[OSList] OSList Digest, Vol 6, Issue 3

[Dan Mezick]

Thanks to Lisa and everyone else responding to my question about small 
OST meetings.

I am explaining the experience. In both cases of small-group OST, I am 
not the facilitator. Friends do it. It the first case, an inexperienced  
person is the facilitator. In the second, the facilitator is skilled but 
is challenged by coming in cold to work with people he has no experience 
with.

Episode 1

In the first instance, I explain to a progressive friend in a 
progressive org about Open Space, and he enlists an in-house coach to 
facilitate a small OST meeting on very short notice. That involves me 
doing some explaining to the in-house coach about OST on the phone, 
explaining the dynamics, the posters and the like. And also referring to 
some web links. The facilitator never did one of these, and probably was 
not ready even 50%. The whole thing was thrown together quickly. The 
sponsor (the authority in the space) did not socialize the event in the 
standard way.

Episode 2

In the second instance of small-group OST, the facilitator came in as 
part of a 2-day retreat, following a general meeting facilitator who did 
the first day. In this example, the day2 facilitator had some work to 
finish with the group from day1. The work was the completion of a 
3-question retrospective (what's working, what is not, what do we want 
to change) and the further development and refinement of a list of core 
values. When the day2 facilitator arrives, there are 12 values on the 
wall the group created in day1. The day2 facilitator follows the day1 
facilitator, who briefs him on the situation the evening before day2. 
The day2 facilitator is coming in cold, having only been briefed. The 
day2 facilitator is an experienced OST facilitator, having experience 
doing at least 5 events of up to 70 people. When he arrives, he does 
some intro stuff and dives into an Open Space format meeting. There is 
no invite, etc. From there it kicks off and gets sticky as the group 
gets testy with the authority. The facilitator intervenes and some 
participants check out and then check back in after a short delay.

In both of these examples, we can argue that these are not OST meetings 
in any standard sense of that term. I believe this is the root of the 
behaviors. That said, my broader question to the list community is 
whether OST is more difficult in small-group settings say, under about 
17 people.






