Client out of control! Need help!

[Larry Peterson]

Chris & Jay:   I agree with Ralph. Chris:  A speaker that everyone is
expected to attend in the middle of Open Space can deadly. It shifts people
back into dependent, listening mode. There are no good solutions if it has
to happen that day. However, the speaker could go at breakfast and then
Open the Space later in the morning. Even this way, it takes some time for
the initiate and energy to rebuild but it can if the theme is something for
which people have a passion. They day before or after the Open Space is
much better. I have a bigger concern, Chris, and that is what will happen
after Open Space. Is the exec. who will not meet with you willing to allow
any degrees of freedom for action coming out of Open Space. Are people
preparing proposals to go to her? If this is the way she works, there may
be no real freedom for initiative or self-organization and then Open Space
is not a good idea--use a more guided process.

Jay:  I have had people put pre-prepared workshops up in Open Space and had
it work reasonably well--if it fit within the theme and it is information
only a portion of the group will have passion for. Otherwise, workshops
come before or after Opening Space and I have done it successfully both
ways.

Larry

Larry Peterson
Associates in Transformation
41 Appleton Ave., Toronto, ON,
Canada, M6E 3A4
Tel:/Fax: 416-653-4829

lpasoc at inforamp.net
http://www.inforamp.net/~lpasoc