that they, an organizing group of 4, were following their inner voices more than they were driving a process. They felt called to do what they were doing. Jonathan Suzanne presents us in such a good light :-) We also see it as a case of fools rush in where angels fear to tread. Our naiveté allowed us to try something audacious, and we dreamed no small dreams. Anyway, after some conversation with my colleagues, we decided to have the closing day of our conference use OST. We rationalized it by saying we couldn't possibly know ahead of time all the things people would actually want and need to talk about. So we plunged ahead unknowingly, trusting that the process would meet our needs. Suzanne When Jonathan first called me, we talked about my doing a keynote presentation on Dialogue and one on Open Space Technology. As all of you know, talking about either one of these, simply misses the mark. Jonathan and his collaborators took to heart what I said about the doing versus the talking. Jonathan As I spoke further with Suzanne, I became aware of how our fledgling Institute for Transformative Leadership could use the OST day to ground our future activities. We would make the general theme of the OST day "what now" for the Institute. We had put out in our flyers that this conference was to be the "grand opening" so to speak of the Institute, and that it would in some ways set the future direction of our activities. So this broad theme was chosen, and left to sit as the press of details and organizing the event kept our attention elsewhere. Suzanne As we continued the conversation over the course of the planning process, we kept the focus for the Open Space process purposefully open-ended. We did this to allow us to really home in on what was unfolding at the conference. The conference was named "Awakening to Transformation - Emerging Consciousness and the New Economy." Other keynoters included such scholarly thinkers, writers, or businessmen as; Richard Barrett, former values coordinator for the World Bank, author of Liberating the Corporate Soul, Robert Forman of The Forge Institute, author of Grassroots Spirituality - What it is. Why it is here. Where it is going. Amit Goswami, a quantum physicist with The Institute of Noetic Sciences and author of The Self Aware Universe. How Consciousness Creates the Material World, and Charles Tart, noted researcher of altered states of consciousness and author of Waking Up, and Living the Mindful Life, not to mention a host of other presenters whose work represented cutting edge thinking. With this kind of gathering in the room, and with the kind of conference attendees such a gathering was bound to attract, to not put such processes as Open Space (and Dialogue) to work seemed unthinkable to me. Both are designed to help bring about coherence within a system, to assist people in learning from each other, and to maximize the blessings of diversity represented by those present. Jonathan and his collaborators said "Yes." We would intersperse the formal presentations with Dialogue and culminate the conference in Open Space Technology, all with the intention of finding guidance and direction for the fledgling Institute for Transformative Leadership. By, what I would call, a stroke of genius, our four organizers planned a pre conference day for themselves, the keynoters and the presenters to get to know one another and perhaps to begin the process of our cohering, and making meaning with our presentations and with their leadership in the conference structure. They were looking for a unified message rather than a series of "talking heads." Jonathan What Suzanne calls genius was really just our desire to have fun for a day! We couldn't have done any of this if we weren't going to have fun doing it. Suzanne Play and information and food and dialogue were the soup's ingredients for that day. Coherence was begun. As the conference proceeded it was clear to me at least, that the day together was paying off. There was a unity of what was being said, a synchronicity. Jonathan As the days of the conference arrived, within the unity and community forming, I began to feel pressure to bring closure to the openness created by the use of OST on the last day. People were uncertain that it was the best use of time, especially considering the keynote presenters time. Others wanted me to take "leadership" and give people direction for the day. The evening before the OST day, a group of us organizers and some of the presenters spent a couple hours struggling with how to frame the day in a way that would make best use of the potential that we sensed was at hand. We came up with an opening of us storytelling to frame the day. Meanwhile Suzanne was off preparing herself to hold the space for the day, taking the responsibility for that from me so that I could participate in a more direct way. Suzanne On the morning we were to enter Open Space, Jonathan and I talked about his experience of the night before and he shared his impressions of what he and the group wanted to use as the focus question. The question would be "Now What?"from both the perspectives of the participants in thinking as to how they would apply what had emerged from them at the conference and also how the Institute might play a role and uncover it's next steps. We used a classic OST process, with the final product being hand-written "Session Reports" as we