On 8/4/2011 1:36 PM, oslist-request at lists.openspacetech.org wrote:
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> Today's Topics:
>
>     1. changed my address (doug)
>     2. Re: openspace and stakeholder engagement (Lisa Heft)
>     3. Re: 12-15 people: the dynamics (Lisa Heft)
>     4. Re: 12-15 people: the dynamics (Jeff Aitken)
>     5. Re: energy field of the facilitator and its influence on OST
>        outcomes (Michael M Pannwitz)
>     6. Re: energy field...... outcomes (Michael Herman)
>
>
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Message: 1
> Date: Wed, 03 Aug 2011 19:34:01 -0400
> From: doug<ost at footprintsinthewind.com>
> To: oslist<OSList at lists.openspacetech.org>
> Cc: doug<76066.515 at compuserve.com>
> Subject: [OSList] changed my address
> Message-ID:<1312414441.32006.319.camel at localhost>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="UTF-8"
>
> Hi friends--
>
> Please note my new email address for this list.
>
> 			:- Doug. Germann
>
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 2
> Date: Wed, 3 Aug 2011 16:35:33 -0700
> From: Lisa Heft<lisaheft at openingspace.net>
> To: World wide Open Space Technology email list
> 	<oslist at lists.openspacetech.org>
> Subject: Re: [OSList] openspace and stakeholder engagement
> Message-ID:<55E73C7D-3EC6-49BC-AF52-5F06183CDA60 at openingspace.net>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"; Format="flowed";
> 	DelSp="yes"
>
> Hello, Tanya -
> Open Space is *all about* stakeholder engagement.
>
> Perhaps you can be more specific and share with us something more
> about what you are seeking and why - and we can provide you with
> resources or stories or ....?
>
> A warm hello from Rosario, Argentina (on my way to C?rdoba)...
>
>
> Lisa Heft
> Consultant, Facilitator, Educator
> Opening Space
> lisaheft at openingspace.net
>
> Ask me about these 2011 workshops for facilitators and others who
> convene people:
>    - The Power of Pre-Work - August 24-26 - San Francisco, USA
>    - The Open Space Learning Workshop
>           - July 29-31 - Buenos Aires, Argentina (en espa?ol)
>          - August 4-6 - C?rdoba, Argentina (en espa?ol)
>          - October 17-18- Santiago, Chile (en espa?ol)
>          - December 14-16 - San Francisco, USA
>
>
> On Aug 2, 2011, at 11:28 AM, Tanya Stergiou wrote:
>
>> hello everyone,
>>
>> i would like to know if anyone could suggest any good resources on
>> openspace and stakeholder engagement?
>>
>> any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
>>
>> thanks,
>> tanya
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>
> Message: 3
> Date: Wed, 3 Aug 2011 17:20:19 -0700
> From: Lisa Heft<lisaheft at openingspace.net>
> To: World wide Open Space Technology email list
> 	<oslist at lists.openspacetech.org>
> Subject: Re: [OSList] 12-15 people: the dynamics
> Message-ID:<C353FFB1-0D60-4485-9E1E-BE59AA3D6530 at openingspace.net>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"; Format="flowed";
> 	DelSp="yes"
>
> Hi, Dan -
>
> Whether small or large groups, it sounds like there are some very
> specific interpersonal dynamics going on here.
>
> Open Space - and all dialogue work - is so much more than the meeting
> itself or the method used. And the meeting is an event that is part of
> a living system and a chain of interactions, events and behaviors,
> right?
>
> Upon reflection - do you feel there is anything you could have done
> differently in the invitation, the nature of invitation, in doing all
> your investigation work as you analyzed before choosing the dialogue
> tool (objectives, context, culture, what will happen before and after,
> underlying issues and events, how this event fits into the culture or
> work plan or interaction of a group, power dynamics...) and those
> million other things one investigates, designs for, takes into
> consideration and receives information about as part of the pre-work?
>
> And: do you have any reflections about the way you open and frame
> things and introduce the task folks are working on for the day - your
> languaging, the way you create the invitational space - that you might
> do differently?
>
> I am not saying that you are the reason for any of this.  But of
> course there are many times when we cannot change a system or a
> situation - however we can change our own way of naming, interacting,
> navigating. And as Open Space is more than the tasks of Open Space -
> as it includes the facilitator's pre-work, interaction with client,
> extensive pre-work and yes as you are saying, presence during the
> event itself. Perhaps there are things you felt you did really well
> and things you noticed in these realms?
>
> Cheers from C?rdoba,
> Lisa
>
>
> Lisa Heft
> Consultant, Facilitator, Educator
> Opening Space
> lisaheft at openingspace.net
>
> Ask me about these 2011 workshops for facilitators and others who
> convene people:
>
> On Aug 3, 2011, at 1:03 PM, Dan Mezick wrote:
>
>> I am writing the community to find out if you have seen this pattern
>> with smaller Open Space meetings. I am asking because I am 2 for 2
>> with this pattern, when the group is less than 16 people.
>>
>> 1. They play along at the Open
>> 2. They look at the marketplace and notice it is all mostly one
>> subject
>> 3. They all decide to meet for this 'one big session' (self
>> organizing)
>> 4. It starts to zoom in on authority, and have a tone of challenging/
>> questioning the formal authority, usually the Director/ Team Lead role
>> 5. It causes some anxiety, mixed feelings/a problem for the
>> facilitator
>> 6. What happens next is anyone's guess
>>
>> Questions:
>>
>> 1. Have you seen this
>> 2. Is this a commonly understood pattern
>> 3. If you have experienced this, when you experience it, what do you
>> do... in that spot
>> 4. If I ad facilitator judge the situation  as "tipping into chaos",
>> is it bad form to intervene
>>
>> Staying out of it is more than a little difficult to do. A range of
>> feeling comes up as facilitator...
>>
>> Summary:
>>
>> They self-organize, into one big session. They just all decide to do
>> this, (so far, looks OK per OST ground rules...) then it takes on
>> this dump-on-authority tone. The tone can be considered
