Re: [OSList] OST for big changes in company

[Karolina Iwa via OSList]

thank you all for sharing,
for your time, consideration, warnings, reminders and hints.
and your good wishes.

i was very impressed with the diversity of reactions.
this feels healthy :)

accompanying the organisation in this moment
has been a very touching process.
it is close to a closure now.

working a lot with startup/IT companies,
where acquisitions are frequent and expected
i was very happy to explore together with the board,
where the space is actually open
and what kind of experience
they want to design and invite people to co-create.

referring to many of you writing about the true/full openness - even if not
a 100% best scenario ever is available in the NOW, supporting those in
charge in opening up bit by bit and exploring what could be and what they
maybe decide will not be this time + the reasons behind is of high value to
me in my work.

i am happy to be a part of many more experiences of the circle of
(organisational) life-and-death.


have a good day,


karolina.




*karolina iwa*
social innovation
senior facilitator
blog  I twitter
 I l
inkedin

+49 15774 932193





On 10 June 2016 at 21:17, Anna Caroline Türk  wrote:

> Thank you Suzanne for sharing. It really resonates with me.
>
> much Love
> Anna Caroline
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Anna Caroline Türk
>
> + 49 (0) 176 248 72254
> Skype: AnnaCarolineTuerk
>
> www.TruthCircles.com 
>
>
> On 10 Jun 2016, at 20:13, Suzanne Daigle via OSList <
> oslist@lists.openspacetech.org> wrote:
>
> Dear Karolina,
>
> I am sure I am stating the obvious in what I am writing. I am not
> providing solutions, answers or recommendations. Nonetheless, perhaps some
> of what I've described will be useful, added to what others have
> contributed.
>
> Without knowing what the news is or how much people will be impacted by it
> (job losses, changes in roles and responsibilities, sale of a company or a
> division, relocation, reasons for the board to be making the decision
> (imposed or by choice), financial decision, market, etc?  - my inclination
> is to focus on sharing the facts as directly and simply as possible,
> explaining the context of what led to the decision and what's known and not
> known.
>
> Perhaps some people will view this major change as positive for themselves
> whereas others will see it as a major loss. A mix of guilt and fear, anger,
> frustration, hope, relief because some individuals sensed it was coming
> whereas for others, it came as a complete surprise. All these reactions can
> happen at the same time. Nothing predictable. We need to make space for
> those reactions without creating an event to do so. In a business as usual
> sort of way that is respectful. There will be time later to focus on the
> future.
>
> Without judging the circumstances and as much as we would want leaders and
> their senior teams to be involving people broadly on critical decisions and
> major changes, we all know that this rarely happens. The fact that this
> major change was known by the board "some time ago" and has not been shared
> until now needs to be explained. If not, then the distrust will be even
> greater and any overtures to invite, involve and include will be met with
> great skepticism and distrust.  Individuals on the receiving end also need
> time to understand and process the information. When we hear bad news the
> first time, we don't quickly understand it, nor do we hear it accurately.
> Too many emotions.
>
> To further compound it, once leaders have made their decisions and are
> ready to announce, how soon they forget what it was to not know, to live
> with the uncertainty, the fear, etc.  They are ready to move on when others
> are not; they want to mitigate the negative impact to the business and
> forget to leave time and space for people to have their  own "aw shit"
> moments, alone and together.
>
> How often I have seen leaders and others misjudge the early negative
> reactions when people on the receiving end  are trying to absorb bad news.
> Applying labels like "not a team player" or "immature".  Applauding those
> who seem to be more in control of their emotions when in fact, the opposite
> is true; they are just as aggrieved if not more as the others.
>
> So Karolina as I describe all this, perhaps what I'm saying is that "less
> is more".  No similar stories (they will never feel like their own story),
> no designing the "best experience for change" just giving people the facts
> and some room to breathe and absorb.  Inviting leaders "to let go" is a
> mammoth task but surprisingly when people are given time and space to vent,
> space seems to open for a new future to be created.
>
> Thank you Karolina for asking us. I appreciated the 

Re: [OSList] OST for big changes in company

[Anna Caroline Türk via OSList]

Thank you Suzanne for sharing. It really resonates with me. 

