 Open Space |
||
| Meetings Without Agendas? What, Are You Crazy? "Open Space Technology is, at the very least, a new way to hold better meetings. The normative experience is that groups, large and small (from five to one thousand members), self-organize to effectively deal with hugely complex issues in a very short time. Overt facilitation is minimal to nonexistent, and preplanning, so far as the agenda is concerned, never happens." -- Harrison Owen, originator of Open Space Technology What, you say? You're putting all these people in one room ñ including the ones who don't work well together ñ and you want them all to work on a frustrating organizational problem in a new way? Without an agenda? And give me a break ñ with minimal facilitation? You might think that... a) you're asking for chaos Learn and trust in this process, however, and by the end of a 2-? day session you'll find that...
Most importantly, more will have been accomplished during these few days than months and months of studies, meetings and task forces could ever provide. |
||
| Here's how Open Space works Participants convene in a circle with a basic theme to focus their efforts. The facilitator explains a few short rules to guide the process. Members of the circle are invited to identify any issue connected to the theme for which they have genuine interest and are prepared to take some personal responsibility such as convening a discussion group. Participants write their issue on a piece of paper, announce it to the group, pick a session time and place, and post the paper on the wall. Eventually the wall fills up with issues and ideas, everyone signs up for sessions important to them and off they go. Each session records its discussion and this creates a record of the proceedings. If appropriate, issues are prioritized and groups convene to discuss next steps, timelines, and point-persons before the end of the event. |
||
| What is the facilitator's role? Your role is to define, with the client, whether or not to use OST and if so, to develop the theme together. On the day(s) of the Open Space you convene the group, explain and begin the process, create the environment where participants feel safe and inspired thinking in new ways, maintain that environment, and provide closure. An OST facilitator does not interact with any group because each group consists of individuals with the capacity to self-organize. The facilitator only intervenes if someone feels they must control the process rather than honor and respect the ability of all participants. |
||
| Who is in control here? How can OST be productive without a pre-designed agenda or outcome and without a facilitator? Won't that create chaos? Won't chaos lead to catastrophe? Actually there is very specific structure to the OST process -- just not the structure people usually create in meetings. The result is a new way of working, thinking and communicating, and the results are innovative, concrete, positive, and substantial. |
||
| When should OST not be used? A good facilitator knows that one facilitation approach is not appropriate for every situation. When the people who hold power and authority in an organization feel they must control the outcome and the way that people work together OST cannot be used. A client using OST must commit to staying open to where the experience takes the organization, and since holding an Open Space may lead to innovation, the outcomes of the meeting are unknown until you get there. In Open Space people work together across hierarchy and departmental lines, and indeed when everyone gets back to work it is probable that people will continue to work in a way that is different than the on-paper organizational structure. It would not be appropriate to have an Open Space breakthrough to new ground and then tell everyone ëThanks, I'll take it under advisement.' An Open Space shifts control from one leader to each participant, including the organization's traditional leaders. |
||
| How can my organization use OST? Open Space Technology can be used for strategic planning, needs analysis, conferences, product design, visioning, focus groups, systems analysis, architectural or ecological projects, race and ethnicity discussions, community partnerships, new directions for laboratory research, and much more. Here's the best part: you can easily learn how to facilitate OST by reading several books or attending one training. Some useful resources are... To find out about Open Space Technology trainings... http://www.openspaceworld.com/ |
||
| To begin our "partnering" please contact us by phone at 713.723.6741 or by email at info@dabneyandassoc.com |
||
|
contact us | e-RSVP | resources | help! Dabney and Associates P.O. Box 31516 Houston, Texas 77231-1516 |