OS case study

Rhett Hudson/Chris Weaver rhett&chris at main.nc.us
Tue Sep 12 06:05:33 PDT 2000


Jeff,

Thank you for your story.  I can see great benefits in the practice of
creating a fresh bulletin board based on individual commitments, then
grouping these to form action groups.  I also like the idea of sticky-dots
as a reflective process, as raw material for fresh commitments rather than
as a mechanical tool for prioritization.

My question is:  How important is it for action groups to report back to the
circle?  What are the pros and cons of such reporting compared to simply a
Talking Circle closing?

Chris Weaver

----------
>From: Jeff Aitken <ja at svn.net>
>To: OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU
>Subject: [OSLIST] OS case study
>Date: Wed, Sep 6, 2000, 5:24 AM
>

> Just completed a very successful open space over the weekend. I'll tell you
> about it.
>
> Remember my question about elephantine post-its? You all sent seven other
> suggestions for alternatives to regular masking tape which could not be
> used on the painted walls of the rooms.
>
> The building manager said he would accept blue painter's masking tape, so
> we used that. It was fine; all the newsprint agenda items stayed up all
> weekend; only a few of the heavier 2x3 foot posterboards, on which the
> proceedings were written, fell down overnight.
>
> This was a network of theatre groups, many of whom were joining the network
> for the first time. We began Friday night with an evening of introductions
> to one another and to the intent of the conference. Saturday was a full day
> of open space with "evening news" and then two wonderful performances in a
> local theatre! The group of 50 people created 19 different agenda items.
>
> Sunday began with "morning announcements" and a morning session and a
> working lunch. By the end of the working lunch, every one of the
> participants was in the same breakout room deeply engaged in a conversation
> about the future of the network. It was not "over" until nearly 3 pm! I had
> planned to begin the convergence/synthesis by 2 pm, but I decided not to
> interfere in the obvious self-organizing energy of the group. It's a
> special treat when convergence begins to happen "by itself" - such has
> taken place a few times in my experience of two-day open spaces.
>
> I posted my convergence/synthesis design on the listserv awhile ago, as
> well as on Chris Corrigan's tmn.com website conversation. What we ended up
> doing was just a bit different.
>
> I invited each participant into a silent, meditative walk around the main
> room to read the proceedings (the posterboards were hung on the walls, all
> around the room). I gave them seven sticky dots each and invited them to
> "offer their guidance to the network - or the leadership of the network -
> for the coming year...if resources are limited, where shall it place its
> priorities?" I emphasized that every topic was valuable and could be
> followed up - but we were offering guidance in case of limited resources.
>
> I taped a sheet of typing paper to the bottom of each posterboard, so that
> a participant could place their dots on specific notes on the posterboard
> or on the sheet if they wished to select the entire topic. The process was
> smooth, and as the last person made their selections I invited volunteers
> to count the dots on each posterboard and write the number on the sheet.
> (The numbers, along with all of the notes, were transcribed on a laptop to
> be distributed by email to all participants. The posterboards were
> eventually taken by the steering committee so that the dotted items could
> be transcribed.)
>
> They returned to a large circle. I invited any reflections on the dot
> process; there were a few, appreciating the quiet reflective tone.
>
> We then moved into the next phase. I invited them to create a new bulletin
> board: to identify any action which they would individually commit to take
> in the coming year which would be of service to the network. It could be
> something they would do anyway and could be made helpful to others. I
> emphasized that there were no expectations; it was completely voluntary. We
> used typing paper sized sheets, and participants posted them on a fresh
> wall space.
>
> Nearly every participant posted something. I asked them to find common
> themes and to make clusters of these similar activities; we gave each
> cluster a short title and taped the title above. We ended up with seven
> clusters. Each cluster became an action group, and I sent them into
> different breakout spaces with the assignment to return with a list of
> their names, a contact person, a plan of action, and a next step. The
> groups met for 20-40 minutes and the energy was palpable.
>
> The seven groups then reported back to the large circle. Unfortunately we
> were reaching brain overload by this time. It seemed important to hear the
> reports, but I don't know how much was actually retained by others. There
> were a few questions and comments people seemed content with a job well
> done. And it was nearly 5 pm, time to leave the premises.
>
> I led a quick, hands-held closing circle. One person led a funny song, we
> looked around the circle and appreciated each other, and we broke to clean
> the room before dinner. I was concerned about completing the Open Space
> without a more reflective circle; but they were gathering after dinner for
> two more performances, and many were meeting the next day to organize next
> year's festival. So I trusted that they would say their goodbyes and find
> their completion before they flew away.
>
> I come away liking the combination of dot-voting on the proceedings, and
> creating a fresh bulletin board for action flowing out of the event. The
> action reports were also transcribed into the laptop for distribution.
>
> Thanks again for helpful (and in some cases unforgettable...) suggestions
> from the list.
>
> Jeff
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> -
> Jeff Aitken
> Facilitator of Open Space Process
> Inverness CA USA
> 415.669.1924
> 415.669.7732 fax service
> ja at svn.net
>
> ...the universe is made of stories, not of atoms. (Muriel Rukeyser)
>
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