Safety Leadership

Harrison Owen owenhh at mindspring.com
Thu Feb 10 03:15:10 PST 2000


At 11:24 AM 2/10/00 +0000, you wrote:

>
> One of my difficulties is that at this stage I am not in face to face contact
> with a client (several hundred miles away) who requires a single sheet
> synopsis of how OS can meet his needs. I therefore feel I have to present
> this as a rational process - along the lines of Birgitt and Michael's
> responses - but require some pragmatic evidence to back it up.
>
> Ralph's anecdote was helpful and in response to his comment about the clarity
> of my request, can I now ask for examples I can quote to a client's
> inevitable questions: "How do I know that this will work? Can you give me
> examples of where this process has produced results elsewhere in similar
> circumstances? What were the outcomes that stuck?"


*********************************************
I guess this is one more example of the un advisability (impossibility) of
"selling Open Space." Personally, I only present the "guaranteed outcomes" (all
issues of concern will be on the table, fully discussed to the extent that
folks want to, recorded for future use, converged, prioritized, and
responsibility assumed), and leave it to the client.

In answer to the question - "How do I know this will work?" The answer depends
a great deal on what "work" means. If "work" means that a predetermined program
will be implemented -- the answer is probably not. Indeed, I would not suggest
Open Space under those circumstances. If "work" means that the central concern
for safety is internalized, and that effective approaches to safety are
developed out of the group(s). I think the answer is that there is a  very high
probability of that occurring. Are there any  iron clad guarantees? Never, at
least in terms of pre-determined specific results.

The really critical thing in my mind is willingness of your client to treat his
folks as adults and presume that at the end of the day they have a greater
stake in safety than anybody -- after all it is their bodies on the line.
Further, that the collective wisdom of the total group on the subject is as
great, or greater, than any expert panel or the client him/herself. If not --
don't do it (OS).

As I have listened to this conversation, I have had the growing feeling that
this is not really an appropriate application because the space is not really
open. It does occur to me, however,  that Open Space could be extraordinarily
useful in designing, developing, and monitoring the total safety program. Just
invite anybody who cares about safety, up to whatever level budget and other
considerations would allow, and have at it. I think you would come out with a
program and program implementers (all the participants) that could knock your
socks off.

Very simply Open Space is a great way to develop a program and achieve buy in.
It is a lousy way to roll out a program that is already in the "can." Not
because Open Space won't work, -- it doubtless will  -- and that in itself will
be the cause of  major pain. For the sponsors -- because the participants will
take Open Space seriously and start to re-work the program and probably throw
out some favorite part. And the participants won't be happy either 'cause they
will be fighting the sponsor. Truly exciting Open Space, but probably not what
everybody had in mind.

The easy part of your question(s) is, "Can Open Space be used with male
dominated hierarchical organizations?" The answer: Absolutely. For example, one
time I had 144 regional directors of the US Immigration and Naturalization
Service (INS) for 3 days around building their strategic plan. All were male,
and this was/is a para-military organization (to say the least). The job got
done, and by the end these macho types found themselves sitting in a circle
saying things to each other that sounded an awful lot like Touchy-Feeley BS.
Amazing.
Harrison Owen
7808 River Falls Drive
Potomac, MD 20854
USA
phone 301-469-9269
fax 301-983-9314
website
www.mindspring.com/~owenhh
Open Space Institute websites
www.openspaceworld.org
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