FW: SV: [OSLIST] Bad OS experiences

Fri Apr 10 05:21:20 PDT 2009

Hiya Shikha.

Thanks for sharing your experiences of doing Open Space in south east Asia
and Pakistan.

You say: "The part we missed was good planning with two of us."

One way to reduce the likelihood of a repeat of your Pakistan experience is
to pull together a design team consisting of you (and your co-facilitator if
you're working with one), the client-side person and, say, three people who
be taking part in the Open Space event.

The design team decides:

   - The non-negotiables (the musts and must nots - what some call 'the
   givens')
   - The date, timing and location of the OS event
   - The theme or focal question
   - The outputs that are required from the event - reports, photos,
   whatever - and the reporting method to be used
   - Who to invite and how to invite them
   - Number and length of timeslots
   - Places to meet - where and how many
   - What materials will be needed (paper, pens, flipchart stands and pads
   etc.) and how these will be acquired

No matter how well a collaborative gathering is designed, the reality will
almost always be different. You plan for 150 people and only 70 show up. You
thought a 45 minute timeslot would be enough, but on the day people needed
60 minutes. You arranged six places to meet but eight were required. And so
on. But a design team generally produces a better design than one created by
other means. The three participants-to-be know things that you aren't aware
of. If one of the three is a sceptic, so much the better.

I was taught this way of working by Robert "Jake" Jacobs, the co-developer
of Real Time Strategic Change (
http://thechangehandbook.com/content/view/62/38) and it translates
readily to Open Space.

Some people have said to me: "You don't need a design team for an Open Space
event - there's nothing to design."

Your experience in Pakistan proves otherwise!

Thank you again for telling your stories.

Jack

Jack Martin Leith : Fostering innovation next practice
Bristol, United Kingdom
Mobile: 07831 840541 (+44 7831 840541)
Skype: jackmartinleith
email: jack at jackmartinleith.com
www.jackmartinleith.com

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2009/4/10 Shikha Shrestha <sshrestha at bellanet.org>

