Lisa et. al.: You're into the heart of it I think when you raise these issues at the outset. The first conversation I have about the Open Space with the client is always about the need. Sometimes it's even a light hearted kind of thing :"You want to have an Open Space? Are you crazy? What do you want to do that for?" The answers to this question really help me get a sense of what role the OST meeting can play for the organization.
Clients are on a journey. When they invite others in to do work with them, they are looking for people that can help them travel. In the context of the organizational journey, what role is the Open Space expected to have? I sometimes talk about OST as a process that does for organizations what slinging a space probae around a planet does for exploration. When space agencies launch machines that are built to go to other planets or to the far flung reaches of our solar system, they often aim them to intersect with large planets like Jupiter and Saturn and get a big boost from the immense gravitational fields of those bodies. It means that the space probes don't need to carry large amounts of propellant if they can benefit from the gravitational pull of a large planet. It's much like watching a discus thrower spin around and around and then apply that angular momentum to the discus which then flies in a straight line way down field. Open Space does that for organizations. And because it does that for organizations, it's worth having a clear sense about where exactly you want to be flung to. Chris On 4/18/07, Lisa Heft <[email protected]> wrote:
Hello, all – Esther mentioned her first OS with action planning. She said: <I read several convergence methods some of you use (on Lisa Heft's website - thanks Lisa for posting this!) and found great ideas for the future.> Here are some of those resources Esther mentioned... http://www.openingspace.net/openSpaceTechnology_method.shtml (or just go to http://www.openingspace.net – Open Space Technology / The Method) ...in the *Resources for OST Practitioners* you will see papers on Convergence: A Conversation Convergence Approaches Action Plans It is interesting to me, always, to have the conversation with the client / sponsor / host about what they wish to achieve in their one (or whatever) day(s) together. Many say they want to end with the group identifying action items – however upon further discussion it turns out that it is not necessarily **action** they needed, but a sense of **accomplishment** - and all their previous models of meetings end in action items, votes or otherwise naming numbers of things – so that is naturally what they feel signals a productive end to a meeting. So I really like to have a very thorough conversation for as long as it takes to get the truest sense of this need and then decide what is the design that might accomplish it (and/or perhaps we have a conversation that to accomplish a certain desired outcome takes a longer OS or something). Action? Accomplishment? Next steps? Personal commitments? Knowing also that a) Open Space delivers closing comments and reflections (a useful deliverable) and a Book of Proceedings (measure of accomplishment) and b) I am happy to design in action identification a la Open Space if appropriate – however if we (the client and I) structure a convergence activity we need to be very clear on what are we asking, is there realistic support for follow-through if actions are identified, do people have the tools they need or freedom to break out of their traditional organizational roles to continue work post-event on their actions, and so on. All very rich conversation and detective work before finalizing design. More thoughts from Lisa's surfacing into email land today... Lisa ___________________________ *L i s a H e f t* Consultant, Facilitator, Educator O p e n i n g S p a c e [email protected] www.openingspace.net * * ========================================================== [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
-- CHRIS CORRIGAN Facilitation - Training Open Space Technology Weblog: http://www.chriscorrigan.com/parkinglot Site: http://www.chriscorrigan.com Principal, Harvest Moon Consultants, Ltd. http://www.harvestmoonconsultants.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