much Love 
Anna Caroline 







Anna Caroline Türk

+ 49 (0) 176 248 72254
Skype: AnnaCarolineTuerk

www.TruthCircles.com


> On 10 Jun 2016, at 20:13, Suzanne Daigle via OSList 
>  wrote:
> 
> Dear Karolina,
> 
> I am sure I am stating the obvious in what I am writing. I am not providing 
> solutions, answers or recommendations. Nonetheless, perhaps some of what I've 
> described will be useful, added to what others have contributed. 
> 
> Without knowing what the news is or how much people will be impacted by it 
> (job losses, changes in roles and responsibilities, sale of a company or a 
> division, relocation, reasons for the board to be making the decision 
> (imposed or by choice), financial decision, market, etc?  - my inclination is 
> to focus on sharing the facts as directly and simply as possible, explaining 
> the context of what led to the decision and what's known and not known. 
> 
> Perhaps some people will view this major change as positive for themselves 
> whereas others will see it as a major loss. A mix of guilt and fear, anger, 
> frustration, hope, relief because some individuals sensed it was coming 
> whereas for others, it came as a complete surprise. All these reactions can 
> happen at the same time. Nothing predictable. We need to make space for those 
> reactions without creating an event to do so. In a business as usual sort of 
> way that is respectful. There will be time later to focus on the future. 
> 
> Without judging the circumstances and as much as we would want leaders and 
> their senior teams to be involving people broadly on critical decisions and 
> major changes, we all know that this rarely happens. The fact that this major 
> change was known by the board "some time ago" and has not been shared until 
> now needs to be explained. If not, then the distrust will be even greater and 
> any overtures to invite, involve and include will be met with great 
> skepticism and distrust.  Individuals on the receiving end also need time to 
> understand and process the information. When we hear bad news the first time, 
> we don't quickly understand it, nor do we hear it accurately.  Too many 
> emotions. 
> 
> To further compound it, once leaders have made their decisions and are ready 
> to announce, how soon they forget what it was to not know, to live with the 
> uncertainty, the fear, etc.  They are ready to move on when others are not; 
> they want to mitigate the negative impact to the business and forget to leave 
> time and space for people to have their  own "aw shit" moments, alone and 
> together. 
> 
> How often I have seen leaders and others misjudge the early negative 
> reactions when people on the receiving end  are trying to absorb bad news. 
> Applying labels like "not a team player" or "immature".  Applauding those who 
> seem to be more in control of their emotions when in fact, the opposite is 
> true; they are just as aggrieved if not more as the others. 
> 
> So Karolina as I describe all this, perhaps what I'm saying is that "less is 
> more".  No similar stories (they will never feel like their own story), no 
> designing the "best experience for change" just giving people the facts and 
> some room to breathe and absorb.  Inviting leaders "to let go" is a mammoth 
> task but surprisingly when people are given time and space to vent, space 
> seems to open for a new future to be created. 
> 
> Thank you Karolina for asking us. I appreciated the opportunity to relive 
> experiences from my past -- before I had ever heard of Open Space. It 
> reminded me of the great value of "not doing" versus "doing too much, too 
> fast".
> 
> Suzanne
> 
> 
> Suzanne Daigle
> Open Space Facilitator
> NuFocus Strategic Group
> 
> FL 941-359-8877
> Cell: 203-722-2009
> www.nufocusgroup.com
> s.dai...@nufocusgroup.com
> Twitter @Daiglesuz
> 
> 
>> On Thu, Jun 2, 2016 at 9:53 AM, Karolina Iwa via OSList 
>>  wrote:
>> dear group, 
>> 
>> i am seeking advice and stories.
>> 
>> on monday i have a meeting with the board of a company we've been supporting 
>> for the last year in their growth. some time ago they decided to make a 
>> major change (cannot get into more details at this point), which most 
>> probably a. will make quite some people in the company experience negative 
>> emotions and b. is coming quite unexpectedly. 
>> 
>> the board intends at designing the best change experience they can in the 
>> moment of communicating the changes and after. 
>> 
>> we intend to open the space after the news has been shared + the reasons 
>> behind it & consequences for the company & employees have been communicated, 
>> so i am wondering - from your experience:
>> 
>> - what would be similar stories you took part in / heard of?
>> - what can be helpful / should we pay attention to while preparing the 
>> meeting for the board and with the 

Re: [OSList] OST for big changes in company

[Suzanne Daigle via OSList]

Dear Karolina,

I am sure I am stating the obvious in what I am writing. I am not providing
solutions, answers or recommendations. Nonetheless, perhaps some of what
I've described will be useful, added to what others have contributed.

Without knowing what the news is or how much people will be impacted by it
(job losses, changes in roles and responsibilities, sale of a company or a
division, relocation, reasons for the board to be making the decision
(imposed or by choice), financial decision, market, etc?  - my inclination
is to focus on sharing the facts as directly and simply as possible,
explaining the context of what led to the decision and what's known and not
known.

Perhaps some people will view this major change as positive for themselves
whereas others will see it as a major loss. A mix of guilt and fear, anger,
frustration, hope, relief because some individuals sensed it was coming
whereas for others, it came as a complete surprise. All these reactions can
happen at the same time. Nothing predictable. We need to make space for
those reactions without creating an event to do so. In a business as usual
sort of way that is respectful. There will be time later to focus on the
future.

Without judging the circumstances and as much as we would want leaders and
their senior teams to be involving people broadly on critical decisions and
major changes, we all know that this rarely happens. The fact that this
major change was known by the board "some time ago" and has not been shared
until now needs to be explained. If not, then the distrust will be even
greater and any overtures to invite, involve and include will be met with
great skepticism and distrust.  Individuals on the receiving end also need
time to understand and process the information. When we hear bad news the
first time, we don't quickly understand it, nor do we hear it accurately.
Too many emotions.

To further compound it, once leaders have made their decisions and are
ready to announce, how soon they forget what it was to not know, to live
with the uncertainty, the fear, etc.  They are ready to move on when others
are not; they want to mitigate the negative impact to the business and
forget to leave time and space for people to have their  own "aw shit"
moments, alone and together.

How often I have seen leaders and others misjudge the early negative
reactions when people on the receiving end  are trying to absorb bad news.
Applying labels like "not a team player" or "immature".  Applauding those
who seem to be more in control of their emotions when in fact, the opposite
is true; they are just as aggrieved if not more as the others.

So Karolina as I describe all this, perhaps what I'm saying is that "less
is more".  No similar stories (they will never feel like their own story),
no designing the "best experience for change" just giving people the facts
and some room to breathe and absorb.  Inviting leaders "to let go" is a
mammoth task but surprisingly when people are given time and space to vent,
space seems to open for a new future to be created.

Thank you Karolina for asking us. I appreciated the opportunity to relive
experiences from my past -- before I had ever heard of Open Space. It
reminded me of the great value of "not doing" versus "doing too much, too
fast".