weren't able to access lap-tops. The focus question of "Now What?" was posed after the four organizers set the tone for what the Institute hoped for in the process. Some convenors focused on topics of interest to them and some focused on the Institute. The response rate was delightfully higher than I generally experience, more than 20% of the total attendance. We had to quickly make more paper for postings and encourage people to be creative with breakout space. Things were happening! Jonathan The morning of the day, I was palpably aware of the tensions, expectations and energy infusing the event. As I and my colleagues told the story of who we were and our struggle to manifest this event, the stage was set, and we opened the future of the Institute up for input. There was a flurry of activity as Suzanne opened up the marketplace for business, and people came forward with ideas for sessions, some around their interests, and some focussed specifically on our needs. Then there was a period of quiet, as the initial burst of activity waned. For a while people came forward one at a time to express their ideas for a session, and the tone shifted slightly. Then one person, who had come to play music for us and then stayed on participate in the rest of the conference, came forward to propose an "Enlightenment University." As his session was convened, a few of us showed up and waited to see if more people would drift in. I went off to another session focussed on ways to help the Institute get going, and afterwards, heard tales of excitement and vision about this possibility. The group had kept growing, attracting bodies and energy from all over the space we were meeting in. Enthusiasm had built to quite a high pitch, and people were taking this idea seriously. Being preoccupied with things that were in line with my expectations, I was skeptical of this idea. It appeared to be very idealistic, ungrounded and impractical. Yet there it was. It has a life of its own in a sense, and our opportunity is to be the mid wives. The seriousness of support was made tangible by monetary donations, and the idea has caught hold for more and more people, generating more support and enthusiasm beyond what we could have imagined. It continues to grow, and catch us up in its wake. The possibilities are enormous, and the future wide open. For myself, taking part in Open Spaces for the first time as a way to launch an Institute was an incredible learning experience. Holding the space to resist the tension to bring premature closure was intense, and revealed much about human nature. My own interest in consciousness studies framed this experience as well, and having a quantum physicist present opened up depths of understanding of the mechanics of "holding space." One's ability to sustain unknowingness about outcomes contributes directly to allowing the waves of potentiality to grow. This is not just a nice metaphor, but a quantum mechanical description of how our consciousness constructs the space in which our reality manifests. It illuminated for me the spiritual nature of this process, as it is our heart's ability to be the ground of our being and intentionality in the world that can counteract the mind's inherent need to "know" and bring closure to reality. It also allows us to surrender our mind's attempts to control the universe, and for us to trust that indeed the universe is a friendly place. Suzanne Some who attended are still questioning the wisdom of using OST and others are praising its virtues. An online conversation among all the presenters has ensued to keep the learning process going. At its core, the institute is about fostering profound learning, and the activities that support this individually and in community. And so the Institute is being born, with a project exceeding it's expectations, ripe with possibility. Future Events The Institute will be hosting Richard Barrett's Corporate Transformation Models and Tools workshop November 3-5. January 24-26, we will host Suzanne Maxwell doing an OST training session, and in mid August we will have our next major conference! Suzanne Maxwell [email protected], Jonathan Reams [email protected] for STORIES, the Newsletter of the Open Space Institute (US) [email protected] Accountants in OS: Not So Conservative Dee Green, TOP Performers Leadership Center, Australia Introduction Here is a very short story about a recent OS I ran here in OZ. What I found really interesting was that usually accountants over here are very conservative, so I was quite surprised when they agreed to squeeze in the OS at such an inconvenient time for them. However they were truly amazed at the info that emerged and also that they could introduce new ideas to staff they rarely discuss business matters with such as admin staff. I know they will run with a lot of the actions they set up in the strategy session, and hopefully develop rapidly. The Theme What is the future pathway for the company in the new millennium and how can we make sure everyone in the company is on the pathway together? The Process Open Space followed by a strategy session - after convergence. The People A young, fast-growing entrepreneurial accountancy - 12 people. The average age of the partners was 32 and the accountants working for them averaged age 26. When Limited time allowance due to commitments at end of financial year, I day only. Although the company was