an update from our work with the Genuine Contact program--a vehicle for developing the conscious Open Space Organization

[Birgitt Williams]

Dear friends and colleagues on the OS list,
A few weeks ago, I had the privlege of visiting with members of a management
team of a health service organization that I worked with in 1997. This
report to you is a "five years later report". My work with them was as a
consultant, mentor and facilitator of their learning. There were many
difficulties in the organization and they had heard that I might be the one
to assist them to achieve a better way.  I remember the CEO at the time
saying that they were choosing me because they had tried everything else and
it hadn't worked. She also stated that they had endured so much in the hands
of consultants and that she and her staff could not cope with much more
change. I responded saying that if they worked with me, they would achieve
health and balance as an organization, they would be highly effective in
what they did, they would become a solution focused organization rather than
one that was paralyzed by their problems AND it meant that there would be
change. I remember the CEO visibly crumbling. At the time, I said to her
that we could do a fast approach over a period of four months, or a slow
approach over a period of nine months to a year. She replied that she chose
the four month approach because she could handle the pain of more change for
about that length of time.

My way of working is recorded on our website (in the section on the
conscious OSO you will find my story about the first intentional conscious
OSO and in the section on Organizational Health and Balance you will find an
article about Returning to Organizational Health and Balance and you can
find all of this and more in the archives of this list. by Birgitt Williams
or Birgitt Bolton. I have submitted my learning to this list in a step by
step fashion as it developed, from the beginning of the list. It is one
person's story of working with Open Space Technology over the last decade,
with a passion for the development of healthy and balanced organizations.
Some years ago, we created the Genuine Contact program as a vehicle that
people could learn to develop organizations as conscious OSO's. Hundreds
around the world have joined us in learning parts of the program and some
are now complete with their learning with us and are co-creators of the
future of the program. There are now over 30 instructors of the workshops in
the Genuine Contact program that includes the way that we teach how to Work
with Open Space Technology--emphasis on pre-work, post-work and the
"givens".

Well, that is enough of the background in as succinct a way as I could do
it. Here now are the key comments from the members of the management team
that I met with. They are, five years later, still functioning as an
effective creative, inspired, conscious Open Space Organization. I have
their permission to identify them and quote them when the chapter of the
book is ready so for this sharing right now, I have deleted names and just
put in position titles. I hope that this sharing gives you hope for what is
possible. I was truly thrilled as I sat and listened to what they were
saying about their organization. I found that every one of the points that
they made was a learning moment for me. I hope they are for you as well.

********************
Here are their comments:

 “We are always operating in an open space way. We all are aware that our
way of working with one another is open space. We even have our own open
space language from all that you have taught us about working in open space.
Sometimes we do it officially---have an Open Space Technology meeting where
we go through all of the opening, the stating about the bumblebees and
butterflies and so on—but we do this less and less often. We now tend to use
these meetings for our bigger planning meetings that involve our customers,
their families, the Board, staff, and the community. Often we use the Whole
Person Process Facilitation for our meetings.“ (Director of Operations)
 “The biggest differences from where we were are that we know who we are, we
are solution focused as an organization, everyone’s input matters, and we
get things done.” (Program Director)

 “Anyone can come up with an idea at any time and expect to have a chance to
pull others together to talk about it and see where it goes. ***** (CEO) and
the Board of Directors support this way of working and so when things come
up, they get attention.  (Program Director)

 “We are excelling as an organization.” (Director of Operations)

 “We have found that it takes us a long time –more than a year---to
implement what comes out of the planning meeting—there is so much that comes
out of an Open Space Technology meeting when we all get together in both
quality and quantitiy-- so we have just decided to hold these meetings every
two years instead of every year. We still invite all people to participate
who will be affected. Aside from the planning like this, because we work as
an open space organization, we really don’t need the formal meetings more
often. We are also proud of how we respond to all that comes out of our
planning meetings. We get a lot of it done. ” (CEO)

 “We hold our meetings in circles though, even though we don’t have them as
formal Open Space Technology meetings, to make sure that we continue the
symbolic removing of barriers.” (CEO)

 “Part of the new employee orientation includes explaining how we operate as
an Open Space Organization. Part of this is the wording, the language that
has become common here such as “transfer in” for all meetings using the
Whole Person Process Facilitation”.  It is interesting how we now have a
vocabulary in common use within the organization to support our intention
and awareness as an Open Space Organization. When new staff start is when it
is most apparent how our language, our expectations, and our assumptions are
so different from what other organizations are doing. We are so immersed in
this way of working that we don’t notice any more how different it is. But
when the new staff start, we see it.  Some of the new staff take to this
immediately and love the way we work. Others don’t like it at all and we all
quickly know that this staff is not one who is going to fit in to our
culture here. “ (Director of Operations)