Suzanne


Suzanne Daigle
Open Space Facilitator
NuFocus Strategic Group

FL 941-359-8877
Cell: 203-722-2009
www.nufocusgroup.com
s.dai...@nufocusgroup.com
Twitter @Daiglesuz


On Thu, Jun 2, 2016 at 9:53 AM, Karolina Iwa via OSList <
oslist@lists.openspacetech.org> wrote:

> dear group,
>
> i am seeking advice and stories.
>
> on monday i have a meeting with the board of a company we've been
> supporting for the last year in their growth. some time ago they decided to
> make a major change (cannot get into more details at this point), which
> most probably a. will make quite some people in the company experience
> negative emotions and b. is coming quite unexpectedly.
>
> the board intends at designing the best change experience they can in the
> moment of communicating the changes and after.
>
> we intend to open the space after the news has been shared + the reasons
> behind it & consequences for the company & employees have been
> communicated, so i am wondering - from your experience:
>
> - what would be similar stories you took part in / heard of?
> - what can be helpful / should we pay attention to while preparing the
> meeting for the board and with the board preparing the whole organisation
> meeting?
>
> thanks in advance for sharing.
>
> karolina.
>
>
>
> 
> *karolina iwa*
> social innovation
> senior facilitator
> blog  I twitter
>  I l
> inkedin
> 
> +49 15774 932193
> 
>
>
>
>
> 

Re: [OSList] OST for big changes in company

[Daniel Mezick via OSList]

Greetings All,

This thread is interesting to me.

When I started paying attention to OST, I noticed that participation in 
the event was “by invitation” and that OST events by definition cannot 
mandate anyone's participation.



For me, that took awhile to grasp. I learned that an essential feature 
of OST is the authentic invitation, one where the “no, thank you” is 
genuinely respected.


Since then, I continue to try to learn more about invitation. And then 
this thread appears.


Karolina says “…some time ago *they decided* to make a major change…” 
and that this change“…most probably a. will make quite some people in 
the company experience negative emotions and b. *is coming quite 
unexpectedly.*”



So it appears that the last chapter of this big-company story is already 
written. Right? The higher-ups are calling the tune.


They are the de facto authors of the new story. The ending is already 
written...


Hmm. As Harrison has previously explained in the Wave Rider book (pg 132...)

“...High Play is the antidote to dogmatic thinking and therefore an 
essential companion to High Learning. It is also fun.


"In [some organizations], play is strictly prohibited, for after all 
there is work to be done, and it is always very serious. Even worse, 
Play, almost by definition, is out of control – which is what makes it 
fun. *Can you imagine anything worse than playing a game where the 
results are always known in advance? Boring!”*



And so I like also what Bhavesh says. Is this heresy? If so, I like it:

"...*Maybe there is more work to be done* in presenting and processing 
the information together to reach a point where *everyone understands 
what is happening* and why, and can raise their questions and concerns, 
and *can be listened to*, etc, and when that phase is over, to then 
explore where we go from here within the given constraints, and then 
having clarified the theme/scope, go into OST?"



A sort of add-on to this idea, is the idea that we can invite the folks 
to "try the contemplated change on, to act as if", or to "suspend 
disbelief," as an experiment. An experiment to be inspected. With 
nothing set in stone- yet. We can issue an invitation to write the new 
story and be a character in the new story. This is one of the essentials 
of agile thinking, the idea that nothing is set in stone, everything is 
to be inspected, and the awkward learning from that is then rolled into 
the next awkward chapter of the (emerging) story.


But that's far too ambiguous. Dangerous too. After all, who knows how it 
might end?





On 6/6/16 2:32 AM, Bhavesh Patel via OSList wrote:

Hey Karolina,

My reaction to this email was to ask WHY OST?

As an employee I hear about an unexpected change, therefore I have not 
been consulted, it looks like it will lead to some negative emotions 
and maybe consequences, and then I am told that I am now free to take 
responsibility for what I am passionate about... will this lead to 
"​/the best change experience they can in the moment of communicating 
the changes and after/"?


Maybe Yes, maybe No, I feel concerned. Maybe there is more work to be 
done in presenting and processing the information together to reach a 
point where everyone understands what is happening and why, and can 
raise their questions and concerns, and can be listened to, etc, and 
when that phase is over, to then explore where we go from here within 
the given constraints, and then having clarified the theme/scope, go 
into OST?


Having said all that, you know the company and the context and OST, so 
if it feels right for you, then you would be the best judge of that.



Smiles Bhav...




On 2 June 2016 at 16:53, Karolina Iwa via OSList 
> wrote:


dear group,

i am seeking advice and stories.

on monday i have a meeting with the board of a company we've been
supporting for the last year in their growth. some time ago they
decided to make a major change (cannot get into more details at
this point), which most probably a. will make quite some people in
the company experience negative emotions and b. is coming quite
unexpectedly.

the board intends at designing
​​
the best change experience they can in the moment of communicating
the changes and after.

we intend to open the space after the news has been shared + the
reasons behind it & consequences for the company & employees have
been communicated, so i am wondering - from your experience:

- what would be similar stories you took part in / heard of?
- what can be helpful / should we pay attention to while preparing
the meeting for the board and with the board preparing the whole
organisation meeting?

thanks in advance for sharing.

karolina.




*karolina iwa*
social innovation
senior facilitator
blog 

Re: [OSList] OST for big changes in company

[Michael M Pannwitz via OSList]

Smiling back at you, Bhav.

Knowing all of us being in charge and in dire need of frequent breaks I 
cherish the moment you turn up in Berlin, beer sounds just right.


hugs
mmp


On 06.06.2016 11:41, Bhavesh Patel wrote:

Ah the world would be a simpler place if we just put you in charge
Michael, so that you could then put us all back in charge!!!

Looking forward to our next beer in Berlin.


Smiles Bhav...

On 6 June 2016 at 12:34, Michael M Pannwitz > wrote:

Dear Karolina,

here I am tickled to react to your question especially in context
with Bhavs note:

I think that there is a much easier way to have the sponsor find out
whether ost fits his situation, its really of no importance if I as
facilitator find out whether it fits.
Simply go through the preconditions for an open space event that has
at its nucleus the attempt to widen the space for the forces of
selforganisation to unfold:

--- is attendance voluntary?
--- is it an open question?
--- is it a complex issue (not simply a complicated matter)?
--- is there sufficient diversity as far as participants is concerned?
--- is it a situation of conflict?
--- is it urgent?

In case the sponsor finds all preconditions sufficently in place I
as faciliator give him all the promises we usually list.
I have found this approach to entail the least amount of work for me
and keeps all the responsibility where it should be, with the sponsor.

