A Different Kind of Convergence

[Birgitt Williams]

Hello Esther,
In situations where the responsibility/commitment expectation is there on
the part of the sponsor, I have taken to doing the following during the
convergence time:
1. a process of commitment as an individual--each person has a sheet  asking
them to identify personal commitments they are making for the future based
on any items in the report that they feel strongly about and based on
anything that has surfaced on a personal level from the event
2. a process of commitment as an individual that is part of a
team/department/etc within the organization---each person has a sheet asking
them to identify commitments they are making of something they intend to
take back to their team/department etc. from amongst the items in the "book
of proceedings" or from something that has come up for them during the
event.

The sheets are handed out in the morning along with the book of proceedings
and I give a longer time for reading the book of proceedings ie: 1 1/2 hours
so that people can fill them out as they read. And then during this time I
also use the "sticky dots" voting. When the individuals are done with their
personal sheets, they drop them off to us at the computers, we enter the
commitments for the final report and then immediately post the sheets onto a
wall for them to take with them after the closing circle. Every step of this
can be powerful and assist with commitment at a deep inner place. I like to
use this also when I am doing OST with a group that has come together for a
conference and will not see each other again, but the hope from the
conference is future action back with local networks.

Blessings,

Birgitt Williams
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-----Original Message-----
From: OSLIST [mailto:OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU]On Behalf Of Esther
.
Sent: Wednesday, September 20, 2000 10:05 PM
To: OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU
Subject: Re: A Different Kind of Convergence


Hi folks:

I am doing a two day open space with finance managers (about 60) from a
telecommunications company. The topic is How Can We Make Finance at "x"
organization a better, more productive place to work?

The idea is to get the middle managers to step up to participating more and
taking more responsibilty. However, the invitation asks them to make
recommendations that the senior finance group (about 10 people) will take
and
work with on the third day.

My question is, how can I make the third day meaningful? Anyone have
suggestions for process? I managed to get the senior folk to circulate some
key strategic information to the middle managers that they had not been
given. As well, the context in this organization is that they have just come
through some voluntary separations and none of those folks are to be
replaced. So there are questions to wrestle with like how they can get the
important work done and not still labour on trying to do everything they've
always done? Also how can they do the kind of work that they need to do to
assist the organization meet its goals in ways that makes finance a more
valuable business partner with the rest of the organization.

Any ideas on what I could do on the third day? I've already got them looking
at their 1999 plan to do an assessment on what they planned to do in 99-2000
and what has yet to be done and what will they just not do.

I could really use some suggestions.

Best regards
Esther Ewing

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