under pressure to deliver accounts for tax purposes all three partners agreed to act with this event within one week of briefing. Where Melbourne, Australia Why The Partners wanted new products that would add value and grow the company direction, to be seeded and accepted by the staff. Also to have an indication of those staff willing to be responsible for pushing the company forward with new and innovative ideas. It was a perfect situation for Open Space Technology. I convinced them to trust the process and they would get their results and more. I was recommended to the company by a previous client, although I had not run an Open Space for them. The Rest of the Story The OS was very successful with the usual pattern of people being hesitant at first, then really into it by the second session. The data captured was most relevant to the topic. Staff enjoyed the process and having their opinions valued by the Partners. The Partners participated whole heartedly and were able to see the benefits of the information the staff provided. The new ideas for company development were accepted and ways to introduce these into the company were discussed in great detail. Through the process the staff and the Partners realised that their communications with each other at the workplace was not good. New systems were suggested for meetings and workflow. After convergence, strategies and implementation of the various topics arising from OS discussions were developed and recorded. The Partners and the staff worked as one group and various people drove the sessions. The experience was enjoyed and of great benefit to the company. All realising that everyone was responsible and accountable through personal committment and hard work for the success of the company in the coming millennium. Dee Green [email protected] for STORIES, the Newsletter of the Open Space Institute [email protected] Open Space Does IT (Again!) Christine Roess, Consultant, United States In response to a client's interest in offering an innovative leadership event for his team, I facilitated an Open Space last spring which, typical of Open Space, was a great success. The client is the Chief Information Officer for a billion dollar specialty chemicals company in New Jersey. He was bringing together his internationally dispersed team for a three day event to support them in their leadership, as well as create team goals and team spirit. He recognized its importance and the difficulty of doing something that really made a difference with people who had such little time together. I told him about Open Space at a coaching session we had and then I kind of forgot about it. When I returned several weeks later, I truly didn't know what he was talking about when he said, "Okay, I want to go ahead with it." I said, "Go ahead with what?" It was a pretty much "by the book" Open Space. I have facilitated about 10 or 12 different events and, personally, lean heavily toward Harrison's original design. About the only difference is that I add a "Commitments" section to the session reports. The topic that the client created for this Open Space was "Leveraging the IT Investment". Cost cutting was their very strong current mandate and, while I always like to go for very "out there" kinds of topics-my client and his direct reports were very on-board for this highly relevant subject. We had 33 participants. It was held in a hotel just outside of New York City. It occurred over 2 days. They got the agenda up faster than any group I've ever been involved with. My client stood with me and a couple of his senior managers looking at the sessions that had been created and agreed that, if they had arranged the agenda they would have had about 1/3 as many items and they felt that every one posted was extremely pertinent to the topic. The 2 days floated by in typical relaxed, productive, light-hearted Open Space style. On the morning of the third day, we came together in our completion circle. Person after person said that they had come in highly skeptical and left a "believer". One manager said, with mutters of agreement around the room, that usually he was exhausted by the end of the first day and dragged through the remaining meetings, but this time he was as fresh now, at the conclusion, as he was in the beginning. The following is a quote from the letter I received from my client about a month after the event. "I would like to compliment you for the excellent facilitation of our Global IT Conference. The "open space" meeting format was the driving force behind our most successful meeting. The participants were pleased with the opportunity to help create the agenda and to participate in the topics that added the most value to them. Attendees of the conference felt as if they owned the meeting and its related outcomes. Thanks again for exposing me to this format which enabled me to empower my staff to drive a great meeting." I was, of course, delighted. It's so easy for everyone to win in Open Space! Christine Roess CRoess2000 for STORIES, the Newsletter of the Open Space Institute (US) [email protected] The Future of Police Training Martin Leith, Consultant, United Kingdom A two day Open Space conference sponsored by National Police Training (NPT) and held in Warwick, United Kingdom, on August 23 and 24, 1999. It was co-designed and facilitated by Martin Leith (http://www.martinleith.com), an innovation