Positive space invaders

[Denis Cowan]

G'day.

I recently facilitated an open space event within a work group in Malaysia

( My thanks to the people who gave me encouragement and ideas prior to the
event)

The theme was to do with self awareness - the impact that the self has on
the organization and vice versa.

At evening news on the first day there were some rumblings

At morning news on the second day there was outright space invasion.

The group (about 15 people) decided that they no longer wanted to talk
about the issues etc. related to self awareness - they wanted to "do it".
Specifically they wanted to work on giving and receiving feedback.

I asked them if the space was still open and if the laws and principles
were still operating.  They said yes

They then asked me to design a process which would allow them to give and
receive public feedback on their work performance.  I did and they did.

The issues raised for me.

Until recently I had felt a degree of guilt over this "change of process"".
Was this really open space ?

At the moment I still have a degree of confusion over what open space means.

If as a facilitator my job is not to control the space but to keep it open
, then whatever the group chooses to do is their responsibility ?

Is keeping the space open providing the opportunity or is it following the
process.  I think it is providing the opportunity.

If it is their space - how can there be space invaders ?

If we negotiate the theme with the managers only and not all of the
participants - whose space is it ?

Are participants volunteers in that space ?

Will open space eventually go the same way as encounter groups did ? ie
they lost credibility as a process when they participants were no longer
volunteers - The law of 2 feet may address this.

Musings of a mad monk ( I am not by the way , mad or a monk - I just liked
the feel of the phrase)

Regards

denis

denis cowan , brisbane , australia.  fax ** 61 7 32681869 tel ** 61 7 38363056
email:  cowandp at gil.com.au