What a great metaphor!
Thanks :-))
At 18:03 2007-04-23, you wrote:
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
<<mailto:[email protected]>[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>http://www.openingspace.net/openSpaceTechnology_method.shtml
(or just go to
<http://www.openingspace.net/>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
<mailto:[email protected]>[email protected]
www.openingspace.net
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CHRIS CORRIGAN
Facilitation - Training
Open Space Technology
Weblog:
<http://www.chriscorrigan.com/parkinglot>http://www.chriscorrigan.com/parkinglot
Site: <http://www.chriscorrigan.com>http://www.chriscorrigan.com
Principal, Harvest Moon Consultants, Ltd.
<http://www.harvestmoonconsultants.com>http://www.harvestmoonconsultants.com
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