Micro Open Space

[chris macrae]

Do we have a Micro Open Space Format and what might its components be?

I am thinking deeply micro, eg 6 people

Some situations where this could be a valid starting point are:

A huge organisation where the 6 people who feel most passionately about
long-term design purpose want to make sure organisation is always
capable of doing what it was designed to do (given Harrison's book
mentions 'many' organisations are losing this long-run structural
gravity)

Trying to get 6 large peace or humanitarian network coordinators
together in network of network actions

Where a few entrepreneurs come together because they realise their SME's
need to cluster either to make sure the geography of the place sustains
or because they want a network model (for me one big reason most dotcoms
failed is that they were part businesses that desperately needed other
partners)

I've just taken some guesses at what a micro-OS format might include.
I'm taking a guess at a 2-day format. Do feel free to open-edit:

Have say 10 minutes of agenda surfacing time. Then do a poster session
of all the agendas so that each agenda proposer had a couple of minutes
to answer questions on the agenda. Aim to choose the top 6 agendas (or
favourite per person) that everyone wanted to attend. Do these in a row
back-to-back so all 6 can attend BUT still use the law of 2 feet so that
people could go use time in their own way if any agenda wasn't working
for that person.

Have a break. Ask people to add any new agendas to the wall. Start again
with the whole wall of agendas; some that didn't make the top 6 the
first time might now.

During this first day have some other stuff. One example might be if an
actor had pre-interviewed the 6 people to do a short "This is your life
and passions" collage of all of them. Include some other communal
exercises as a group.

Before retiring for the day make sure that all the meetings are written
up in bedtime or waketime reading documentation; including those that
didn't happen (ie at least a record of how they were Q&A'd at the poster
session stage)

Day 2 after letting the 6 informally mingle over coffee, proceed by
letting the group talk in a circle to find out where we are : either
huge convergence versus 24 hours ago, or no progress, or the opposite. I
assume the rest of the day divides a lot depending on those 3 paths

Summing up this conversation opener on MICRO OS:

I do believe there are times where 6 people need hi-trust before they
can take it to lots of people. I suspect their characters would need
just as many and diverse facilitators as larger events so that the
intensity of the content conversation is blended with spiritually
refreshing and respect for each other.

I would hope that if we ever did refine a micro open space format , one
thing it would do even if it didn't succeed on the issue in hand is
leave the 6 people likely to want to do big open spaces in the future.
In other words at least as much a personal conversion process to Opening
up conversational formats everywhere as typical Open Space

I have no idea whether the sequence above is going in a good open
direction or not, but look forward to any comments

Chris Macrae, wcbn007 at easynet.co.uk

2004 Year of Transparency - help nominate events/movements to watch, or
sign up a Transparency wish of yours : www.valuetrue.com

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