Open Space and restructuring (long)

[Averbuch]

Dear Joelle,
I hope this is still in time for you. (you have been there in time for me
and many of us many times)
I wrote my experiance of restructuring with OST hope it helps:

Using OST for restructuring

I have used OST and OS spirit in a restructuring process in an Israeli-based
global High Tech small company. Hear is the story:

        Due to the slowdown in the market this company had to do some adapatations
in cost cutting. Since this enterprise used to be, until recently, a very
successful start up, it took them a long while to realize that this
adaptation will probably require a change in structure and maybe (in the
begging they hoped not)- layoffs.
They where looking for a consultant for more then half a year (probably
trying to postpone the painful decisions) eventually they found me saying: ”
we heard you will not give up on us. We need to make a change and we need it
yesterday”. Two months later they had a new operational management (from
inside the organization) that better personifies the culture and skills that
are needed and leaves the two founders free to think and act strategically,
and there was a cut of 15% of the workforce.

This change is veryy young so I can not tell how it influenced business
results but I can mark four benefits:
-       Creating a change that people identify with and support and understand
-       Understanding the necessity of layoff from the details made it possible to
be “people” while laying-off friends that started up the organization with
them. It is very hard especially now because the market is so slow that you
don’t know if this is the last layoff and when they will find work again.
-       Unleashing and generating energy needed for survival
-       People were active in creating and determining their own future rather
then helpless.

How did  it work?
The two founders, with the help of everyone, ran the company. There was a
small management team but the decision-making was done slowly using a lot of
one on one conversations. Because the change was due ‘yesterday’ and the
founders identify with the spirit of OS the flow of things evolved to be as
fallows:

1.      2 day OST for 22 extended management.
The theme: (free translation) “ How do we adopt our structure and working
patterns to the challenges of the market?”. Very fruitful in every way.
Created 6 working teams : Organizational structure; management function;
decision-making  patterns in the company; bringing back ‘the spark in the
eyes of people’; profit driven company  etc.

2.      4 weeks independent teams work. - 40 active members
 when the day the OST ended there was a report out to a circle of all
managers and personal contributors working in the company about the OST and
the teams, inviting them to join. Teams worked full gear with 40 active
members, all run by champions of the OST teams. The joining in, after some
insult for not being invited by those who didn’t attend the OST, went
smoothly.

3.      Report of teams to all managers and personal contributors – 80 people.
 An afternoon in which the teams presented their work and recommendations.
Very tensed and intense because of the fear of layoffs. An hour and a half
of OS style conversation took place. After hearing all report outs people
were invited to say anything they cared to in small groups (facilitated by
pre-approached peers). Then there was a plenary in which every facilitator
reported out and the two founders took upon themselves to decide and
announce their decision having to do with the new structure and patterns of
work – within 3 weeks. Two teams’ recommendations where approved that
evening (the ‘easy’ ones) and people where very doubtful if there really
will be a decision in 3 weeks, after taking so long. That evening there was
an email report out to all the people who work for the company informing
them about highlights of that evening and what to expect in the near future.

4.      Structural change – a major change announced and implemented right away,
on time.

5.      a layoff of 15% of the work force – few weeks later

As for now the new management is building it’s own pattern . Keeping
accountability and open communication. Used OST twice : on their own and
with me.

My conclusions so far:
-       The spirit of inviting people to partake in the most important decisions
even though they have ’personal stakes’ (of course they do!) is an essential
part of building trust and companionship in situations that can be perceived
only as ‘war zone’.
-       The sponsors have to really mean, be authentic about participation and
there must be a well defined timeline of events to keep the tention
contained
-       Doing so there is almost no time gap between decision and implementation
-       The gradual increase in space opened/ participants helped people and
company to learn to use open space and genuinely invite more and more people
in without loosing the grounding they needed.
-       when opening space for restructuring make the theme larger so it will have
room for all related issues






-----Original Message-----
From: OSLIST [mailto:OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU]On Behalf Of Joelle
Lyons Everett
Sent: Wednesday, December 04, 2002 12:48 AM
To: OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU
Subject: Open Space and restructuring


Had a call today from a public agency which will need to do some
restructuring (two service regions are being combined, with the expected
result of personnel reductions).

Their original plan was to make the restructuring decisions first, then
convene an Open Space conference to work out the operational details--not
wanting to ask people to eliminate their own jobs.

My proposal to them is that they consider holding the OS before the
decisions
are made, to bring maximum information, participation and creativity to the
proposed changes.

What is your experience in this situation?  I'd love to hear pros and cons,
insights and pitfalls, from your experience with clients.  As usual, the
time
is yesterday, the potential for conflict is high--sounds to me like a job
for
OS.

I'd love to hear from you!

Joelle

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