Have a sunny week
greetings from Berlin
mmp

On 06.06.2016 08:32, Bhavesh Patel via OSList wrote:

Hey Karolina,

My reaction to this email was to ask WHY OST?

As an employee I hear about an unexpected change, therefore I
have not
been consulted, it looks like it will lead to some negative
emotions and
maybe consequences, and then I am told that I am now free to take
responsibility for what I am passionate about... will this lead
to "​
/the best change experience they can in the moment of
communicating the
changes and after/"?

Maybe Yes, maybe No, I feel concerned. Maybe there is more work
to be
done in presenting and processing the information together to
reach a
point where everyone understands what is happening and why, and can
raise their questions and concerns, and can be listened to, etc, and
when that phase is over, to then explore where we go from here
within
the given constraints, and then having clarified the theme/scope, go
into OST?

Having said all that, you know the company and the context and
OST, so
if it feels right for you, then you would be the best judge of that.


Smiles Bhav...




On 2 June 2016 at 16:53, Karolina Iwa via OSList

>>
wrote:

dear group,

i am seeking advice and stories.

on monday i have a meeting with the board of a company we've
been
supporting for the last year in their growth. some time ago they
decided to make a major change (cannot get into more details
at this
point), which most probably a. will make quite some people
in the
company experience negative emotions and b. is coming quite
unexpectedly.

the board intends at designing
​​
the best change experience they can in the moment of
communicating
the changes and after.

we intend to open the space after the news has been shared + the
reasons behind it & consequences for the company & employees
have
been communicated, so i am wondering - from your experience:

- what would be similar stories you took part in / heard of?
- what can be helpful / should we pay attention to while
preparing
the meeting for the board and with the board preparing the whole
organisation meeting?

thanks in advance for sharing.

karolina.




*karolina iwa*
social innovation
senior facilitator
blog  I twitter
 I l
inkedin

+49 15774 932193 

Re: [OSList] OST for big changes in company

[Bhavesh Patel via OSList]

Ah the world would be a simpler place if we just put you in charge
Michael, so that you could then put us all back in charge!!!

Looking forward to our next beer in Berlin.


Smiles Bhav...

On 6 June 2016 at 12:34, Michael M Pannwitz  wrote:

> Dear Karolina,
>
> here I am tickled to react to your question especially in context with
> Bhavs note:
>
> I think that there is a much easier way to have the sponsor find out
> whether ost fits his situation, its really of no importance if I as
> facilitator find out whether it fits.
> Simply go through the preconditions for an open space event that has at
> its nucleus the attempt to widen the space for the forces of
> selforganisation to unfold:
>
> --- is attendance voluntary?
> --- is it an open question?
> --- is it a complex issue (not simply a complicated matter)?
> --- is there sufficient diversity as far as participants is concerned?
> --- is it a situation of conflict?
> --- is it urgent?
>
> In case the sponsor finds all preconditions sufficently in place I as
> faciliator give him all the promises we usually list.
> I have found this approach to entail the least amount of work for me and
> keeps all the responsibility where it should be, with the sponsor.
>
> Have a sunny week
> greetings from Berlin
> mmp
>
> On 06.06.2016 08:32, Bhavesh Patel via OSList wrote:
>
>> Hey Karolina,
>>
>> My reaction to this email was to ask WHY OST?
>>
>> As an employee I hear about an unexpected change, therefore I have not
>> been consulted, it looks like it will lead to some negative emotions and
>> maybe consequences, and then I am told that I am now free to take
>> responsibility for what I am passionate about... will this lead to "​
>> /the best change experience they can in the moment of communicating the
>> changes and after/"?
>>
>> Maybe Yes, maybe No, I feel concerned. Maybe there is more work to be
>> done in presenting and processing the information together to reach a
>> point where everyone understands what is happening and why, and can
>> raise their questions and concerns, and can be listened to, etc, and
>> when that phase is over, to then explore where we go from here within
>> the given constraints, and then having clarified the theme/scope, go
>> into OST?
>>
>> Having said all that, you know the company and the context and OST, so
>> if it feels right for you, then you would be the best judge of that.
>>
>>
>> Smiles Bhav...
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> On 2 June 2016 at 16:53, Karolina Iwa via OSList
>> >
>> wrote:
>>
>> dear group,
>>
>> i am seeking advice and stories.
>>
>> on monday i have a meeting with the board of a company we've been
>> supporting for the last year in their growth. some time ago they
>> decided to make a major change (cannot get into more details at this
>> point), which most probably a. will make quite some people in the
>> company experience negative emotions and b. is coming quite
>> unexpectedly.
>>
>> the board intends at designing
>> ​​
>> the best change experience they can in the moment of communicating
>> the changes and after.
>>
>> we intend to open the space after the news has been shared + the
>> reasons behind it & consequences for the company & employees have
>> been communicated, so i am wondering - from your experience:
>>
>> - what would be similar stories you took part in / heard of?
>> - what can be helpful / should we pay attention to while preparing
>> the meeting for the board and with the board preparing the whole
>> organisation meeting?
>>
>> thanks in advance for sharing.
>>
>> karolina.
>>
>>
>>
>> 
>> *karolina iwa*
>> social innovation
>> senior facilitator
>> blog  I twitter
>>  I l
>> inkedin
>> 
>> +49 15774 932193 
>> 
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> ___
>> OSList mailing list
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>>
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>> To unsubscribe send an email to oslist-le...@lists.openspacetech.org
>> To subscribe or manage your 

Re: [OSList] OST for big changes in company

[Michael M Pannwitz via OSList]

Dear Karolina,

here I am tickled to react to your question especially in context with 
Bhavs note:


I think that there is a much easier way to have the sponsor find out 
whether ost fits his situation, its really of no importance if I as 
facilitator find out whether it fits.
Simply go through the preconditions for an open space event that has at 
its nucleus the attempt to widen the space for the forces of 
selforganisation to unfold:


--- is attendance voluntary?
--- is it an open question?
--- is it a complex issue (not simply a complicated matter)?
--- is there sufficient diversity as far as participants is concerned?
--- is it a situation of conflict?
--- is it urgent?

