Michael: You said " i certainly here them as givens and work to push them around in such a way that there is some space within for the opening and surprise and movement that wants to happen. but i don't name or invite them as "givens" anymore.
"To me to ask up front what the sponsor "takes as given" for this event is a way for sponsors to identify their frame -- and a chance to open some more of their space as you suggest. I often use the phrase what needs to be "taken as a given" from the sponsors perspective. This works with Planning Committees as well as senior executives from my experience. It then enables the multilayer reconnecting of what happens after an OST event. There are personal and cultural shifts for sure and these do not fit "within givens" but usually transcend them, provide surprises to the sponsors. I make sponsors aware of those outcomes. There are also practical outcomes -- work groups who pursue a topic as a do it or as an ongoing project. The major impacts 9 OST events in different parts of one organization are partly because of the initiatives or projects that have emerged and moved to completion. Given the variety of levels of skills and the existing initiatives of the hierarchy, these "projects" have required some support and coordination by the Planning Committee -- and they have done amazing work. But there clearly were some things, like the broad Strategic Directions and Management Plan, within which these initiatives fit (and which they could change over time). The givens include the procedures for changing major budget reallocations or strategic initiatives that had already begun before the Open Space. The practical success of the initiatives as well as the engaged leadership and energy are part of the reason OST is increasingly a vital part of how this large organization meets. I think some articulation of what is "taken as given", such as a diversity policy, provides the context for what can go forward now. Larry Larry Peterson Associates in Transformation Toronto, ON, Canada 416.653.4829 [email protected] www.spiritedorg.com * * ========================================================== [email protected] ------------------------------ To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options, view the archives of [email protected]: http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html To learn about OpenSpaceEmailLists and OSLIST FAQs: http://www.openspaceworld.org/oslist
