OS at May 2011 Local OpenGov Innovation Summits

[Lisa Heft]

Yer crackin' me up, Harrison my friend.

(for those of you for whom English is not a home language - that means  
he's making me laugh)

Okay, I'll bite.

If a half-day meeting is only really going to have two hours for  
dialogue after some presentations and other business, I would choose  
World Cafe or some other dialogic tool besides Open Space.

If the objectives and desired outcomes for a local event inform a  
documentation design that is very specific (including participant- 
driven graphic documentation) as direct answers to very specific  
questions, I would design something juicy and wonderful but not Open  
Space.

If the people in charge want to lead all the conversations, I would  
not use Open Space. Instead I might design an interactive round-table  
design and work with the leaders on crafting juicy questions and  
designing rich diverse participant-driven documentation design.

If the organizers did not allow time the full form of OS - opening  
circle, participant-driven co-created agenda (without 'help' from the  
facilitator), multiple discussions to roam between, use and  
explanation of principles and law, closing circle for reflection - and  
I would hope - a participant-driven documentation component...and if  
the facilitator felt they needed to intervene to 'help' or 'lead'...

- I would be so sad at the loss of what true-form OS could deliver to  
those participants.
- I would watch how the quickest responders win, lessening the voice  
of the others
- I would see voices of diversity and inclusion lessoned because of  
squished time or lack of breathing room

And most heartbreakingly of all, if not done thoughtfully - if not the  
right tool for the job - or if smashed into another shape - I might  
once again hear that participants are frustrated, angry and feel that  
their time has been wasted with this thing they are calling Open  
Space.  So they will not come to a future OS event because they  
experienced something called Open Space which was pushy and non- 
productive.

This sparks for me an interesting inquiry.

Colleagues on the OSLIST - when wouldn't *you* say it's a job for Open  
Space - and if so, what might you use or do instead?

Often as we collect information in our analysis conversations with  
clients before selecting the tool, we find that (for example) OS is  
not the tool to use for a particular event or objective - and the gift  
in that is that it opens the door for another juicy dialogic process  
or design.

Which brings me back to Harrison saying in my mind, 'I can't imagine  
what those other tools might be. :-)  '

Yer crackin' me up again. Get out of my head, you rascal,

Lisa




On Jan 9, 2011, at 11:24 AM, Harrison Owen wrote:

> Lisa -- I can't imagine what the alternatives might be. :-)
>
> ho
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: OSLIST [mailto:OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU] On Behalf Of  
> Lisa Heft
> Sent: Sunday, January 09, 2011 1:53 PM
> To: OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU
> Subject: Re: OS at May 2011 Local OpenGov Innovation Summits
>
> Thanks Lucas.
>
> Perhaps a tip sheet for the organizing team on when OS is the right
> tool and when it is not? And some other dialogue methods to use if
> time available, objectives etc. do not fit for the use of OS?
>
> Lisa
>

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