Micro Open Space

Merav Yanai merav at nativ-od.com
Thu Dec 25 04:37:15 PST 2003


Peggy and all,
My first OS was a "Team Building" that was my laboratory about OS - the
concept and the technology.
They were very tough group and need a lot of control.
 I prepared with the C.E.O another plan (if the OS won't work) and
promised him that I will use it whenever he will ask me to.
Actually, the preparation was for my control feeling too !!!
And ... As you told, it was the same dynamic, all the subjects just came
up at the beginning, they know exactly the "right" way to manage this
day.
It took us 10-12 hours and it was G R A T E !!!
Merav Yanai

-----Original Message-----
From: OSLIST [mailto:OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU] On Behalf Of Peggy
Holman
Sent: Wednesday, December 24, 2003 7:47 PM
To: OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU
Subject: Re: Micro Open Space


Chris,

A few years back, I spent 2 days in open space with a 5-person board.
As Harrison says, it is exactly the same dynamics as a larger group.
They were together in every form you can imagine -- in pairs, in 2's and
3's, by themselves, all together.  They set their own rhythym according
to their individual needs just as in any open space.

>From alternatively rainy, sunny, and cloudy Seattle,
Peggy

(Finally re-surfacing after an incredibly busy November and December!)


----- Original Message -----
From: "Harrison Owen" <hhowen at comcast.net>
To: <OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU>
Sent: Wednesday, December 24, 2003 6:02 AM
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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