OSLIST Digest - 2 Aug 1998 to 7 Aug 1998

[Leon DeKing]

Terry:
   Does the following address your question?  Please advise.

OBSERVATIONS ON SUPERVISOR ADOPTION OF OPEN SPACE PRACTICES
By Leon R. De King, August 12, 1998

INDIRECT MEASURES (Should be pre-confirmed in Open Space with Supervisees)
  1)   Stories Supervisees tell.
  2)   Supervisee retention rate.
  3)   Supervisee absentee rates.
  4)   Work safety trends.
  5)   Production trends.
  6)   Changes in work unit costs.
  7)   Number of suggestions received.
         A)   Practices refinement suggestions.
         B)   Beyond present practices suggestions.
  8)   Changes in De King & Hanlon "Open Space Features Index scores" (Copy
attached.)
  9)   Supervisee "ownership" of departmental and company efforts.

DIRECT MEASURES (Should be pre-confirmed in Open Space with Supervisees)
  1)   Supervisor commitment of own resources to participate in Open Space
events and beyond the event study of Open Space theory & practice (i.e.
join and participate in Open Space Institute).
  2)   Supervisee complaints received.
  3)   Supervisee compliments received.
  4)   Observed use of Open Space Technology.
         A)   Themes focused department meetings.
         B)   Involves Supervisee in specifying theme(s).
         C)   Supervisee specification of theme(s) related issues.
         D)   Acceptance of "beyond the theme" issues statements.
         E)   Publication & distribution of ALL issues raised.
         F)   Group development of issues resolution plans.
         G)   Group creation of plans invocation Task Forces.
         H)   Incidence of extra departmental collaboration.

POTENTIAL PROBLEMS
  1)   "Hawthorne effect."
  2)   Fraudulent manifestations of Open Space supportive behaviors.

IMPLICATIONS FOR FURTHER RESEARCH
  1)   Confirm / refute assertion that supervisor behavior is a neglected
topic in Open Space research./
  2)   We need more studies of long term effects of Open Space "Management."
   Critical mass needed to keep space open and progress evolving (See Bob
Filipzak's "Critical Mass" in Geocities
<www.geocities.com/Athens/Oracle/9215/>  ).



Open Space Features Index

Issue: Where in our own organizations do we see OST(*) aspects in action?
Convened by: Tom Hanlon (1)           Time & Date: Th, 6-5-97, 1:30--3:00 pm
Others Present: Leon De King (2)

Purpose: Use existence of OST aspects present in current organizational
functioning as wedge point for encouraging full application of OST.

Aspects of Open Space Technology                Fullness of Application(%)
Participant(s) equality.

All stakeholders represented.
All participants are volunteers.

Situation parameters specified in advance.
Participants create the agenda.
Participants have decision making authority.
Whoever comes are the right people.
Whenever it starts is the right time.
When it's over it's over.

Whatever happens is the only thing that could have.
Self-generated work groups are typical.
Law of two feet recognized

Work occurs in open, permeable circles.
Spirit fostering opening & closing ceremonies.
Celebrations of group attainments.
Convergence, divergence, convergence...process.
                                                        Sum

                                        Number of aspects            16
                                                Index score


(*) OST = Open Space Technology.
(1) Leader, New Brunswick Department of Education Innovation and
Development Team
(2) Potential Attainment Facilitator working with: (Prescott AZ) Granite
Peak UU Church; Pacific SouthWest District (PSWD) of the Unitarian
Universalist Association of Congregations (UUA); Manzanita Village of
Prescott (CoHousing Development); and Yavapai County (AZ) Juvenile Justice
System Restorative Justice Project.