Dear Brendan,
from a very cold Berlin: I am sure there will be bunches of stories
pouring in (Boeing doors....) AND that the folks with the questions will
not be convinced...you can also show them the worldscape data base with
close to 400 os events recorded
http://www.openspaceworldscape.org/
select the field "industry" and see several events...AND they will not
be convinced.
What always seems to work is a meeting of the people in charge and then
some. I always insist that a contact meeting (distinct from the more
concrete planning meeting)with everyone who has a say in this takes
place. Main point is to go through the pre-conditions for open space,
its more of a consultation job checking with them whether the
preconditions are met. That and some other details they are interested
in takes about one hour or an hour and a half at the most. After that,
sleep twice so that you and they can mull over whether they really want
to do it. No selling, no convincing.
Have a great day
mmp
Brendan McKeague wrote:
I have been provided with a challenge....
A colleague (an organisational psych and consultant) has introduced me
to a Construction Alliance - a group of construction companies that have
joined together to build a major 200klm long highway in Western
Australia. They have been 'working' together (physically) for about a
year and have become stuck around 'communication' - especially between
the project managers, site engineers, supervisors working at the ground
level. The professional HR company they hired to guide them through the
human dynamics dimensions of their collaboration has not been very well
received by the people - they have provided 'facilitated interventions'
that seem to have added to the difficulties. My colleague suggested they
try Open Space and arranged the conversation yesterday with two senior
managers in the Alliance - at which they expressed that they needed a
process that would allow people to feel trusted and respected, not be
treated like children at school, and to be able to raise and deal with
the issues that were causing them problems - mainly lack of communication.
It was obvious (to me and my colleague) that they needed some Open Space
- and after explaining what it is and how it works - they agreed that
this would be wonderful....except - that they didn't think it work with
engineers and construction workers....AND - they would have trouble
'selling' it to the Alliance Director.
Funny how the managers clearly identified that what these folks wanted
was trust and respect for their views - and this was what they wanted
too - and then baulked at the methodology that would deliver this...!
So, I have had a call today from my consultant colleague who reports
that they have said:
a) their boss might go along with it if they could assure him that there
would be a Plan B in place - if it falls apart then the Org Psych would
step in and rescue
(to which I will say something like---mmmm, that wouldn't really work
for me!)
b) are there any case stories of Construction Companies using this
method - and it worked?
(I chuckle - inwardly- when folks think that being in construction - or
whatever- somehow means that they are distinct from the rest of the
human species! reminds of Michael Herman's story 'can Catholics do this?')
My request
I can relate Harrison's story about AT&T Olympic Village at Atlanta -
which is primarily a design team - are there any others involving
Construction Engineers that spring to mind?
With thanks
Brendan
from a very hot Western Australia
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--
Michael M Pannwitz, boscop eg
Draisweg 1, 12209 Berlin, Germany
++49-30-772 8000
www.boscop.org www.michaelmpannwitz.de
Check out the Open Space World Map presently showing 473 resident Open
Space Workers in 76 countries (working in a total of 132 countries
worldwide)
www.openspaceworldmap.org
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