OS as a Synthesis Tool

[Peggy Holman, Open Space Institute]

As has been demonstrated many times over the last 15 or so years, OS is a
wonderful way to bring openness to closed spaces: to allow the pent up
natural divergence to have room for exploration.

Over the last 2 years, I've been experimenting with OS in a different way.
Often, I've been in environments where the powers that be found the thought
of opening space far too frightening to pursue.  So, I have worked with them
in other ways to make room for new possibilities.

Whatever route is taken to envision new possibilities, there comes a time
when focusing has value.  I believe that focusing is best done through
synthesis.  I want to digress a moment and offer a definition of synthesis.
It's the process of looking at the elements of something and putting them
together in new ways.  So, it is a creative process that by definition,
creates new mental maps.  When we create new mental maps, we think about
things differently.  When we think differently, it changes behavior, which
ultimately leads to different results.

So, when I started to think about better ways of setting priorities, I found
myself guided by some familiar principles: Whoever comes; whatever happens,
etc.  And of course, the law of 2 feet.  In addition to these familiar
friends, I found two other underlying ideas were guiding my thinking.

The first:  the personal is universal.
The second: when people listen to their own internal dialogue, they have a
remarkable capacity to synthesize vast amounts of information and feelings.
As a matter of fact, I believe that the act of looking inside or using
intuition is an act of connecting with spirit.

So, armed with these thoughts, I started experiementing with using OS to
bring focus after a space had been opened for exploration.  What changed is
the sort of question I use to open the space for synthesis.  Rather than an
expansive question, I ask a very personal, reflective question: "Based upon
your view of all of the possibilities discussed and explored, how do you
personally want to use your energy, your two feet to further what's
happened?"  I let them know that if someone posts something similar, to work
with them.  So, rather than encouraging diversity, at this stage, I ask
people to look for common threads.

What I find happens is people come forward with practical ways to live out
what they have been discussing.  And that there are relatively few items
that come up.  The number of areas for focus emerging has ranged from 1 to
5.  The largest group I done this with is about 60.

The other observation I have about this approach is that it really
reinforces the kind of collective consciousness that often happens in an OS.
People hear articulated what they have been thinking about.  It's affirming
and really builds energy for collective action.

During the last Open Space on Open Space, we had a discussion on "Day 3" a
short-hand name for converging after an OS.  Someone had a wonderful quote:

"When we dream alone, it is only a dream
When we dream together, it's the begining of reality."


I would love to hear your reaction to these ideas.

Peg Holman