In case the sponsor finds all preconditions sufficently in place I as 
faciliator give him all the promises we usually list.
I have found this approach to entail the least amount of work for me and 
keeps all the responsibility where it should be, with the sponsor.


Have a sunny week
greetings from Berlin
mmp

On 06.06.2016 08:32, Bhavesh Patel via OSList wrote:

Hey Karolina,

My reaction to this email was to ask WHY OST?

As an employee I hear about an unexpected change, therefore I have not
been consulted, it looks like it will lead to some negative emotions and
maybe consequences, and then I am told that I am now free to take
responsibility for what I am passionate about... will this lead to "​
/the best change experience they can in the moment of communicating the
changes and after/"?

Maybe Yes, maybe No, I feel concerned. Maybe there is more work to be
done in presenting and processing the information together to reach a
point where everyone understands what is happening and why, and can
raise their questions and concerns, and can be listened to, etc, and
when that phase is over, to then explore where we go from here within
the given constraints, and then having clarified the theme/scope, go
into OST?

Having said all that, you know the company and the context and OST, so
if it feels right for you, then you would be the best judge of that.


Smiles Bhav...




On 2 June 2016 at 16:53, Karolina Iwa via OSList
>
wrote:

dear group,

i am seeking advice and stories.

on monday i have a meeting with the board of a company we've been
supporting for the last year in their growth. some time ago they
decided to make a major change (cannot get into more details at this
point), which most probably a. will make quite some people in the
company experience negative emotions and b. is coming quite
unexpectedly.

the board intends at designing
​​
the best change experience they can in the moment of communicating
the changes and after.

we intend to open the space after the news has been shared + the
reasons behind it & consequences for the company & employees have
been communicated, so i am wondering - from your experience:

- what would be similar stories you took part in / heard of?
- what can be helpful / should we pay attention to while preparing
the meeting for the board and with the board preparing the whole
organisation meeting?

thanks in advance for sharing.

karolina.




*karolina iwa*
social innovation
senior facilitator
blog  I twitter
 I l
inkedin

+49 15774 932193 





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--
Michael M Pannwitz
Draisweg 1, 12209 Berlin, Germany
++49 - 30-772 8000



Check out the Open Space World Map presently showing 407 resident Open 
Space Workers in 68 countries working in a total of 144 countries 
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To 

Re: [OSList] OST for big changes in company

[Bhavesh Patel via OSList]

Hey Karolina,

My reaction to this email was to ask WHY OST?

As an employee I hear about an unexpected change, therefore I have not been
consulted, it looks like it will lead to some negative emotions and maybe
consequences, and then I am told that I am now free to take responsibility
for what I am passionate about... will this lead to "​*the best change
experience they can in the moment of communicating the changes and after*"?

Maybe Yes, maybe No, I feel concerned. Maybe there is more work to be done
in presenting and processing the information together to reach a point
where everyone understands what is happening and why, and can raise their
questions and concerns, and can be listened to, etc, and when that phase is
over, to then explore where we go from here within the given constraints,
and then having clarified the theme/scope, go into OST?

Having said all that, you know the company and the context and OST, so if
it feels right for you, then you would be the best judge of that.


Smiles Bhav...




On 2 June 2016 at 16:53, Karolina Iwa via OSList <
oslist@lists.openspacetech.org> wrote:

> dear group,
>
> i am seeking advice and stories.
>
> on monday i have a meeting with the board of a company we've been
> supporting for the last year in their growth. some time ago they decided to
> make a major change (cannot get into more details at this point), which
> most probably a. will make quite some people in the company experience
> negative emotions and b. is coming quite unexpectedly.
>
> the board intends at designing
> ​​
> the best change experience they can in the moment of communicating the
> changes and after.
>
> we intend to open the space after the news has been shared + the reasons
> behind it & consequences for the company & employees have been
> communicated, so i am wondering - from your experience:
>
> - what would be similar stories you took part in / heard of?
> - what can be helpful / should we pay attention to while preparing the
> meeting for the board and with the board preparing the whole organisation
> meeting?
>
> thanks in advance for sharing.
>
> karolina.
>
>
>
> 
> *karolina iwa*
> social innovation
> senior facilitator
> blog  I twitter
>  I l
> inkedin
> 
> +49 15774 932193
> 
>
>
>
>
> ___
> OSList mailing list
> To post send emails to OSList@lists.openspacetech.org
> To unsubscribe send an email to oslist-le...@lists.openspacetech.org
> To subscribe or manage your subscription click below:
> http://lists.openspacetech.org/listinfo.cgi/oslist-openspacetech.org
> Past archives can be viewed here:
> http://www.mail-archive.com/oslist@lists.openspacetech.org
>
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Re: [OSList] OST for big changes in company

[Harrison Owen via OSList]

Koos – I couldn’t possibly have said it better. You, however and always, are 
infinitely more nuanced and diplomatic than myself. 

 

Inviting people into Open Space (open space) is a magnificent way to enable the 
unleashing of innovation (of all sorts), ownership, and best of all, 
follow-thru – all combined with the capacity to turn on a Dime (small US coin), 
known as Agility. 

 

However. 

 

Using Open Space to sell/modify/implement some prior arrangement is asking for 
trouble. It CAN work. And has done so. BUT – it might just happen that the 
people involved (that would be ALL the people) take the invitation seriously 
and at face value. This could mean that the “well laid plans” are “toast” – 
Using an Americanism that somebody other than myself will have to translate.

 

I don’t happen to have a copy of “The User’s Guide” – being in my northern 
retreat for the summer – but I distinctly recall writing something to the 
effect that OS was a great way to create a vision for the future, but a 
terrible way to sell it. I believe I wrote that 25 years ago – but no matter, I 
am stuck with it.