> Dear Bui,
>
> There is always new learning experience while facilitating using open
> space. As you really do not know what will be outcomes of the meeting. These
> outcomes are always good surprises.
>
> In context of South Asia, there is very big power based hierarchical
> structure. So, it was hard for these Chairperson or Board or President
> treated as equal as our philosophy of circle. However, the strategy we
> adopted was convincing these sources of power the relevance of our
> methodology and saying that it is a platform where they can moderate their
> discussions on the agenda they wanted. Another challenge was moving these
> big people from one group to other, that again need lots of convincing. The
> methodology has been great in my experience with the youth, who are open to
> new ideas and vibrant options of facilitations.
>
> I always recall my experience of Pakistan as one of the nightmare;) The
> methodology was not well taken by the participants. While reviewing the
> reason, it was mainly due to language barrier. We had made a team of two
> person, myself and other friend of local area who was fluent in local
> language. The part we missed was good planning with two of us. Therefore, I
> think it is mainly about knowing expectations of the participants, their
> composition and cultural background where we can twist a bit of our
> methodology to make it a livelier workshops ever!
>
> Hope it helps,
>
> Shikha
>
>
> On 4/9/09, Harrison Owen <hhowen at verizon.net> wrote:
>>
>>   Bui – Not to worry about odd balances of power. More often that not the
>> “offender” (Chairman of the Board, President, etc) will get the picture and
>> will simply be blown away by the rich resources in the room.  And if they
>> are not impressed, they are the real losers. Of course, it may be that the
>> Big Cheese is SO good that nobody else has anything to contribute – if so
>> he/she is REALLY a looser. After all he/she is the person who hired all
>> those folks and if it turns out that they are all just plain turkeys, that
>> does not say much for his executive ability. To say the least!
>>
>>
>>
>> But let me ask you this. If not Open Space – what would you do? Go ahead
>> and tell me that you are going to keep in control of the situation J
>>
>>
>>
>> Harrison
>>
>> Harrison Owen
>>
>> 7808 River Falls Drive
>>
>> Potomac, Maryland   20854
>>
>> Phone 301-365-2093
>>
>> Skype hhowen
>>
>> Open Space Training www.openspaceworld.com
>>
>> Open Space Institute www.openspaceworld.org
>>
>> Personal website www.ho-image.com
>>
>> OSLIST: To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options, view the
>> archives Visit: www.listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html<http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html>
>>
>>
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> *From:* OSLIST [mailto:OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU] *On Behalf Of *Bui
>> Petersen
>> *Sent:* Wednesday, April 08, 2009 10:33 PM
>> *To:* OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU
>> *Subject:* Re: SV: [OSLIST] Bad OS experiences
>>
>>
>>
>> Thank you everyone for you great and varied responses. I think I am
>> reminded of the importance of preparation and of clearly assessing if OST is
>> a good choice for the situation.
>>
>> The more I think of the OS my wife participated in, the more I start to
>> believe that the conditions may not have been right and the problems may
>> have exacerbated by the some of the modification of the format.
>>
>> I do have a concern about using OS situations where there are significant
>> power imbalances. I'm sure it has worked such on occasions but I am also
>> nervous that it may not always do that.
>>
>> Thanks again,
>>
>> Bui
>>
>> Thomas Herrmann wrote:
>>
>> The other day I had a participant in an Open Space-meeting telling me that
>> she had a not so good experience in something called Open Space – where the
>> facilitator used an alarm-clock – I guess to “tell” participants when “it
>> was over” – and on top of that the alarm went off every now and then – so it
>> seemed not even the alarm-clock could be managed... That participant, by the
>> way, signed up for our upcoming training in October...
>>
>>
>>
>> One thing I do is to provide participants with an invitation to start with
>> a round at hte start of each session. That gives everyone the opportunity to
>> use his/her voice directly and share what thoughts they brought to the
>> session – why they chose to come and also presenting their name to the
>> workgroup. My experience is that this adds to the conversation and
>> highlights that there is such richness in the group – straight at the start
>> of their meeting.
>>
>> I’ve personally experienced working sessions in Open Space where one or a
>> few people in the group occupied the space talking and talking – and of
>> course yes I used my feet...
>>
>> Cheers
>>
>> Thomas Herrmann
>>
>>
>>   ------------------------------
>>
>> *Från:* OSLIST [mailto:OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU] *För *Jack
>> Ricchiuto
>> *Skickat:* den 8 april 2009 22:22
>> *Till:* OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU
>> *Ämne:* Re: [OSLIST] Bad OS experiences
>>
>>
>>
>> Thanks Harrison, and I resonate with the "no bad open space" experience
>> because it always does in a community exactly what it can to reveal, heal,
>> evoke, provoke and connect. It may not satisfy obsessions with speed and
>> scale, but often delights the tenders of organic growth.
>>
>> With gratitude, Jack
>>
>> -.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-
>> DesigningLife.com
>>
>>  On Wed, Apr 8, 2009 at 3:36 PM, Harrison Owen <hhowen at verizon.net>
>> wrote:
>>
>> How wonderful to return to find BAD OPEN SPACE! I didn't know there was
>> any,
>> and truthfully, I never met an Open space I didn't like. But then again I
>> am