 “We are very glad that we stuck to the path that we started five years ago.
We are such a different organization than we were then. We are so healthy
and solution focused. We have our good days and our bad days like everyone
else but we keep moving forward in a positive way. If staff come on board
that don’t want to move forward in a positive way, they very quickly figure
out they don’t belong.” (Program Director)

 “One of the most important things that Birgitt gave us was methods to have
everyone included in the process”. (Director of Operations)

 “The processes that Birgitt taught us were processes that we were able to
continue on our own. Birgitt was the catalyst but we are the ones who have
made it happen. I am so happy that we were able to continue on our own. We
make sure that we include people who will be affected, we use circles and
the Whole Person Process Facilitation for our meetings, with a big impact
from taking the time to do the transfer in at the beginning of meetings.”
(CEO)

 “Birgitt, you might want to know about the pain too. You know that a couple
of the managers left when you finished your consulting work with us. That
was painful. And yet it was right. What you probably don’t know about is the
amount of pain that all of us on the management team were in. We actually
didn’t really talk about it amongst ourselves until recently so it took us
five years before we could bring really bring this up with each other in the
way that we now talk about it. We know that the pain we had was the pain of
getting real. That was scary. I remember wondering at home with my husband
whether I could truthfully be part of the new. I was one of the managers
that wanted to find a better way. The old way just wasn’t working. And yet,
when you worked with us, I remember wondering if I would be one of those
pulling back to the past. I told my husband that I didn’t want to pull back
to the past and that if I found myself doing this, I would rather quit
because the way to the new was what we needed. I didn’t want to get in the
way of the new, I wanted the new, and yet because of the pain of getting
real, I didn’t know if I could do it. When we have talked with each other
recently, a lot of us had the same feelings, all of us were in pain, and
getting real was almost too hard. As we look back on it, those of us who are
here are all glad that we stuck it out. “ (Director of Finance)

 “We worked at this despite the pain—because we knew there had to be a
better way. We trusted our CEO when she set the direction of working with
you. And we trusted you. A lot depended on this trust. We saw that you two
were steadfast in what you were doing and what you believed in, even when it
got shaky, and it gave us the courage to go on too.” (Director of Finance)

 “It wasn’t until recently that ****(CEO) talked to us about her own pain
during that time, what she was feeling, how afraid and yet determined she
was. She said that you two did a lot of talking.  We realize how much
courage she had. We know that the Board supported her decisions and that you
and she also worked with the Board. ” (Director of Finance)

 “The excitement of the first meetings gave us HOPE.” (Program Director)

 “ Two of the tools that you gave us early on helped a lot and we still make
regular use of them today. Throughout the organization, we talk about grief
cycle work as part of what happens when we make changes, even changes for
the better. This gives us an awareness of what we are going through and
helps with our assumptions. The other tool that you gave us early was to use
story telling as a way of keeping the story of the past and present alive
and to use this to support the new directions. We use both the grief cycle
work and story telling a lot.” (Program Director)

 “The Board has supported us throughout all of the changes. It was very
important that you (Birgitt) guided them to change their processes too. They
have identified their ‘givens’ and they now lead through policy governance.
Do you remember when they were so worried about what you were recommending
to them. They thought there would be nothing left for them to do. And
through being clear about the ‘givens’ and through this policy governance,
they work differently in leading us, and they work harder than ever. They
are doing a great job to keep us as a leader in this work in North America.”
(CEO)

Blessings to you and to all with whom you make Genuine Contact,

Birgitt

Birgitt  Williams of Dalar International Consultancy
http://www.dalarinternational.com

view the calendar for upcoming training at
http://www.openspacetechnology.com/training.html

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http://www.smartgroups.com/groups/genuinecontact




Contact information for Dalar International Consultancy

Mailing address: Po Box 19373, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA 27619 or for
courier 12136 Shooting Club Rd., Raleigh, North Carolina USA 27613

Phone: 919-522-7750     Fax: 919-870-6599



"I believe that Spirit matters and people are precious. I know that
organizations incorporating these values have exciting, tangible results
including wealth, prosperity, and abundance. Daily, these organizations
attend to their health and balance. Participating in the Genuine Contact
program takes you on a learning journey of HOW to achieve the healthy and
balanced organization (the conscious Open Space Organization).”  Birgitt
Williams, Dalar International Consultancy




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