Acknowledgement to OS Community, and a question

[Meg Salter]

Hello all

Well, it has finally come to pass - opened space (first time solo) for 20 people in the customer service group of a health products company. We did a round of story telling the night before, followed by a one day Open Space meeting, including a convergence piece at the end. It worked wonderfully well, and I know the reason I was able to open and hold space is that I knew I was not alone. Being part of this community has been a wonderful learning, continually peeling into the essence as well as the practicalities of OS. Thanks in particular to mentors such as Michelle Cooper, Larry Petersen, Birgitt, and of course Harrison.

Here's the question - and it's all around sustaining the momentum and positive energy of OS, and creating real results. The management team of 3 was initially pretty sketical about the idea of using OS, but became quite exuberant during the day. (Even got one freebie hug - "they (front line staff) are smarter then we are - they picked up the concept in no time"!) My perception is that the 3 managers are feeling somewhat overwhelmed by what has been let loose! I have some rough ideas as to what they can do next, all based on their own words - but would appreciate your comments:

- "creating the environment for participation and (team) spirit" - create some kind of ongoing communication piece - maybe a simple bulletin board - where people who have initiated actions in the OS meeting can post their progress, invite others to join in. This does not have to be (should not be?) management led.
- "achieving results" - management tracks the task results which they are held accountable for, creating constant "mini-forums" (mini open spaces) where ideas and involvement are solicited
- "managing expectations", particularly with the manager's boss, and up...working with the management team to constatnly assess the givens, make sure they are tracking with corporate strategic intent.... etc.

I know, and we know, that this is all about creating the interactive organization. But I have to speak the language of the client here, and they are just a little overwhelmed by the amount of spirit that has popped out of the bag, and what to do next!!

With all my thanks            ........... Meg Salter
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