OS in Arabia

[Bert Elliott]

I have just experienced 45 minute sessions and I would not recommend it. Last week I
ran Open Space as a demonstration for our office group. We had two discussion
sessions, one of 45 minutes and one of 30 minutes. In some of the groups, there was
not enough time to clarify and discuss the issue and develop some sort of action or
next step. So people felt frustrated.

In this situation I also participated as well as facilitated. A cardinal mistake!

loughrey wrote:

> I will be facilitating my first open space next month and it is for my
> church.  I have convinced them to have a story telling on Friday
> night, but have only been given four and a half hours on Saturday to
> do the Open Space since it was felt that was all busy families
> could spare.  Should we not get to convergence we will try to get
> the group back together  on Sunday afternoon of the following
> week.  I would really prefer not to have to do that as I think it will
> change the flow.  I was planning to have 45 minute sessions but it
> appears from the discussion below that this may not be advisable.
> I would be interested in hearing from anyone who has used 45
> minutes.
>
> Date sent:              Tue, 21 Sep 1999 08:37:35 -0400
> Send reply to:          OSLIST <OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU>
> From:                   owen <owen at tmn.com>
> Subject:                Re: OS in Arabia
> To:                     OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU
>
> >
> > At 09:40 AM 9/21/99 +0200, you wrote:
> > OS in Arabia
> >
> > >I wanted to share a few experiences (I'll be writing more detailed articles
> > >for the network, so this is just the preliminary information)
> >
> > >2. As an OS facilitator, take care during the marketplace that the whole
> > >thing is not monopolized by individuals. I had to intervene, else all focus
> > >groups of the first round would have been merged.
> > *********************************************************
> > I find a simple suggestion (rule?) can help here. It is what I call Conveners
> > Rule. I bring it up when I talk about "Combinations and Conflicts" just before
> > the people go to the wall for sign-up. Simply said, it goes something like
> > this..." You are at liberty to combine any session with any other session if it
> > seems to make sense. However, I strongly suggest that you only combine sessions
> > when there is no other alternative. It is much better to have 5 people deeply
> > engaged than 25 people fighting each other. And in any event the conveners
> > rule. So if combination is in the wind BOTH conveners have to agree. If they
> > don't -- Separate Sessions."
> >
> > There is a learning curve here, and the law of two feet is the corrective.
> > Sometimes you can get very large groups. In advance you cannot tell whether
> > such a group will be effective or not. I have seen groups of 75 (which resulted
> > from the combination of multiple groups) be very effective. So I never
> > intervene. No matter if I think 75 is "too big" -- if it works for the folks...
> > And if it doesn't -- there is a learning opportunity here. If the group is too
> > large to be functional, I find it best to let the people figure it out on their
> > own, learn to use their two feet and self-organize something that does work.
> > Perhaps it is just me, but I never get it right when I make specific
> > suggestions. But the people always do, and in the process, they learn a great
> > deal.
> > *******************************************
> >
> > >3. The time between calling participants to step into the circle and the
> > >begin of the first focus groups is crucial and should be as short as
> > >possible to avoid lenghty discussions. Better risk to run into first
> > >sessions time (what I did  in an other OS I had in Germany. Obviously this
> > >time period depends on the number of participants (I had another OS, were
> > >the time was much too short, and I had to re-write the post-its with the
> > >time of the sessions). Any other experiences, rule-of-the-thumb, how to
> > >approach this?
> > *********************************
> > I agree it is usually best that one move quickly to action. But more important
> > is that the group take responsibility for itself, even if that is a little
> > painful for all concerned (especially the facilitator).  To give everybody the
> > best possible chance, I find it usually works to do everything in 1 and 1/2
> > hour sessions. Thus 1 and 1/2 hours for the start, the first session etc. This
> > seems to do it, and no matter -- Whenever it starts is the right time -- I
> > think.
> > ********************************************
> > >4. Against all warnings, I did the OS at the 3rd day of a 5-days-workshop
> > >on Learning Organizations. It worked well, and we got a lot of material to
> > >work on during the last two days of the workshop.
> > ********************************************
> > Actually the annual OT gatherings are always over 5 days with 3 full days in
> > Open Space. So it does work, and it is wonderful. For businesses and the like,
> > (where cost is really a concern) 2 and 1/2 days seems to be optimal. More
> > useful stuff will appear on a 3rd day --- but I have never been convinced that
> > if the time available had only been 2 days -- the same would not have happened.
> > In a very interesting way groups seem to pace themselves very accurately. If
> > they have 3 days, they will use it -- but somehow at a more lie surely pace. So
> > what about 1 day? Certainly works, but I find that folks are just getting
> > started, and given another day -- things will get much deeper. Like all the
> > rest of Open Space. Nothing hard and fast.  If it works -- do it. If it feels
> > good -- do it again.
> >
> > Can't wait for the next installment! Good job.
> >
> >
> > Harrison
> >
> >
> > Harrison Owen
> > 7808 River Falls Drive
> > Potomac, MD 20854   USA
> > 301-469-9269 (phone)
> > 301-983-9314 (fax)
> > email owen at tmn.com
> > Website http://www.tmn.com/~owen
> > Open Space Institute website
> > http://www.tmn.com/openspace
>
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> Carol E. A. Loughrey M.B.A., F.C.A.
> 28 Eagle Court, Fredericton, N.B. E3B 5Y3
> Tel:506-452-2157  Fax:506-455-0944
> Email:  loughrey at nbnet.nb.ca
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~