your thoughts on really big invitations?

[Harrison Owen]

Michael -- Interesting idea! Seems to me there is the possibility of real
value added for your survey people. Doing a survey is a great start. Doing
something with the results is a different issue. Standard approach of
"referring the results to the Management Committee" is, more often than not,
the kiss of death. Opening some space around the relevant issues would be
much more productive. And I guess that is where you already are!

Probably useful to keep in mind that "Doing a Survey" is an ancient and
honorable way to avoid doing anything, or at least doing anything useful.
But if the clients were offered (at the very start) a meaningful way of
moving from survey to useful action -- that would at least smoke out the
folks for whom the Survey is nothing but a smoke screen (hiding inaction).
More to the point, some clients might actually move forward! And to do that
you clearly have to open some space to move forward in -- or something.

Harrison

Harrison Owen
7808 River Falls Drive
Potomac, Maryland   20845
Phone 301-365-2093

Open Space Training 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 Michael
Herman
Sent: Tuesday, May 10, 2005 11:12 PM
To: OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU
Subject: your thoughts on really big invitations?

hi all,

i've got an interesting situation emerging here and i'd appreciate
some design thoughts.  i'm in conversation with a firm whose business
is surveys for big companies.  they poll 10s of 1000s at a time on
engagement, leadership, alignment, innovation type issues.  they've
been at it a long time and are very good at what they do.

my idea is that these surveys, which are always done anonymously,
could be very effective invitations.  that would require putting a
one-paragraph 'invitation' at the end, directing anybody who would
want to be (and the wording here is an open question, but
essentially...) in conversation with their colleagues about the issues
raised, the survey results delivered, and any things that individuals
and small groups might do directly for themselves (passion bounded by
responsibilty) to address these things.   the idea is that they could
be directed to a new page where they could enter their contact info,
without it being connected to the survey response, and thus add
themselves to the 'invitation list' for the conversation(s) about
issues and survey results.

now, in one organization they are about to survey 100,000 employees.
if even a very small fraction of people say yes, and these folks are
scattered around the globe, it gets to be a very big conversation to
have.

certainly we can handle this, but how?  we know that we could handle
as many as 2108 in one place, if we wanted to, but at what point (how
many people) would we have to shift from event mode to remote,
self-facilitated, self-convening mode?  how might we set up the
deputizing of many conveners/hosts throughout an org and around the
world?  could we do some things to raise the passion/responsibility
bar in the sign-up process?  could we lower the activation hurdle?
how much would need to happen to make good on this invitation, how
much of a conversation do you suppose we can and should be able to
offer?  is this a good job for open space?

i'm just beginning to wrap my brain around this and would be glad for
any thoughts from you.  initial contacts on this are in europe, just
in case that makes any difference to how we think about this.  i'm
hoping to raise this possibility in conversations later this month and
can report back on progress then.

many thanks, michael



--

Michael Herman Associates
http://www.michaelherman.com
...inviting organizations into action

Small Change News Network
http://www.smallchangenews.org
...blogging giving flourishing

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