>> biased. My own experience is that as long as the conditions are OK (Real
>> business issue, voluntary self-selection, lots of diversity, lots of
>> complexity, real passion/confusion, and a decision time of yesterday) and
>> the procedure followed (sit in circle, create bulletin board, open market
>> place, go to work) just about everything comes out perfect. Does that mean
>> that everybody is 100% happy? Have they ever been? -- and if not, why now?
>>
>> The president of a company whose employees decided to dissolve the
>> company;
>> he was un-happy. Control freaks that were sure that their way was the only
>> way -- they were unhappy. People who suffer from Freedom Shock pretty well
>> go out of their gourds. People who think so little of themselves that they
>> permit the blowhards of this world to brow beat them without employing the
>> Law of Two Feet are definitely unhappy -- and must also understand that
>> they
>> alone are responsible for their misery. Neither Open Space nor anything
>> else
>> will turn raving idiots into towering Einsteins for silk purses do not
>> ordinarily come from sow's ears -- and that is a bad rap on sows! Goodness
>> me -- we have problems. But are those problems attributable to Open Space?
>>
>> All of that said most people, most places, most of the time find the
>> ordinary to be extraordinary, the mundane to be magnificent. Just an
>> average
>> day in Open Space, relishing the wonderful world of self organization --
>> which truthfully is the only world we have.
>>
>> Harrison
>>
>>
>>
>> Harrison Owen
>> 7808 River Falls Drive
>> Potomac, Maryland   20854
>> Phone 301-365-2093
>> Skype hhowen
>> Open Space Training www.openspaceworld.com
>> Open Space Institute www.openspaceworld.org
>> Personal website www.ho-image.com
>> OSLIST: To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options, view the
>> archives Visit: www.listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html
>>
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: OSLIST [mailto:OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU] On Behalf Of
>> Elisabeth
>> Tepperk Kofod
>> Sent: Wednesday, April 08, 2009 2:14 PM
>> To: OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU
>> Subject: Re: Bad OS experiences
>>
>> I believe the key is in preparing the right question or issue.
>>
>> Elisabeth Tepper Kofod
>> Venezuela
>>
>> -----Mensaje original-----
>> De: OSLIST [mailto:OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU] En nombre de Larry
>> Peterson
>> Enviado el: miércoles, 08 de abril de 2009 10:52 a.m.
>> Para: OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU
>> Asunto: Re: [OSLIST] Bad OS experiences
>>
>> Bui:
>>
>> In Toronto, I've also experienced some people who were not happy with
>> their
>> experience of open space.
>>
>> Some people prefer the sense that somebody is in control of a meeting
>> (particularly in Canada). Others, particularly in healthcare, who are used
>> to dominating get upset when they are not able to do that.
>>
>> To me a critical component is the preparation of the sponsor by the
>> facilitator. This is especially important in smaller groups from my
>> experience. How they frame the space that is opened before the facilitator
>> asks the question has a big impact on the sense of freedom that
>> participants
>> have or do not have. It is also important to have enough time in open
>> space
>> to get beyond the usual suspects shaping the discussion particularly when
>> the culture of the group has not encouraged participation in the past.
>>
>> Certainly the setup of the room and the breakout spaces particularly in
>> smaller group have a real impact. A clear articulation of be done with the
>> results is also critical.
>>
>> I have led many open space events of 15 or fewer people that were lively,
>> new ideas emerging, new leadership surfacing, over six hours to two days.
>> Some individuals, however, are not quite ready to be full participants in
>> riding waves. They only find this out in the experience of open space.
>>
>> Larry
>>
>>
>> Larry Peterson & Associates in Transformation
>> Toronto, Ontario, Canada
>> larry at spiritedorg.com   416.653.4829 http://www.spiritedorg.com
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: OSLIST [mailto:OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU] On Behalf Of Bui
>> Petersen
>> Sent: April-08-09 10:11 AM
>> To: OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU
>> Subject: [OSLIST] Bad OS experiences
>>
>> Hi everyone,
>>
>> Having almost settled in living in St. John's, Newfoundland, I am
>> looking for opportunities to open space. It is a slow process to
>> introduce something that people are not familiar with, especially as I
>> am new in a town where everyone seems to know each other.
>>
>> My question is, what do you do in cases where you meet people who HAVE
>> been exposed to OST but did not have a good experience. My wife for one
>> participated in one OS forum, and she is not at all convinced. Her
>> experience was that the usual suspects did all the talking and those
>> that usually are quiet, stayed that way. I wasn't there myself, but from
>> what I gather there may have been some factors that contributed to this
>> such as, the size of the group (only 15), the breakout spaces had tables
>> and a couple of other factors. Nevertheless, my wife is not convinced it
>> could have been much different.
>>
>> What do you more experienced think is a play? My own experience is
>> limited so I'm not sure what to say about this. Is it the case that some
>> OS events just don't have the right energy and don't work out that well?
>> If so, what can you do to make people consider doing it again? The best
>> I have come up with is that even if OST may not be perfect, it is better
>> than most other things I have tried.
>>
>> Your thoughts would be much appreciated.
>>
>> Thanks,
>>
>> Bui Petersen
>>
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