after the os event

Birgitt Bolton birgitt at worldchat.com
Sun Jun 8 12:20:55 PDT 1997


Matthias, hello and it is good to greet you on-line.

Your strategy following the Open Space event is good for keeping the
results moving forward and using the people to keep removing obstacles
(which is an important job for management).

The only thing that I do differently is always to understand that the
accountability should go back to the whole and not just to management or
convenors. So, at an Open Space event with an intact workgroup I always end
the event by seeing when the group would like to meet again to hear from
each of the groups about the progress made from the issues/opportunities.
Sometimes, the agreement is in four months or six months.The report backs
happen, without anyone along the way having to take a role in making sure
that the work gets done, because the groups do find a way of doing it. We
have a very quick report back that includes what the blocks/obstacles are
and then move into Open Space again to determine issues/opportunities based
on the results in the reports. It works well to keep the whole group
involved. Not everyone can get there, or wants to come, but at least they
know they are welcome.

If you put this into the context of one of the diagrams that Harrison is
using about results from the original Open Space being in three categories
1) Clear (do it!)  2) Cloudy (get more info) and 3) Cloudy and confused (do
another open space) you could see the flow of this all emerging over time.
The "do it" ones should report back quickly that "it" is done, making
everyone feel there is success from the first open space, to be celebrated
and to keep building momentum. The "get more info" should be reporting back
with the info and can now move into "do it" or "don't". And the rest are
subject to further exploration in Open Space. I think you will see
exceptional progression, more so than if it is only going back to the
management/convenors team (and then they feel like more experts at the next
Open Space than the others.

Anyway, that is my viewpoint and experience.

Kindest regards,

Birgitt




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