Practical Question

[Michael M Pannwitz]

Dear Marty,
looking in from the outside this looks and feels like a very tasty 
taster. Isn't every open space event a taster for the participants? And 
isn't it a great thing for people to get the taste of it, like it and 
want more?
I just had the good fortune to facilitate a 3 day event with 130 folks 
involved with the children of alcoholics, a "complete" open space, if 
you like. Seems they got all the stuff you observed in your 
taster...just more of it, but in essence, the same.
I imagine the point is that they struggled with a real business issue 
and found that with ost they really got amazing mileage out of it...and 
had a glimpse into the strange world of selforgnisation.
Keep delivering tasters, in fact, lets all do that!
Greetings from Berlin

mmp



Martin Boroson wrote:
>  
> 
> Thank you all for your suggestions on my practical question.    
> 
>  
> 
> I went with this structure:  45 minutes for intro and agenda, then 2 x 45
> minute sessions, then 45 minutes for a closing circle.  It worked
> brilliantly.  
> 
>  
> 
> Perhaps calling this a 'taster' in my email was not quite right, however.
> This event was the whole afternoon in a full-day seminar on leadership that
> I presented to about 44 executives from 20 different corporations and one
> large charity.  
> 
>  
> 
> The morning consisted of meditation and laughter (presented as leadership
> skills), plus a lecture on complexity, chaos, play, and newer leadership
> styles.  At lunchtime, I did a very fast re-set for an Open Space (I had
> made the signs the night before).  Thus the afternoon gave the participants
> a chance to experience Open Space as a leadership technique and also to
> explore any issues that were provoked by the morning session.  The theme for
> the afternoon was "What is my cutting-edge as a leader?"  
> 
>  
> 
> Despite the short amount of time, they took to the process and had very
> meaningful discussions.  They posted about 12 topics and I had trouble
> getting them to stop talking when it was time to close.  Several people got
> significant help from their peers in solving organizational problems (or
> discovered the answers for themselves).  Everyone seemed to get into the
> spirit of peer-learning, and most importantly, learn the benefit of solving
> problems by first asking other people for their ideas.  
> 
>  
> 
> Despite the short amount of time, there was a definite sense of convergence,
> in the closing circle, around one issue:  Many of these leaders had felt
> quite isolated in their organizations, particularly in their attempts to
> explore more expanded ways of working, and were truly relieved to learn that
> other leaders in other organizations were also struggling with some of the
> same challenges.  This Open Space gave them a chance to interact
> inter-organizationally, and they loved it.
> 
>  
> 
> Although the event didn't demonstrate the full potential of Open Space, it
> sure did give them a meaningful conversation, a lively afternoon, and the
> opportunity to explore a different way of leading a group.  
> 
>  
> 
> So, was that a taster?
> 
>  
> 
> Marty
> 
> 
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