OS for evaluation data collection

[Doersam, Laurel]

Hi Susan,

The session was 3 hours, and we kept it very low tech.  The discussion
summaries were hand done (and included some mind-mapping as well).  There
were about 30 participants, as I recall (guess I should record some of these
details for future reference, shouldn't I?).  The assistant director of the
program attended and was astonished at the depth and breadth of qualitative
data he was able to gather.  Pretty neat stuff.

Laurel.


-----Original Message-----
From: Susan Lilley [mailto:susanl at ns.sympatico.ca]
Sent: Wednesday, September 13, 2000 11:38 AM
To: OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU
Subject: OS for evaluation data collection


Hello Laurel,

I have often wondered how OS could work as an evaluation tool, but have not
used
it in that way.  For this reason I enjoyed your description of the session
you
described in your recent posting. Could you provide a little more detail? I
am
curious as to how much time you had and how many discussion sessions. Was it
all
done within the normal one or two hour class time?

I would also like to hear from others who have used OST for evaluation, and
to
give it a try myself soon.

Many thanks,
Susan Lilley
7 Canterbury Place
Dartmouth NS B2Y 4J5
Tel: (902) 463-1837
Fax: (902) 469-0833
http://www.chebucto.ns.ca/~LilleyS/Profile.html


"Doersam, Laurel" wrote:

> I've done a program evaluation in Open Space with MA students in
Leadership
> and Training at Royal Roads University in Victoria.  It was an amazing
> experience, and the students took to the process like ducks to water.  In
> fact, I've been chatting with several who intend to use OST as a
> data-collection vehicle for their research projects.  I've directed them
to
> this listserve, so hopefully one of them will jump in to this discussion.
.
> . (Caroline, are you lurking???).  Having recently graduated from the MA
> (Leadership and Training) program at Royal Roads myself, it seemed like
such
> a natural fit that I contacted the university as soon as I got home from
the
> facilitators' training last spring.  I believe that the iterative process
> you describe would be ideally suited to adult leadership students in
> creating their learning community.  In Open Space the community would grow
> organically and NOT require any of the manipulative fertilizer that the
> instruction team seemed to feel was necessary to encourage the growth of
our
> learning community.
>
> Having said all that, I have another story to relate that ties in with
> Birgitt's concerns.  One of the faculty decided that since Open Space was
> making an appearance at the university, she ought to learn the process.
She
> found a description of the process on the 'net and set about to do an
"Open
> Space" prior to the evaluation that I facilitated.  I don't know the
details
> of what transpired, except that I was warned when I came to do the
> evaluation that one of the classes had had a "bad experience" with a
> "disastrous Open Space".  (Something was muttered about one of the first
> nations students in the class being deeply offended by the explanation of
> the process and all hell broke loose - but I wasn't able to glean all the
> details of what offended the student or why or what "disasterous" meant.)
> Basically, I surmised that the facilitator had a very rudimentary
> understanding of the Open Space process . . . my assumption is that the
> facilitation was very heavy-handed with lots of intervention.
>
> I entered a milieu where people felt very guarded about the process itself
-
> so cautious, in fact, that the assistant director of the leadership
program
> insisted that I cancel the Open Space for the class in question and use an
> different facilitation method.  However, I did do an Open Space event
(using
> the theme "How could the MA (Leadership and Training) program be an even
> richer learning experience?") with the other class (one which had never
> experienced anything called "Open Space Technology").  The assistant
> director attended the event and was astonished with the quantity and
quality
> of evaluation data collected, by the excitement of the participants, by
the
> energy and synergy in the room - and as puzzled as I was about what on
earth
> could have happened with the other class.  So, I've already experienced
> Birgitt's scenario of having the OST process defamed by faulty
facilitation
> and/or a poor understanding of the process.
>
> I agree with Birgitt that it would be nice for clients to have some way to
> check on the credibility of their facilitator - but sometimes the
> facilitator is a (trusted) internal dilettante (or, to use Birgitt's
> analogy, a chef who improvises a recipe using whatever ingredients are
> cheap, readily available or come to mind, but calls it "Lindy's
cheesecake"
> and sets up an expectation of a rich, creamy, delectable, cherry-topped
> delight).  However, once the damage is done and the credibility of the OST
> process is undermined, it is very difficult to undo.  I'm certain that if
> the arrangements had not already been made (and announced) that I would be
> leading the evaluation process in an OST format, BOTH OST sessions would
> have been cancelled.  As it was,  the credibility of the process was
> restored (I hope!!) by "Opening good Space" with the second class.
>
> I think that Peggy's comment about mentorship and lineage might be
something
> to explore more deeply.  (Even in the cooking world, don't master chefs
> often cite their professional lineage?  Trained at such-and-such an
amazing
> restaurant, under the tutelage of so-and-so, a famous chef?)
Certification,
> with all the attendant difficulties and bureaucracy, certainly seems
> dissonant with the spirit of Open Space.  However, even if a certification
> program WERE to exist, someone hiring a facilitator ought to do their due
> diligence anyway by contacting professional references.
>
> I agree that this listserve is a phenomenal learning instrument!!
>
> Laurel.
>
> Laurel Doersam
> Human Resource Consultant (Employee Wellness)
> Capital Health Region
> Victoria  BC
>

*
*
==========================================================
OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU
To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options,
view the archives of oslist at listserv.boisestate.edu
Visit: http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html

===========================================================
OSLIST at EGROUPS.COM
To subscribe,
1.  Visit: http://www.egroups.com/group/oslist
2.  Sign up -- provide an email address,
    and choose a login ID and password
3.  Click on "Subscribe" and follow the instructions

To unsubscribe, change your options,
view the archives of oslist at egroups.com:
1.  Visit: http://www.egroups.com/group/oslist
2.  Sign in and Proceed

*
*
==========================================================
OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU
To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options,
view the archives of oslist at listserv.boisestate.edu
Visit: http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html

===========================================================
OSLIST at EGROUPS.COM
To subscribe,
1.  Visit: http://www.egroups.com/group/oslist
2.  Sign up -- provide an email address,
    and choose a login ID and password
3.  Click on "Subscribe" and follow the instructions

To unsubscribe, change your options,
view the archives of oslist at egroups.com:
1.  Visit: http://www.egroups.com/group/oslist
2.  Sign in and Proceed