Dear friends in Open Space, I have been going through my Open Space files and hence the number of e-mails from me this Saturday evening. In an earlier e-mail,I sent a sample invitation. In this e-mail, below my signature, I include a number of paragraphs, each independent of the other, each nuggets of information that are useful to me and might be to you. Depending on the circumstance, I use any and all of these paragraphs when describing different things about Open Space Technology to someone. Sometimes they are included in my proposals, in my contracts, or in the invitation, or in the report. Different paragraphs have different authors. They are gems I have picked up over time. They sure don't include the whole story. Simply that I have found them useful.And I thought you might.
Birgitt Birgitt Williams Make Genuine Contact! Dalar Associates: organizational effectiveness consultants Striving for Success? Ready to exceed your expectations? Contact us for consulting services, training, conference and meeting facilitation, and keynote speaking. www.openspacetechnology.com Deliverables of an Open Space Technology Meeting Harrison Owen 1)Every single issue that anybody cares about enough to raise will be "on the table". 2) All issues will receive as much discussion as people care to give them. 3) All discussion will be captured in a book, and made available to the participants. 4) All issues will be prioritized. 5) Related issues will be converged. 6) Responsibility will be taken for next step actions. What is Open Space Technology best used for? Birgitt Williams Almost any business issue including strategic direction setting, learning new material, envisioning the future, identifying the issues and opportunities to realize the desired future, conflict resolution, morale building, product development, leadership development, community building, public input forums, conferences, organizational transformation to a high performing and high learning organization. Role of the Facilitator Alban/Bunker, Large Systems Interventions, Chapter 13, Jossey Bass, 1997 "It may seem that the Open Space facilitator hasn't much to do after the opening session. In terms of the usual role of scheduling and controlling activities associated with "facilitation," this is certainly true. On the other hand, the facilitator's real role is to "hold the space": allowing the process to develop and intervening only if anyone is interfering with others' rights to choice by dominating or insisting that everyone must go along with his or her ideas. The facilitator also must understand systems and large group dynamics at a fairly sophisticated level. Several of the stories in Owen's book (1992) demonstrate how not taking action can be just as important an act in holding the space as doing something. "In other words, the technology is straightforward and it is possible to set up and structure an Open Space by reading Harrison Owen's book (1992). What happens in Open Space, however, is always new and unpredictable. Therefore, figuring out how to hold the space is not always either simple or easy. " Scope of the Open Space Birgitt Williams It doesnÂ’t matter if the space is big or it is little with many constraints. What matters is that it is authentic. If a group believes the space is big and later finds it is much more limited, real anger and a sense of betrayal emerge. If the group believes the space is really smaller than it is because the constraints or "givens" have been communicated incorrectly, there is not enough room for the full discussion that could have taken place, and again, after the fact there is a sense of anger and betrayal. "The right time and the right topic are clearly key. If the issues are too big or too vague or unclear, they will create lack of focus. If they are too narrow or defined, they will not provide enough room to be creative and they wilt not engage the imagination. Especially to be avoided are clients who have a narrow vision of specific outcomes that they want. They should not try Open Space." Alban/Bunker, Chapter 13 The Role of Leaders in the Open Space Technology Meeting Birgitt Williams In Open Space, leaders need to be present and to participate the same way everyone else does. They set the theme (focusing question) and the parameters "givens" for the work, but after this, they need to let go of control. If participants feel that they do not have full support to move on their own energy wherever it leads them but must second-guess what the boss is thinking, the process will not work. Consultants, therefore, need to work carefully with the executive group beforehand to ensure that they know what type of effect they can have on participation. What are the benefits of using Open Space Technology? Breakthrough learning Appropriate structure Genuine community Spirited performance Playful involvement High efficiency High productivity Shared leadership Growth from within Elimination of barriers to doing a job quickly with excellence and pride What concrete information do I get out of an Open Space Technology meeting? A format is laid out for every discussion group to record its findings, and the recorder inputs the report into a computer. The consultant organizes, indexes, and assures one printer ready copy of the "book of proceedings" with reports from each group, as well as other pages the planning committee have agreed upon (such as a covering letter). In a three-day event the book is printed during the second night for distribution on the third morning, whereas in a one or two day event the book is to be in the participantsÂ’ hands within two weeks. Criteria for prioritization, feasibility, and actionable forward steps may be included in the report. Far more important and far-reaching, however, is the change, which takes place in the minds and hearts of the participants, who emerge from the event as ambassadors for the change within the organization.What Does an Open Space Technology meeting really do? Large Systems Interventions by Alban/Bunker 1997, Chapter 13 "Like other systems events, it gathers the whole organization or collection of interested parties in one place and enables them to talk about the topics as a whole. Therefore, communication changes dramatically, and people have a sense of the whole and a voice in the process of change. This can be especially useful in dispersed-network organizations where people do not get together regularly. The thing that is really unique about Open Space, however, falls under the expression that is one of the ground rules of Open Space: "Be prepared to be surprised." This intervention allows people to temporarily restructure the organization around interests or "attractors," people with similar energy, or issues. It makes visible the underlying energy patterns of the organization. When these interests connect new ideas and outcomes are likely to emerge. As Janice Greene comments (Owen, 1995, p.138), "What we tend to do in western society is fix the outcome then decide and complete the steps to reach it." In Open Space, people focus on interests. If outcomes emerge and catch people's interest, they may become reality, but the name of the game in Open Space is following your passion and not worrying about where it will lead." What is an Open Space Technology meeting Billie Alban and Barbara Bunker Large Group Interventions, Jossey-Bass, 1997 "Open Space Technology is a meeting methodology that enables individuals and groups become more effective in work environments that are rapidly and constantly changing by developing their skills as lifelong learners and collaborative problem solvers. It creates the conditions so that the maximum potential of the individual and the organization can be realized. Open Space Technology captures the knowledge, experience and innovation in the organization that is not captured through less open processes. " What types of issues is Open Space Technology best used for? Almost any business issue Strategic direction setting Smoother transitioning of the people part of new IT and other technology related processes Envisioning the future Identifying the issues and opportunities to realize the desired future Conflict resolution Morale building Learning new material Product development Leadership development Community building Public input forums conferences improving communication organizational transformation to a high performing and high learning organization. What types of organizations is Open Space Technology Best Used For? Large, small, mid-sized corporations in the private sector Communities Cities, Provinces/States, Countries Large, small and mid-sized non-profit organizations in the public sector Large, small and mid-sized non-government organizations Large, small, and mid-sized government organizations Established organizations Organizations that are newly forming Organizations that are ending When is Open Space Technology the best meeting format to use? Harrison Owen Any organizational situation in which there is: A real issue of concern Diversity of players Complexity of elements Presence of passion (conflict is an element of passion) Decision time is now When should Open Space Technology not be used? Birgitt Williams Open Space Technology should not be used if the formal leadership in the organization needs to control the outcome. In other words, if there are no real degrees of freedom to use wonder, imagination and creativity. Please note that controlling the outcome is different from establishing the theme and "givens" or non-negotiables prior to the Open Space Technology meeting. A "given" might be that the meeting is that the Open Space Technology meeting is about designing a new assembly line within a certain budget and within a certain time line. When we look at the concern about control,it is to say that the formal leadership cannot control what the group comes up with in creating the design within the "givens".