 

Thanks Koos!

 

Harrison  

 

From: OSList [mailto:oslist-boun...@lists.openspacetech.org] On Behalf Of Koos 
de Heer via OSList
Sent: Saturday, June 4, 2016 3:37 PM
To: 'Karolina Iwa'; 'World wide Open Space Technology email list'
Subject: Re: [OSList] OST for big changes in company

 

Hi Karolina,

 

If you have been supporting this company for a while, I assume you are in a 
position to ask questions about their change strategy – maybe you are even 
helping them design their change strategy. If I would be in a position to 
discuss this with them, I think I would ask some more fundamental questions 
first.  This is because for me, the idea behind Open Space is that there is not 
one person (or a small group of people) who has the answers. Usually, when you 
involve the whole system to explore the challenges that are ahead of us, the 
solutions are much better than any one person on their own could ever imagine. 
This is what happens over and over in Open Space and this is why it is so 
great. But this greatness comes with a price and I always discuss this price 
beforehand.

 

So the question is: is there a possibility to put this major change itself on 
the table? How certain are the management of the company that the solution they 
have chosen is the best solution? Could the whole system, brought together in 
Open Space, maybe design an even better solution, with less pain for the people 
in the system? From the perspective of change management, we know that people 
are much more likely to adopt and support a solution they have designed or made 
a contribution to.  

 

If managers choose to use Open Space, I assume they hold the same beliefs that 
are the basis of Open Space: that a solution discovered and designed together 
by the whole system is usually much more sustainable and more successful in the 
long run. This belief seems to contradict with your story of a management team 
designing a solution on their own and using Open Space only to give this 
solution a softer landing. I don’t think this is a very good way to use Open 
Space. What is the true belief of this management team? Do they believe in the 
positive energy and the creativity of the people? Do they really trust the 
people who work for them? If they do, I would suggest they involve the people 
in the decision making. If they don’t, then Open Space is not for them.

 

Koos

 

Van: OSList [mailto:oslist-boun...@lists.openspacetech.org] Namens Karolina Iwa 
via OSList
Verzonden: donderdag 2 juni 2016 15:53
Aan: World wide Open Space Technology email list 
<oslist@lists.openspacetech.org>
Onderwerp: [OSList] OST for big changes in company

 

dear group, 

i am seeking advice and stories.

on monday i have a meeting with the board of a company we've been supporting 
for the last year in their growth. some time ago they decided to make a major 
change (cannot get into more details at this point), which most probably a. 
will make quite some people in the company experience negative emotions and b. 
is coming quite unexpectedly. 

the board intends at designing the best change experience they can in the 
moment of communicating the changes and after. 

we intend to open the space after the news has been shared + the reasons behind 
it & consequences for the company & employees have been communicated, so i am 
wondering - from your experience:

- what would be similar stories you took part in / heard of?

- what can be helpful / should we pay attention to while preparing the meeting 
for the board and with the board preparing the whole organisation meeting?

thanks in advance for sharing.



karolina.





  <https://ssl.gstatic.com/ui/v1/icons/mail/images/cleardot.gif> 

karolina iwa

social innovation

senior facilitator

blog <http://www.karolinaiwa.com>  I tw

Re: [OSList] OST for big changes in company

[Koos de Heer via OSList]

Hi Karolina,

 

If you have been supporting this company for a while, I assume you are in a 
position to ask questions about their change strategy – maybe you are even 
helping them design their change strategy. If I would be in a position to 
discuss this with them, I think I would ask some more fundamental questions 
first.  This is because for me, the idea behind Open Space is that there is not 
one person (or a small group of people) who has the answers. Usually, when you 
involve the whole system to explore the challenges that are ahead of us, the 
solutions are much better than any one person on their own could ever imagine. 
This is what happens over and over in Open Space and this is why it is so 
great. But this greatness comes with a price and I always discuss this price 
beforehand.

 

So the question is: is there a possibility to put this major change itself on 
the table? How certain are the management of the company that the solution they 
have chosen is the best solution? Could the whole system, brought together in 
Open Space, maybe design an even better solution, with less pain for the people 
in the system? From the perspective of change management, we know that people 
are much more likely to adopt and support a solution they have designed or made 
a contribution to.  

 

If managers choose to use Open Space, I assume they hold the same beliefs that 
are the basis of Open Space: that a solution discovered and designed together 
by the whole system is usually much more sustainable and more successful in the 
long run. This belief seems to contradict with your story of a management team 
designing a solution on their own and using Open Space only to give this 
solution a softer landing. I don’t think this is a very good way to use Open 
Space. What is the true belief of this management team? Do they believe in the 
positive energy and the creativity of the people? Do they really trust the 
people who work for them? If they do, I would suggest they involve the people 
in the decision making. If they don’t, then Open Space is not for them.

 

Koos

 

Van: OSList [mailto:oslist-boun...@lists.openspacetech.org] Namens Karolina Iwa 
via OSList
Verzonden: donderdag 2 juni 2016 15:53
Aan: World wide Open Space Technology email list 
<oslist@lists.openspacetech.org>
Onderwerp: [OSList] OST for big changes in company

 

dear group, 

i am seeking advice and stories.

on monday i have a meeting with the board of a company we've been supporting 
for the last year in their growth. some time ago they decided to make a major 
change (cannot get into more details at this point), which most probably a. 
will make quite some people in the company experience negative emotions and b. 
is coming quite unexpectedly. 

the board intends at designing the best change experience they can in the 
moment of communicating the changes and after. 

we intend to open the space after the news has been shared + the reasons behind 
it & consequences for the company & employees have been communicated, so i am 
wondering - from your experience:

- what would be similar stories you took part in / heard of?

- what can be helpful / should we pay attention to while preparing the meeting 
for the board and with the board preparing the whole organisation meeting?

thanks in advance for sharing.



karolina.





