the story of a two day OS with a division of an Israeli high-tech global company

Winston Kinch kinch at rogers.com
Fri Feb 27 05:11:41 PST 2004


Dear Tova:
Wonderful story! Powerfully told!
I wonder if you would write a little more about the process that was used on day two to transition from the fifty four reports to the sixteen implementation groups?
Thanks again
Winston  

---- Original Message ----- 
From: averbuch 
To: 'OSLIST' 
Sent: Friday, February 27, 2004 4:13 AM


Dear oslisters'

 

Remember my call for help how to pick 150 out of 750?

 I want to start with thanking, Gerard Muller, Chris Corrigan, Harrison, Joelle and all of you' and here is my debt of story to you :

 

 

150 out of 750 – continued: the story of a two day OS with a division of an Israeli high-tech global company

 

Tova Averbuch

 

As I was preparing for Practice Of Peace conference on Whidbey island on November 2003 I got a phone call inviting me to consider working with a division of an Israeli high-tech global company " to promote motivation" after very hard three years in this business-market in general and for those people in particular. Since I do not do "promote motivation" work I was trying to look for the picture of the desired future the person talking to me had in mind and we both became more and more interested in exploring working together. We met a month later, when I was back from the US. They were eager and impatient to move on. I was in the beginning.

 

The way I generally view my work with organizations is as short term interventions with the intention of transformation. OS gathering is a very powerful and preferred practice I incorporate in this process and the most visible one. Because open space is about inviting and about choosing it is very important for me to provide it both in my very being and in doing, so… after meeting the HR people and the CEO and the management we moved from "promoting motivation" to " creation of a division we would like to work in and be happy to belong to.." They were ready to move on. My gut was that it was too soon. My clear sense was that 'what OS actually is' didn't seem to get through and their everyday culture was 180 degrees deferent. Another barrier was that this management who, until recently, was a management of subsidiary company now became management of a division, much more dependent on the mother company feeling limited in what they can do by themselves and for themselves. Fallowing my senses I insisted on the regular process we use: having a diagonal preparatory committee as means of still questioning if OS is what they really choose and distilling the unique way to do about it.  Meet again with the management team in an OS format (this I usually do not do) to learn more and explore their issues and challenges as managers/management in this process and particular situation. 

In the preparatory comity people were very reserved, skeptical, cautious and cynical. Sooner then latter – I was in the middle of a battle field with this or that person from senior management in front of 20 other people (stirring or steering? committee). Anxiety of letting go was very high, fear to raise expectations and fail them was enormous so ideas like: "let the preparatory committee be the OS event" or: "we can guide it a little, who said we have to do it exactly the way you say?" were offered along the process. Let me tell you I was defiantly bruised in this battle. For those of you who know me personally this will not come as a surprise that I wished I was not so direct and I wished I could shut up …neither the client nor I were sure we can make it together or that we are a good fit but thanks god we stayed together long enough. Slowly but surly too things emerged very clearly:

·        No way a management can go to OS 'to see and get ideas' and then do whatever they wish, regardless (not because I say so but because through the preparatory committee and the talk about trust, management commitment etc. it became very clear)

·        One can confront high rank and stay alive (bruised but alive): maybe everyone can choose to make a difference, after all.

 

People from preparatory committee decided they go for OS and "dare hope". They created a remarkable process of invitation formulation and talks to inform everyone in the deviation (750 people) in 2-3 days (50-70 every time with a member of the committee who is not 'the boss' of those who listen and question – it was the first time I had people create such a process). After the talk was over the person who was in charge beautifully informed everyone else that had still to go, of what were the challenges of the meeting and how was it resolved. It was so lovely to be on their list and witness these little tips and care. When they decided the OS will be for 150 people I had asked Avner to join in with me and had the pleasure to learn again how beautiful and fun it is to work together! 

 

170 people from all departments registered and 180 showed up on the morning of the first day. How shall I sum it up in "bottom Line" language? (We maid a joke out of how they will report to those who chose not to come): "In the beginning people were very skeptical!" ye' but what happened at the end? – "they were not skeptical!"…

 

I opened the space asking them to do something revolutionary, something they do not usually do – to take 3 breaths… (thank you Gerard, Harrison and Brigitt for building in me the courage to actually dare start this very way with 180 people, technical people, mainly men…) Like taking a lid off a steaming pot 50 out of the 180 people, who were seating very quietly (too quietly) for the first half an hour, jumped out off their chairs to create their agenda for 4 breakout sessions that day and one the next day. Wonderful energy of finding one another again as people, after three years of survival mode on the personal and organizational level, they began to shade prickly porcupine skin and try on new, softer modes. 44 conversations, 44 summaries attended with care by the evening and collected as a book of proceedings from 'everything-culture' to 'working patterns' in general and in specific. Trust… open, candid, genuine words were spoken and heard. One participant put it beautifully: 'we had told them every thing before this event. We talk it in the corridors, in 'round table talks', everywhere! So what difference will it make'? Another, standing by, said: (this could be a day of grace) 'you know what the definition of a psychologist is: a person to whom you pay for hearing all the things your wife has been telling you for so long …, maybe today it will sink in'.

 

Evening news with a shift: transparent, open to all public. Evening decision meeting together (some traps we glided through) also added a pillar of trust and transparency.

Most amazing was the depth of wisdom on day two (10 more groups added their conversation proceedings in writing and orally (in 10 minutes, all together!). All an all, 54 active and vibrant ideas merged into 16 implementation groups who had their first session in the afternoon. That was just blooming energies – seeding and harvesting work together. Being the action-biased people they are – they came up with wonderful ideas, fun, appreciation, recognition, and programs and it is on its way….!

 

Up in the sky Avner and I drove home

Knowing this is a very unique time in this industry, they are in a turning point, seems they chose to turn.

 

 

Last one:

This morning the CEO called saying "thank you, you know I don't speak much and I am very cynical but it seems to genuinely matter for many people; the sales man's singing, in the closing circle, "you and I will change the world" (a Hebrew song, like 'Imagine') was moving even for me. 

We may have some challenges in the coming six months; we shall need a little your help from you during this 'crossing the minefield'. And- if you need recommendation I will be glad to do it. I didn't believe this phone call; he hardly ever had the time (or preference) to talk one sentence to me…

 

Thank you for hanging there with me until now, there was a lot of learning on my side and on Avner's side (he even came up with some computer and logistics break through). A little bird told me Avner is going to say more…

 

Thank you all again

With much love

Tova

 

Tova Averbuch             טובה אורבוך

34 Rabinovitz St.   רחוב רבינוביץ 34     

Holon            58672               חולון 

Israel        

               972-3-5523476 

         averbuch at post.tau.ac.il

 

* * ========================================================== OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU ------------------------------ To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options, view the archives of oslist at listserv.boisestate.edu, Visit: 
http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html 

*
*
==========================================================
OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU
------------------------------
To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options,
view the archives of oslist at listserv.boisestate.edu,
Visit:

http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://lists.openspacetech.org/pipermail/oslist-openspacetech.org/attachments/20040227/886474c9/attachment-0016.htm>


More information about the OSList mailing list