[OSList] 12-15 people: the dynamics

[Jeff Aitken]

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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