  <https://ssl.gstatic.com/ui/v1/icons/mail/images/cleardot.gif> 

karolina iwa

social innovation

senior facilitator

blog <http://www.karolinaiwa.com>  I twitter <https://twitter.com/karolinaiwa>  
I l <http://de.linkedin.com/pub/karolina-iwa/58/9b6/403> inkedin 
<http://de.linkedin.com/pub/karolina-iwa/58/9b6/403>   
+49 15774 932193







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Past archives can be viewed here: 
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Re: [OSList] OST for big changes in company

[Harrison Owen via OSList]

Birgitt --- who knows what I wrote when. You Do! And … I’ve always found that 
Endings and Beginnings are always simultaneous. For those involved it is 
Beginning/Ending/Beginning/Ending… all at once, all over again, and 
repetitively. So you are pretty safe with any kind of question. Just open some 
space, and get out of the way. Grief will process. Hope will manifest. The 
Present Moment will grow. The folks will get there (or not) given the 
space/time.

 

We can only stand by… respectful. I think.

 

ho  

 

From: OSList [mailto:oslist-boun...@lists.openspacetech.org] On Behalf Of 
Birgitt Williams via OSList
Sent: Thursday, June 2, 2016 4:49 PM
To: World wide Open Space Technology email list; Karolina Iwa
Subject: Re: [OSList] OST for big changes in company

 

Hi Karolina,

An article that Harrison wrote a very long time ago has a title that I believe 
is called 'Endings and Beginnings'. I believe this article is from before OST 
was birthed, it is that long ago. It is probably archived on the wiki site. I 
have found it useful to circulate as a resource to read, probably for the 
Board, planners, and maybe for anyone in the company who cares to read it if 
you circulate it.

 

Ideally there should be a pause before announcing the news and heading into an 
OST meeting so that the meeting is not all about processing the shock. If you 
do not leave some space and time for people, such as a nights sleep, the 
extremes of how people handle shock and how quickly they process or don''t 
process their grief beyond shock will get in the way. Worst scenario without 
sufficient time is the unnecessary conflict is caused as some people will stay 
in shock, some will move forward rapidly to 'what is next', and unnecessary and 
likely harsh judgments of each other will set in that might haunt the company 
in continual conflict for decades. A night's sleep is really not much space 
between the 'event' of the news and the OST meeting, but it is better than no 
pause and sometimes it is all that is possible.

 

In such circumstances, I absolutely avoid having the OST meeting be about 'the 
future'. People in the early stages of grief cannot have good discussions about 
the future. I do have OST meetings when there are endings, about the present 
ie: with these changes, what issues and opportunities do we need to handle in 
the present'. Doing this is a big enough stretch for people.

 

One example that comes to mind is a company that thought it was losing its 
major contract, and it did. We facilitated an OST meeting when the owners 
assumed the news would be bad, asking for the company personnel to consider how 
they would like the potential situation to be handled as it would cause layoffs 
etc. They came up with great ideas. When the bad news happened, management 
followed through on what had been agreed upon as to how to handle it.

 

If I was the consultant with this situation that you have, I would be putting 
more emphasis on having a good method for facilitating the news being given, 
and giving people with different learning styles the opportunity to get on the 
same page with each other about what the news actually is. I use Whole Person 
Process Facilitation...then a nights sleepthen the OST.

 

Best of luck,

Birgitt

On Thu, Jun 2, 2016 at 11:11 AM Eleder_BuM via OSList 
<oslist@lists.openspacetech.org> wrote:

so interesting, karol!

no such experience up to date.

eager to read the stories.

i'll see and share if any idea comes to my mind regarding your 2nd question, 
anyway.

best of lucks,

love,

 

eleder

 

2016-06-02 15:53 GMT+02:00 Karolina Iwa via OSList 
<oslist@lists.openspacetech.org>:

dear group, 

i am seeking advice and stories.

on monday i have a meeting with the board of a company we've been supporting 
for the last year in their growth. some time ago they decided to make a major 
change (cannot get into more details at this point), which most probably a. 
will make quite some people in the company experience negative emotions and b. 
is coming quite unexpectedly. 

the board intends at designing the best change experience they can in the 
moment of communicating the changes and after. 

we intend to open the space after the news has been shared + the reasons behind 
it & consequences for the company & employees have been communicated, so i am 
wondering - from your experience:

- what would be similar stories you took part in / heard of?

- what can be helpful / should we pay attention to while preparing the meeting 
for the board and with the board preparing the whole organisation meeting?

thanks in advance for sharing.



karolina.





  <https://ssl.gstatic.com/ui/v1/icons/mail/images/cleardot.gif> 

karolina iwa

social innovation

senior facilitator

blog <http://www.karolinaiwa.com>  I twitter <https://twitter.com/karolinaiwa>  
I l <http://de.linkedin.com/pub/karolina-iwa/58/9b6/

Re: [OSList] OST for big changes in company

[Birgitt Williams via OSList]

Hi Karolina,
An article that Harrison wrote a very long time ago has a title that I
believe is called 'Endings and Beginnings'. I believe this article is from
before OST was birthed, it is that long ago. It is probably archived on the
wiki site. I have found it useful to circulate as a resource to read,
probably for the Board, planners, and maybe for anyone in the company who
cares to read it if you circulate it.

Ideally there should be a pause before announcing the news and heading into
an OST meeting so that the meeting is not all about processing the shock.
If you do not leave some space and time for people, such as a nights sleep,
the extremes of how people handle shock and how quickly they process or
don''t process their grief beyond shock will get in the way. Worst scenario
without sufficient time is the unnecessary conflict is caused as some
people will stay in shock, some will move forward rapidly to 'what is
next', and unnecessary and likely harsh judgments of each other will set in
that might haunt the company in continual conflict for decades. A night's
sleep is really not much space between the 'event' of the news and the OST
meeting, but it is better than no pause and sometimes it is all that is
possible.