consultant who has been working with Open Space Technology since the late 1980s. Background The Home Office, of which NPT is part, is required to advise the Home Secretary on how to respond to the Home Affairs Select Committee report on the future of training in the British police service. The publication of this report coincided with the publication of a number of other reports covering the subject of police training, such as those written by Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary, the Police Federation and Sir William Stubbs. NPT decided to hold the conference to solicit the views of their customers: the police forces in England and Wales. Police officers and civil servants from most police forces took part in the conference, together with members of related organisations such as the Association of Police Authorities. The conference used a textbook Open Space process, topped and tailed with small group work. There were two one-hour periods of Open Space each day. Alogether there were 23 sessions: 15 on the first day and eight on day two. The report of the conference is summarised in a poem which was written by WPC Andrea Sakinah Reynolds, one of the 120 participants. She wrote it towards the end of the conference and was invited to recite it at the end of the closing session. It is reproduced here with her permission. OPEN SPACE TECHNOLOGY By WPC Andrea Sakinah Reynolds 3555 West Midlands Police and National Black Police Association Executive 24 August 1999 Yes! The space was 'OPEN' Opened really wide Faces looked at faces Expressions tried to hide What on earth was this? And who has thought it up? Disorientated people Disgruntled and abrupt Open Space technology Was certainly diverse It was not in tradition And could not be reversed We really want didactic Tell us the answers now Does anybody in the room Know what, or when, or how? The future of training hanging Death by Mr Stubbs (1) Radical undressing No handling with kid gloves The questions were just pouring As debates were introduced Was Open Space, the process, Adequately used? There was one thing most obvious The answers were all here But what was missing was the bus To drive them all up there To the present Home Secretary For actions now to take To drive all British 'forces' To shake training wide awake! Can NPT petition? No they aren't the one Whose argument is accepted When all this hard work is done There is the Training Council With motives of their own So they will not be driving All our issues home Then there are associations ACPO, APA (2) And all the other unknown ones We heard of in the day The Open Space as process Seemed a diverse hell But surely all the issues are clear We've all done very well! So my dear Home Secretary This you ought to do Get a VISION for the Service So that Training gets one too Think about the standards Competence and all Think of Structures, open markets Keep all 'on the ball'! Don't say that this is complex Sir You have the answers there Just be the committed engine To drive the change in training here! References (1) Sir William Stubbs, an advisor to the Home Secratary (2) ACPO (pronounced Ackpoe) is the Association of Chief Police Officers. APA is the Association of Police Authorities. Copyright (c) Andrea Reynolds 1998. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced without prior consent of the publisher. The exception being quotations used in analytic reviews and articles. The right of Andrea Reynolds to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by her in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. For more information about the planning, design and facilitation of this conference, please send an email to Martin Leith: [email protected] Martin Leith [email protected] for STORIES, the Newsletter of the Open Space Institute (US) [email protected] Coming Events Here are the upcoming OS events: Sept. 25 -27 Chicago, Illinois Open Space onOpen Space VII A gathering for experienced OS practitioners. Details: http://www.globalchicago.net/osonos/ Contacts: Sheila Isakson at [email protected] or Michael Herman at [email protected]. Sept. 28 Chicago, Illinois Join a discussion on growing the OS organizations around the world immediately following OSonOS VII. Details at www.globalchicago.net/osonos/ Nov. 15-19 near Birmingham, Alabama Growing Our Now, A Journey in Open Space Beyond Our Times, more details at www.openspaceworld.org Contact: Barry Owen at [email protected] or 615-356-2888 Facilitators: Harrison Owen and Barry Owen Here are the upcoming trainings: Oct 5-9 Minneapolis, MN Contact: Tom Thiss at 612-474-5172 Facilitators: Harrison Owen and Tom Thiss Nov 3-6 Toronto, Ontario Contact: Birgitt Bolton at [email protected] or 905-648-5775 Facilitators: Harrison Owen and Birgitt Bolton Dec 6-10 New York, NY Contact: Karen Davis at [email protected] or 212-595-9107 Facilitators: Harrison Owen and Karen Davis Feb 22 - 26, 2000 Berlin, Germany - Training in German. Contact: Michael Pannwitz at www.we-open-spaces.de Facilitators: Gabriela Ender and Michael Pannwitz Oct, 2000 Chicago, Illinois Contact: Michael Herman at [email protected] Facilitators: Harrison Owen and Michael Herman STORIES is published online 3-4 times a year by the Open Space Institute (US). To subscribe, or to join OSI, contact Peggy Holman, [email protected] To submit your story, contact Joelle Everett, editor, [email protected]