>> insubordinate to some observers and participants. The "discussion"
>> is usually well within the stated theme for the OST meeting.
>>
>> This appears to be a small-group pattern. I have no idea what the
>> upper end of the range might be, I have seen it in groups up to 16
>> people.
>>
>> Your wise counsel is requested, if you have directly experienced this.
>>
>> Regards,
>> Dan
>>
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>
> Message: 4
> Date: Wed, 3 Aug 2011 18:11:08 -0700
> From: Jeff Aitken<magic.teams at hotmail.com>
> To: open space listserv<oslist at lists.openspacetech.org>
> Subject: Re: [OSList] 12-15 people: the dynamics
> Message-ID:<COL101-W9ACA50E63161536576492EE3D0 at phx.gbl>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
>
>
> Hi Dan,
>
> In my experience of lots of smaller open spaces, with 5 - 18 participants, there is often the dynamic of the group looking at the agenda wall and someone saying 'let's stay together and discuss them all', and enough participants agree that it becomes what all (or most) participants do. It seems to happen in about half of the small OSTs I have facilitated.
>
> What often happens in this case is that the group covers some number of the topics in the time available, and the other topics are not discussed.
>
> I have found instances of this dynamic in which participants report a very successful and satisfying meeting, and other instances in which the report is not so successful or satisfying.
>
> It sometimes makes me think about minimalist interventions during the opening and marketplace. I once came up with the idea to suggest to such a group to make an adjustment in the time slots on the post-it notes, so that participants see that each topic now needs to be covered in (for example) 20 minutes instead of the posted 60 if they want to discuss all of the topics. Just to offer this guideline to their awareness. But I think I would only consider this in a case in which most people are new to OST, it's a one time gathering and not an ongoing group, it's a short (3-4 hour) gathering, and it just feels right to make that suggestion.
>
> I definitely do feel the anxiety of the space holder in a small group, but I have been clear about my role and do not 'intervene' after the first session begins until the time for the closing circle has come. This has been true even in conflictual situations.
>
> In my OST training I learned that my role is to "preserve and protect the law of two feet" - or to notice a "space invader" who restricts any participant's choice to use the law of two feet, and make a subtle intervention in that case. This is part of the pre-work to coach an authority figure about the dynamics of OST, of course. But I have not experienced it in an OST meeting of this kind.
>
> I have not, however, experienced element 4 on your list. I appreciate Lisa's questions toward a deeper understanding of what may be taking place.
>
> best wishes,
>
> Jeff Aitken PhD
> San Francisco
>
>
>
>
>
>
>> Date: Wed, 3 Aug 2011 13:03:25 -0700
>> From: dan.mezick at newtechusa.com
>> To: oslist at lists.openspacetech.org
>> Subject: [OSList] 12-15 people: the dynamics
>>
>> I am writing the community to find out if you have seen this pattern
>> with smaller Open Space meetings. I am asking because I am 2 for 2 with
>> this pattern, when the group is less than 16 people.
>>
>> 1. They play along at the Open
>> 2. They look at the marketplace and notice it is all mostly one subject
>> 3. They all decide to meet for this 'one big session' (self organizing)
>> 4. It starts to zoom in on authority, and have a tone of
>> challenging/questioning the formal authority, usually the Director/ Team
>> Lead role
>> 5. It causes some anxiety, mixed feelings/a problem for the facilitator
>> 6. What happens next is anyone's guess
>>
>> Questions:
>>
>> 1. Have you seen this
>> 2. Is this a commonly understood pattern
>> 3. If you have experienced this, when you experience it, what do you
>> do... in that spot
>> 4. If I ad facilitator judge the situation as "tipping into chaos", is
>> it bad form to intervene
>>
>> Staying out of it is more than a little difficult to do. A range of
>> feeling comes up as facilitator...
>>
>> Summary:
>>
>> They self-organize, into one big session. They just all decide to do
>> this, (so far, looks OK per OST ground rules...) then it takes on this
>> dump-on-authority tone. The tone can be considered insubordinate to some
>> observers and participants. The "discussion" is usually well within the
>> stated theme for the OST meeting.
>>
>> This appears to be a small-group pattern. I have no idea what the upper
>> end of the range might be, I have seen it in groups up to 16 people.
>>
>> Your wise counsel is requested, if you have directly experienced this.
>>
>> Regards,
>> Dan
>> _______________________________________________
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> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 5
> Date: Thu, 04 Aug 2011 10:36:10 +0200
> From: Michael M Pannwitz<mmpanne at boscop.org>
> To: World wide Open Space Technology email list
> 	<oslist at lists.openspacetech.org>
> Subject: Re: [OSList] energy field of the facilitator and its
> 	influence on OST	outcomes
> Message-ID:<4E3A59FA.8070304 at boscop.org>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=windows-1252; format=flowed
>
> Dear Birgitt,
> from where I stand, space always is. So no need to open it. Often,
> however, the space is not very large and sometimes it is shrunk to a
> mere dot in the universe.
> And then there is the question, what on earth the space is for, no
> matter how huge or how tiny. To me, in this context, it is the
> playground for selforganisation to do its thing.
> And then, selforganisation always is.
> So, here I have space always and selforganisation always.
> What then is the role/function of me and others involved in a situation
> where an urgent issue needs to be dealt with?
> Having worked as a facilitator with nothing much else than OST in the
> last 15 years, I happily will offer it in situations where conditions
> appear suitable first of all to the sponsor/client for expanding the
> space for selforganisation to do its thing.
> At the beginning of an OST event, the sponsor opens the event (opens the