In such circumstances, I absolutely avoid having the OST meeting be about
'the future'. People in the early stages of grief cannot have good
discussions about the future. I do have OST meetings when there are
endings, about the present ie: with these changes, what issues and
opportunities do we need to handle in the present'. Doing this is a big
enough stretch for people.

One example that comes to mind is a company that thought it was losing its
major contract, and it did. We facilitated an OST meeting when the owners
assumed the news would be bad, asking for the company personnel to consider
how they would like the potential situation to be handled as it would cause
layoffs etc. They came up with great ideas. When the bad news happened,
management followed through on what had been agreed upon as to how to
handle it.

If I was the consultant with this situation that you have, I would be
putting more emphasis on having a good method for facilitating the news
being given, and giving people with different learning styles the
opportunity to get on the same page with each other about what the news
actually is. I use Whole Person Process Facilitation...then a nights
sleepthen the OST.

Best of luck,
Birgitt

On Thu, Jun 2, 2016 at 11:11 AM Eleder_BuM via OSList <
oslist@lists.openspacetech.org> wrote:

> so interesting, karol!
> no such experience up to date.
> eager to read the stories.
> i'll see and share if any idea comes to my mind regarding your 2nd
> question, anyway.
>
> best of lucks,
>
> love,
>
> eleder
>
> 2016-06-02 15:53 GMT+02:00 Karolina Iwa via OSList <
> oslist@lists.openspacetech.org>:
>
>> dear group,
>>
>> i am seeking advice and stories.
>>
>> on monday i have a meeting with the board of a company we've been
>> supporting for the last year in their growth. some time ago they decided to
>> make a major change (cannot get into more details at this point), which
>> most probably a. will make quite some people in the company experience
>> negative emotions and b. is coming quite unexpectedly.
>>
>> the board intends at designing the best change experience they can in the
>> moment of communicating the changes and after.
>>
>> we intend to open the space after the news has been shared + the reasons
>> behind it & consequences for the company & employees have been
>> communicated, so i am wondering - from your experience:
>>
>> - what would be similar stories you took part in / heard of?
>> - what can be helpful / should we pay attention to while preparing the
>> meeting for the board and with the board preparing the whole organisation
>> meeting?
>>
>> thanks in advance for sharing.
>>
>> karolina.
>>
>>
>>
>> 
>> *karolina iwa*
>> social innovation
>> senior facilitator
>> blog  I twitter
>>  I l
>> inkedin
>> 
>> +49 15774 932193
>> 
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> ___
>> OSList mailing list
>> To post send emails to OSList@lists.openspacetech.org
>> To unsubscribe send an email to oslist-le...@lists.openspacetech.org
>> To subscribe or manage your subscription click below:
>> http://lists.openspacetech.org/listinfo.cgi/oslist-openspacetech.org
>> Past archives can be viewed here:
>> http://www.mail-archive.com/oslist@lists.openspacetech.org
>>
>
> ___
> OSList mailing list
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> To unsubscribe send an email to oslist-le...@lists.openspacetech.org
> To subscribe or manage your subscription click below:
> 

Re: [OSList] OST for big changes in company

[Eleder_BuM via OSList]

so interesting, karol!
no such experience up to date.
eager to read the stories.
i'll see and share if any idea comes to my mind regarding your 2nd
question, anyway.

best of lucks,

love,

eleder

2016-06-02 15:53 GMT+02:00 Karolina Iwa via OSList <
oslist@lists.openspacetech.org>:

> dear group,
>
> i am seeking advice and stories.
>
> on monday i have a meeting with the board of a company we've been
> supporting for the last year in their growth. some time ago they decided to
> make a major change (cannot get into more details at this point), which
> most probably a. will make quite some people in the company experience
> negative emotions and b. is coming quite unexpectedly.
>
> the board intends at designing the best change experience they can in the
> moment of communicating the changes and after.
>
> we intend to open the space after the news has been shared + the reasons
> behind it & consequences for the company & employees have been
> communicated, so i am wondering - from your experience:
>
> - what would be similar stories you took part in / heard of?
> - what can be helpful / should we pay attention to while preparing the
> meeting for the board and with the board preparing the whole organisation
> meeting?
>
> thanks in advance for sharing.
>
> karolina.
>
>
>
> 
> *karolina iwa*
> social innovation
> senior facilitator
> blog  I twitter
>  I l
> inkedin
> 
> +49 15774 932193
> 
>
>
>
>
> ___
> OSList mailing list
> To post send emails to OSList@lists.openspacetech.org
> To unsubscribe send an email to oslist-le...@lists.openspacetech.org
> To subscribe or manage your subscription click below:
> http://lists.openspacetech.org/listinfo.cgi/oslist-openspacetech.org
> Past archives can be viewed here:
> http://www.mail-archive.com/oslist@lists.openspacetech.org
>
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Past archives can be viewed here: 
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[OSList] OST for big changes in company

[Karolina Iwa via OSList]

dear group,

i am seeking advice and stories.

on monday i have a meeting with the board of a company we've been
supporting for the last year in their growth. some time ago they decided to
make a major change (cannot get into more details at this point), which
most probably a. will make quite some people in the company experience
negative emotions and b. is coming quite unexpectedly.

the board intends at designing the best change experience they can in the
moment of communicating the changes and after.

we intend to open the space after the news has been shared + the reasons
behind it & consequences for the company & employees have been
communicated, so i am wondering - from your experience:

- what would be similar stories you took part in / heard of?
- what can be helpful / should we pay attention to while preparing the
meeting for the board and with the board preparing the whole organisation
meeting?

thanks in advance for sharing.

karolina.




*karolina iwa*
social innovation
senior facilitator
blog  I twitter
 I l
inkedin

+49 15774 932193

___
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To unsubscribe send an email to oslist-le...@lists.openspacetech.org
To subscribe or manage your subscription click below:
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