FW: elevator speech and structure
Harrison Owen
hhowen at comcast.net
Wed Mar 9 19:11:48 PST 2005
Structure - You bet your. . . OS has structure. Controls too. And more so of
both than just about any other way of being in organization. Just think what
happens when 2008 folks gather and create 236 concurrent work sessions, of
which 200+ end up not only meeting but accomplishing enough to write up in a
report. That was not accomplished by levitation. Indeed the level of
effective structure and control was vastly in excess of what any
planning/conference group could even dream of. And it all happened in about
20 minutes. Nobody ever suggested that a self-organizing system did not have
structure and control. But there is a real difference. The structure and
control are all emergent. More to the point, they are all appropriate to the
people that use them, the task they are performing, and the environment in
which they work. Change any of those variables and the structure and
controls will immediately change. Talk about the "agile organization." So I
don't think it is an oxymoron at all.
Harrison
Harrison Owen
7808 River Falls Drive
Potomac, Maryland 20845
Phone 301-365-2093
Open Space Training www.openspaceworld.com <http://www.openspaceworld.com/>
Open Space Institute www.openspaceworld.org
Personal website http://mywebpages.comcast.net/hhowen/index.htm
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-----Original Message-----
From: OSLIST [mailto:OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU] On Behalf Of Robyn S
Berkessel
Sent: Wednesday, March 09, 2005 4:50 PM
To: OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU
Subject: Re: elevator speech and structure
Judy - thanks for the feedback and for drawing attention to the apparent
oxymoron (structure and self organization): (1) bankers like structure ...
and (2) I think there is structure is chaos ... the structure in OS, as I
would explain, is in the design - opening the space, inviting topics,
setting up the market place, reports etc. You might call them parameters or
boundaries...what happens within that structure is the delight of
self-organization. Robyn.
-----Original Message-----
From: OSLIST [mailto:OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU] On Behalf Of Spady's
Sent: Wednesday, March 09, 2005 4:29 PM
To: OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU
Subject: Re: elevator speech
Robin,
I, too, am interested in some advice on how to briefly explain OS to
clients...especially in writing. Thank you so much for sharing this blurb
that you wrote. It's great! :-)
I do find something a bit confusing though. You state: "Open Space meeting
is highly structured through the capacity of self organization." Isn't it
sort of an oxymoron to use "highly structured" and "self organization" in
the same sentence...? or Highly structured with regards to anything that is
OS?
I'm curious to know others thoughts on this...
Judy
----- Original Message -----
From: Robyn S Berkessel <mailto:robyn at litglobal.com>
To: OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU
Sent: Wednesday, March 09, 2005 12:48 PM
Subject: Re: elevator speech
Christine, I concocted this to email to a banking executive this week. It
is a combination of words from Michael Hermann and Chris Corrigan (from and
some of Harrison's recent musings. Hope it is helpful. I also welcome
feedback from anyone. Regards, Robyn.
What is Open Space Technology?
Open Space Technology is a simple and highly effective meeting method that
enables groups of people to deal with issues constructively and speedily.
Five Preconditions for Open Space
* Real issues of concern
* Diversity of players
* Complexity of elements
* Presence of passion
* Decision time was yesterday.
In Open Space meetings, participants create and manage their own agenda of
parallel working sessions around a central theme of strategic importance.
There are Four Principles of Open Space
* Whoever comes is the right people
* Whatever happens is the only thing that could have
* Whenever it starts is the right time
* When it's over, it's over.
There is One Law of Open Space
* The Law of Two Feet - if you find yourself in a situation where
you are neither learning nor contributing, use your two feet.
Open Space meeting is highly structured through the capacity of self
organization. Those who care, and are prepared to take responsibility for
change, step up and drive the change agenda with an energy and commitment
that no imposed management-driven design could prescribe.
What will happen?
We never know exactly what will happen when we open the space for people to
do their most important work, but we can guarantee these results when any
group gets into Open Space:
* All of the issues that are MOST important to the participants will
be raised.
* All of the issues raised will be addressed by those participants
most qualified and capable of getting something done on each of them.
* In a time as short as one or two days, all of inputs and plans for
immediate action will be documented in one comprehensive report -- finished,
printed and in the hands of participants when they leave.
* The meeting duration depends on the number of people and issues
they put on the agenda. With groups of 5 to 2000 one-day workshops or,
three-day conferences, the results are powerful and effective
Impact of Open Space
It all begins with an invitation
* Palpable passion
* Voluntary responsibility and accountability for issues of concern
* Connection at all levels across all divides
* Opening of the mind and heart
* Energy for change and action
"In the 20 year period since 1985 when I created Open Space, it has been
used in excess of 60,000 times in 108 countries with groups ranging in size
from 5 - 2000. Typical applications have included such things as strategic
and tactical planning for Rockport Shoes Inc - in which some 400 employees
established goals and directions for their company in addition to developing
a totally new product and redesigning their inventory system. All of this
was accomplished in 2 days, and except for the opening and closing of the
event there was absolutely no intervention by the facilitator (me) at any
time. The people did it all by themselves.
In another case, some 2008 German Psychiatrists gathered for a single day's
event intended to synthesize their collective learning at the conclusion of
their biannual conference and further build the common body of knowledge. In
all they created 236 working groups in about half an hour, self-managed the
entire process and produced a book of proceedings as a record of their
effort.
In the United States, a much smaller group (23) of architects, technicians,
and executives completely re-designed the AT&T Olympic Pavilion for the 1996
Olympics. They essentially started with a blank sheet of paper, and at the
conclusion of 2 days had a totally new design down to the level of working
architectural drawings for the $200,000,000(US) project. Once again the
group did it all without outside intervention."
Harrison Owen, esteemed creator of Open Space
<http://www.litglobal.com/>
-----Original Message-----
From: OSLIST [mailto:OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU] On Behalf Of Christine
Whitney Sanchez
Sent: Wednesday, March 09, 2005 1:58 PM
To: OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU
Subject: elevator speech
Hi Everyone,
I have been given 5 minutes, at a meeting next week, to "brief" 300 CEO's
about Open Space. Do you have a favorite elevator speech that has helped
people understand the essence and application of OS? I'm especially eager
for any thoughts about the relationship between OS and governance.
Thanks in advance, for anything you can share.
Christine
Christine Whitney Sanchez
Triune Milagro, LTD
480.759.0262
VISIT OUR WEBSITE: <http://www.triunemilagro.com/> www.triunemilagro.com
Invoking the wisdom and capacity of the human spirit!
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