Hi Open Spacers, I've been wanting to update you on my first 'paid' Open Space 10 days ago, but have been so busy preparing for the volunteer one I did yesterday (Creating the World We Want in Education -- which went fab), I haven't had time until now.
Just to remind you, it was with the financial services division of a large publishing company in the UK. Forty-two people attended, mostly accountants, from all levels of the organisation. The anticipation in the room before we began was palatable, and when we went around the room to have people introduce themselves, most could barely squeak out their name. And yet, as I stepped out the circle for them to begin creating their sessions, you could feel the energy picking up. One by one they came to the centre and announced their sessions. Although it was slow at first, I waited and waited, knowing they were just warming up. And I was right! We had 4 time slots and 6 spaces, with two more spaces in reserve (just in case). After a few minutes, it was clear we would need them! They filled every single one -- 32 sessions! And the listening that was in the space was amazing. As they created sessions, they would dynamically combine with others who had similar ideas. They were asking me about moving sessions and what should we do if there's a clash, etc. When it was clear I wasn't going to solve the 'problem' for them, they stepped up and made it work for themselves. All day they came in and out of the main room energised and buzzing with ideas and inspiration. They created 69 pages of proceedings and 29 action groups to move their ideas forward in the business. Everyone took a copy of the report home and they were so proud! In the closing circle everyone said what an amazing day it had been, they were not the same people that were sitting in the circle 8 hours earlier. It was magical! Since the Open Space, they have spontaneously begun to have gatherings at the beginning and end of the work day where people can get together to discuss issues, the projects that were created, or any other topic that they like. Plus, another division of the company was using a room next to ours on the day of the Open Space, and they were so interested to know what on earth we were up to, they called the HR manager specifically to find out. Fingers crossed, we may be doing another one soon! What I got from this day was complete validation that Open Space does work, it is exactly what I 'should' be doing and it offers a way for people to step outside of their normal way of being and into the space of passion and responsibility. I love it and can't wait to do more! As an added bonus, my fabulous business partner experienced her first Open Space that day, and she's hooked! It's so wonderful to be able to share the magic. Thanks to everyone for your support! x bridget P.S. We learned an important lesson on the day as well -- always ask the hotel how much they charge for photocopying!! We nearly died when they asked us to sign off the £670 bill for copying the reports! Not to worry though, the client was very cool, and we did not end up paying that much for the copying. That's one for the checklist, though! Bridget Peake Open Sesame Unleashing the Potential 12 Leysfield Road London W12 9JF +44 (0) 7776 188 771 [email protected] www.unleash-the-potential.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