> space is also what I usually say, mostly to make clear that it is not me
> doing that... it might be less sloppy and just simpler and more
> congruent with my understanding of space always being open for me to say
> "opens the event").
> Then, I introduce OST with the idea to expand the space just a bit so
> that selforganisation can do more of its thing. At that moment it seems
> to me, everyone in the room is involved in contributing to expanding and
> holding the space... and from here on in much more so than me and, it
> seems, very little aware of it, apparently finding it the "normal" or
> "natural" thing to do, no need to really talk about it. This puzzled me
> early in my OST work, thinking the participants need to appreciate more
> what they were achieving. All attempts (evaluation, medicine wheel,
> etc.)did not seem to add anything to the event and I had the feeling we
> were taking up the time of participants with something that mainly
> interested me.
>
> How does this relate to outcome?
>
> In my practice, the Planning Group (usually 6 to 12 weeks before the
> event) always produces a mind map visualizing what the world looks like
> to them the day after the event, what has changed, what is different,
> how they feel, which perspectives have been opened, what happens at
> their place of work, in their community, etc., their aspirations, vision
> of the future.
> Looking at the mind map after the event and going through it together,
> typically not only showed that just about everything happened the way
> they had envisioned it AND a lot more (be prepared to be surprised).
> This exercise also did not seem to catapult them into paradise... now I
> suggest that they just post the mind map along other stuff from the
> event itself in the Next Meetings where they continue to work on their
> projects after the OST event.
>
> So, my picture of everyone at the gathering is not a system that needs
> resonant energy broadcasted to them from me or the facilitation team but
> a gathering of people that are enjoying, living, working and doing other
> fun and productive things in a space just a little bit more expanded
> than usual in which selforganisation is at work just a little bit more
> than usual.
>
> What I can report in my deminishing work with OST is that the two
> clients I have this year (NACOA Germany with its third strategic
> conference early in 2012 and an it-outfit in a couple of months
> rethinking some basic "givens" in their non-stop business) are
> broadcasting wonderful energies in my direction... I wonder what will
> happen without such stuff!
>
> Wishing you more quiet time to connect...and if you are in Berlin, I
> will convene a Stammtisch...
> Hugs
> mmp
>
> PS: Rereading my comments I wonder what makes me work so hared, trying
> to understand everything so hard... my suspicion is that my old friend
> "control" is alive and kicking. And I also see that there are a whole
> bunch of assumptions on stuff such as "space" and "selforganization" and
> "expanding" and "selforganization doing its thing" and many more that
> are probably very important: Are they really touched by our half-way
> technology?
>
>
>
> On 03.08.2011 02:40, Birgitt Williams wrote:
>> Warm greetings!
>>
>> I have been absent from this list for some time and am delighted to be
>> connected now, at least for a while, taking advantage of some quiet time
>> over the summer to connect with people and ideas.
>>
>> A topic that I wish to address is about the outcomes of an OST meeting
>> in relation to the energy field of the facilitator. From my perspective
>> and experience, there is a direct relationship. I often ask OST
>> facilitators what they mean when they say that they ?open space? and
>> ?hold space?. My perspective on the facilitator ?opening space? is that
>> this is just not so. The facilitator does not ?open the space?. The
>> sponsor ?opens space? in his or her organization so that the facilitator
>> can conduct the form of the Open Space Technology meeting. Viewed from
>> that lens, I make choices when I prepare with the sponsor for the OST
>> meeting, and what I ask of the sponsor and his/her participation during
>> the meeting itself. For example, the sponsor teams I work with are
>> coached about working with their personal energy to support the highly
>> engaging participatory process. I ask them to sit equidistant from each
>> other in the circle and ?hold the space? open for the best possible
>> outcomes and the greatest participation. At the end of every day of the
>> meeting, we meet simply to discuss what it felt like to them to have
>> opened the space and held the space. The reflections are amazing.
>>
>> My role as the lead facilitator and the role of my co-facilitators is
>> one of working with the space being held, of going through the form of
>> OST, and more importantly to be in touch with ourselves as resonant
>> energy field generators. Every one of us works at being in genuine
>> contact with ourselves, with our personal energy field, and within that
>> genuine contact experiences love and peace and joy. Our job as resonant
>> energy field generators is to broadcast this frequency from ourselves to
>> give the greatest opportunity for everyone within the gathering to reach
>> their greatest potential in the moment of the meeting. ?Holding the
>> space? from my perspective is this very connection and interpretation of
>> self as generating a resonant energy field. Doing little, being much.
>>
>> When a meeting goes well, there are many factors, including how well we
>> created an energy field as facilitators and how well we did this
>> together with our sponsors. We recognize that in both our observer role
>> and in our role as energy field generators, we influence the meeting and
>> the outcomes of the meeting.
>>
>> Blessings to all,
>>
>> Birgitt
>>
>> Birgitt Williams
>>
>> President and Senior Consultant, Dalar International Consultancy
>> <http://www.dalarinternational.com>
>> Author, The Genuine Contact Way<http://www.genuinecontactway.com>
>>
>> 919-522-7750
>>
>> The Look Lo Res.jpg
>>
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>>
>>
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