Open Space for a Fledgling Organization

[Birgitt Bolton]

Hello Dylene,
Open Space is a terrific way for a fledgling organization to get its start.
All stakeholders involved and have an Open Space. Find the critical business
issues. And hold separate Open Space's for each of those. And it begins. At
the end of this e-mail, I have a list of the critical ingredients that I pay
attention to in developing an Open Space Organization. It is very simple,
and a very different way to work. You may be able to make sense of the list.
I apologize that I cannot write explanations for each, as I am under a tight
time schedule at the moment and I'm not thinking this will come across too
well by e-mail anyway. Just have assurance that it can be done and I wish
you well with the work! In February of 2000 I am conducting a four day
learning journey about the Open Space Organization in Raleigh, North
Carolina in which we will go over what I have found to work. There is no one
magic formula. All I can do is tell the story the way I have experienced it
and to highlight what I found to be critical to give it the best chance of
working. Organizations I have worked with are pleased with performance
greater than they ever expected. However, at about the three month mark
there is always a period where it doesn't feel good. Harrison calls this
freedom shock and I concur that this is exactly what is happening. I have
had one impassioned person really lambast me for giving him the freedom that
he had wanted, and now was angry that he had it.

There are now several organizations that are intentional Open Space
Organizations amongst the folks that I have been working with (which isn't
to say there aren't others out there--I can only speak to those I know). On
Tuesday, I am meeting with one of these, a health service organization, that
has operated as an Open Space Organization for a year, with results that are
pleasing, the most important of which is very high staff morale and
accessing of the great resources that the staff are (ie: they and their
ideas are actually listened to and acted on).  Another organization that
contacted me last week has been in Open Space as an organizational style for
two years and continues to be pleased that it shifted from "whining" to
being solution focused on an ongoing basis.  There are more examples, many
with good success of achieving on an ongoing basis what we experience in an
Open Space meeting. There are also examples where it hasn't worked (control
sets in, often from the mid management or equivalent level). My own first
experience with an Open Space Organization was when we unintentionally
created one form 1992 through 1995 when I was at the head of a multi service
organization and I came back from my Open Space Training. We worked in
ongoing Open Space for three full years. It can be done.

It is easier to begin an organization as an Open Space Organization than it
is to turn an existing organization to a new way of being. However, both are
possible. The best way to begin is to do two things 1)be absolutely clear
and truthful about the "givens" or "non-negotiables" of an organization
which includes things like purpose, laws of the land etc. and 2) to conduct
many Open Space Technology meetings---the organization I will be with on
Tuesday does all of its staff meetings in Open Space.

As a consultant, I have found that it is imperative that the formal leader
wants a high achieving organization, and to really use the potential of the
workforce. Beyond that, there are similar ingredients that I work with the
organization to pay attention to and to get rid of all of the practices that
are not necessary. Average time for a turn around is about nine months (a
little coincidence in that :-) and the average amount of time I spend with
the organization as an external consultant to work through their transition
(as a midwife) is a total of 30 days over the course of those 9 months. 4 of
those days are spent doing training for the Open Space Organization with the
management team. I am clear that I am not against heirarchies --being an
Open Space Organization does not preclude hierarchies (appropriate structure
is the way to go and if this is appropriate....). Nor am I against middle
management---they just have a different role than they were previously
taught to have.


In the Open Space Organization we pay attention to:

 -the grief cycle at work promoting understanding and tolerance
 -storytelling promoting awareness, collectiveness, empathy, truth
 -the story of the organization including purpose, values
 the deep structure
 -holding as many meetings as possible using Open Space
 -when holding a meeting that is task focused that is not appropriate
for Open Space, hold the meeting with process and format conducive
to the values inherent in Open Space including sitting in a circle
-with no tables, using process facilitation involving whole brain
- working with chaos by learning about it and navigating with it
rather than trying to manage it
-removing barriers
 -clarifying “givens”
 -bringing the processes and changes to everyone’s awareness
 -organizational lifecycle
 -providing resources
 -understanding authority, accountability, responsibility
 -formal leadership committed to working in a different way
 -freedom shock

Hope this helps a little. Any of you who are interested in the learning
journey about this can find the dates on my website. My passion lies not so
much with Open Space Technology as it does with the Open Space Organization.

Birgitt

Birgitt Bolton of Dalar Associates
www.openspacetechnology.com
55 Ravina Cres., Ancaster, Ontario, Canada
 L9G 2E8
phone: 905-648-5775  fax: 905-648-2262

-----Original Message-----
From: OSLIST [mailto:OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU]On Behalf Of Dylene
Cymraes
Sent: Friday, June 18, 1999 12:27 PM
To: OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU
Subject: Open Space for a Fledgling Organization


To All:

I am involved in two different situations, each a new organization in the
beginning steps of truly "organizing".  One is a business that has just
received the financing it needs to move ahead, and is developing toward a
"virtual" model, one of people living and working in different parts of the
country, yet telecommuting, teleconferencing, etc., to keep the business
operating.  It has been built with talented, very individualistic
people--and
the CEO is looking for a way to structure his organization so it will work
at
the best level.  His concern with OS is that he does not want to "lose
control" because of some of the strong personalities involved.
My thought (which I have not shared with him) is that control at this level
is probably illusory anyway, and these people will self-organize--even
though
he is trying to find a way to create the structure so it will be ordered.
I guess the question is this: Can an organization begin from the start with
OS as it's basis?  Harrison gave us the model of the steps a traditional
organization goes through--from entrepreneurial, to workable, to proactive,
to Inspired.  (I know I jumped a step, and probably misnamed one, but the
idea is there.)  Is it possible for an organization to begin operation with
OS, and what are the challenges?

This is probably more a management question, but I would love feedback from
the group--and Harrison, if he is not on his boat by now! <G>

Blessings to all--
Dylene