Micro Open Space

[chris macrae]

Actually this mathematician loves your simplicity of design

There's another part of me that has a shyness - when you bring important
people or an important topic together - to have tried too hard to make
sure of honouring the technology, and thus of honouring their time and
the conflict's gravity

- having met the dynamic nature of OST first with around 50 people
several times, I wouldn't have made the jump to confidently saying that
Open Space works with 5 people, without somehow thinking more personally
about introducing the 5 (as 5 people sponsoring a facilitator would
somehow traditionally expect)

I think I now see the error of my conditioning, thanks!
chris

-----Original Message-----
From: OSLIST [mailto:OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU] On Behalf Of
Harrison Owen
Sent: 24 December 2003 21:15
To: OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU
Subject: Re: Micro Open Space

Chris -- I guess it is the mathematician in you -- but I think you are
making it all much to complicated. As Michael P. says it is all the same
old stuff. As for the 1 and 1/2 hour start up -- Don't take this two
literally -- but somehow it always seems to be true. It is not about
doing anything additional (Never work harder than you have to -- Always
think of one more thing not to do.) -- it is just that a large group
(say 2000) snaps right along, and are off to their sessions in that time
frame. A small(er) group just seems to take it easier, maybe have a
little coffee. And of course, if they are ready to start (whenever) it
is always the right time.

Harrison

-----Original Message-----
From: OSLIST [mailto:OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU] On Behalf Of chris
macrae
Sent: Wednesday, December 24, 2003 9:41 AM
To: OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU
Subject: Re: Micro Open Space

Harrison - a specific question which arises with 5 people is which do
you advise at the agenda stage:

Having a process so that they stay at least to start with an elected
common agenda sequence (ie where 5 go through the same series of
agendas) or having eg 2 agendas at each time slot. (I realise in either
case we have law of 2 feet so that eg if the schedule only offered a
series of single meetings, some might not go or stay at them)

That was the bit of selection versus communal-whole process I was trying
to rehearse when we come down to micro such as 5 or 6 participants

When you also say it takes an hour and a half to get started , could you
give us a for instance of what you've seen done in the first 90 minutes
with 5 people. I can imagine such tuning in matters, but I'm not quite
sure what typical open space activities blend in here; are we for
example allowing people to go round the circle with a longer personal
introduction as to why we came?

Chris Macrae

-----Original Message-----
From: OSLIST [mailto:OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU] On Behalf Of
Harrison Owen
Sent: 24 December 2003 14:03
To: OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU
Subject: Re: Micro Open Space

Sure -- it is exactly the same as used with 2000. Less space is
required, of course, but the interesting thing to me, having worked with
groups from 5-2108 -- is that it always seems to take somewhere between
an hour to an hour and a half to get started -- no matter how many
people are involved.

Harrison

-----Original Message-----
From: OSLIST [mailto:OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU] On Behalf Of chris
macrae
Sent: Wednesday, December 24, 2003 5:53 AM
To: OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU
Subject: Micro Open Space

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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