Dot voting

[Lisa Heft]

Dear colleagues -

Thank you for all your reflections and observations regarding stickie
dot prioritization and other forms of convergence.

Here's my experience:

I do not often use prioritization at the end of an Open Space - if a
client/sponsor wishes to note key issues often the Book of Proceedings
offers that - and the closing circle can act as an evaluation tool (I
can even go around the circle first to ask people to note patterns
indicating key issues).  Often I reopen the space on the last half day
to ask people to post issues they would like the group to help them
think about, plan or design during the last two sessions.

On the occasions where I do use convergence in the form of sticky dots
for prioritization I find that it helps people move from the personal
passion issues to 'what's good for the organization / community'
thinking - if indeed this is the reason for the Open Space.  In the
discussion sessions, they are choosing issues of personal passion.  If
management needs a winnowing down of issues, the questions I ask of the
client/sponsor in the design phase let me know what question to pose to
the participants before they place their dots.  Does the client want the
group to identify the five things that can be done.on Monday? without
extra funding? to move a particular program forward? by individuals on
their own?

And then before people post their stickies, I recall with them that
first they were choosing issues for their personal passion; now they are
choosing issues based on what can be done (for example) without extra
funding, to further the organization / community as a whole.

Participants have told me that they appreciated the dot voting, so they
could make a choice to put all their dots on their original issue,
because they still believed in it and wanted to honor it - knowing it
would not become one of the five selected by the majority of the group -
and they were recommitted to carrying it forward on their own.  And
although they knew the group was voting differently, they felt at peace
having made this statement.  Other participants have told me that seeing
all the dots showed them where the energy was going and they were glad
to have a chance to express and be heard during the discussion times --
but they were now ready to 'give their dots' to the other reasoning for
selection.

In a way it helped both participants grieve the letting go of their
issues as essential for the greater group to carry forward.

Oh, and by the way, I do as Brian and some others do - I give people 5
dots and somehow it always seems to work out.  And in very large groups
for which a prioritization stage is necessary I have used the TASC
prioritization software that Harrison, Michael H and others have used.

Take care,

Lisa

L i s a   H e f t
Consultant, facilitator, educator
O p e n i n g  S p a c e
2325 Oregon
Berkeley, California
94705-1106   USA
(+01) 510 548-8449
lisaheft at pacbell.net
(coming soon: www.openingspace.net)


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