Open Space Technology - An Explanation
Open Space Technology is a way to enable all kinds of people, in any kind of organisation or community, to create inspired meetings and events. Over the last 30 years, it has also become clear that opening space, as an intentional leadership practice, can create inspired organisations, where ordinary people work together to create extraordinary results with regularity.
In Open Space meetings, events and organisations, participants create and manage their own agenda of parallel working sessions around a central theme of strategic importance, such as:
How do we address our current financial crisis and create a sustainable future together?
Making the most of our budget in the next financial year – issues and opportunities?
How do develop collaboration between teams and agencies – what issues need resolution?
Growing the performance of our team over the next twelve months – let’s do even better!
However, we can guarantee these results when any group gets into Open Space:
In Open Space meetings, events and organisations, participants create and manage their own agenda of parallel working sessions around a central theme of strategic importance, such as:
How do we address our current financial crisis and create a sustainable future together?
Making the most of our budget in the next financial year – issues and opportunities?
How do develop collaboration between teams and agencies – what issues need resolution?
Growing the performance of our team over the next twelve months – let’s do even better!
- How do we make a better life for everyone in our community? With groups of 5 to 2000 -- working in one-day workshops, three-day conferences, or the regular weekly staff meeting -- the common result is a powerful, effective, connecting and strengthening of what's already happening in the organisation: planning and action, learning and doing, passion and responsibility, participation and performance. The results are always remarkable.
- When and Why
Open Space works best when the work to be done is complex, the people and ideas involved are diverse, the passion for resolution (and potential for conflict) are high, and the time to get it done was yesterday. It's been called… passion bounded by responsibility, the energy of a good coffee break, intentional self-organisation, spirit at work, chaos and creativity, evolution in organizational maturity, commitment to emergent design, and a simple, powerful way to get people and organisations moving -- when and where it's needed most.
“Without passion, no-one is interested. Without responsibility, nothing much gets done”
And, while Open Space is known for its apparent lack of structure and welcoming of surprises, it turns out that the Open Space meeting or organisation is actually very structured. The truth is that the structure is so perfectly suited to the people and the work at hand, that it goes unnoticed in its proper role of supporting (not blocking) best work. In fact, the stories and work-plans woven in Open Space are generally more complex, more robust and more sustainable -- and can move forward a great deal faster -- than externally-driven designs.
- Open Space Technology provides participants with an embodied experience of the power and energy of self-organisation at work…
However, we can guarantee these results when any group gets into Open Space:
- All of the issues that are MOST important to the participants will be on the Agenda – should they choose to raise them.
- All of the issues raised will be addressed by those participants who have the most passion and energy for getting something done about them.
- In a time as short as one or two days, all of the most important ideas, discussion, data, recommendations, conclusions, questions for further study, and plans for immediate action will be documented in one comprehensive report (Book of Proceedings) -- finished, printed, emailed or uploaded to participants as they leave. On-site recording enables immediate access to reports and eliminates the need for multiple hard copies and paper waste.
- When appropriate, and time is allowed for it, the total contents of this report document can be focused and prioritized in a matter of a few hours, even with very large groups (100's).
- After an event, all of these results can be made available to an entire organisation or community within hours or days of the event, so the conversation can invite every stakeholder into implementation -- right now.
- AND... results like these can be planned and implemented faster than any other kind of so-called "large-group intervention". It is literally possible to accomplish in days and weeks what some other approaches take months and years to do.
- The good news, and the bad news, is that it works. Good news because it gets people and their work moving, bad news because that may mean lots of things are going to be different than before. Wanted things can appear, unwanted things disappear, and sometime vice versa -- that's how life is.
In short, then Open Space brings life to organizations… and organizations to life!
Video Clips
A 3.5 min clip about Open Space in the city of Harrisonburg, USA, sponsored by the local Mayor, on the theme of Climate Change, at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cPEIM4on648&feature=player_embedded
Jean-Phillips Poupard with Financo (1.58): one of our European colleagues uses OS to address a ‘key business issue' with a group of professionals
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UTEO9CQe7Mw&feature=player_embedded
Alan Halford of the Conflict Company (3.24): sponsored by Business Growth Centre, conversations about business opportunities for Aboriginal business and communities https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4a13oFp9GIk
