[OSList] The Open Agile Adoption story

Fri Jul 26 06:43:19 PDT 2013

Dear Dan,

Thank you for connecting the dots so powerfully and passionately!

My socks have been blown off reading your email, and the amazing replies from Harrison, Suzanne, and Harold, and I look forward to learning more and contributing in any way I can.  

As an Open Space facilitator for many years, my suffering has been seeing that most organizations and communities want the outcomes of OST, now more than ever, but are still reluctant to trust the process. 

Please count me in!
Linda

Date: Fri, 26 Jul 2013 09:00:07 -0400
From: sdaigle4 at gmail.com
To: oslist at lists.openspacetech.org
Subject: Re: [OSList] The Open Agile Adoption story

Harrison, I guess that's why the word Technology got tagged onto Open Space.  Prescient perhaps ?!?
Suzanne

On Fri, Jul 26, 2013 at 8:35 AM, Harrison Owen <hhowen at verizon.net> wrote:

Dan – Great to see you here on OSLIST, and the story you tell is marvelous! And...I can’t resist telling one of my own. Something like 20 years ago, in a conversation with a techie friend, I said that whoever in the software community first found and utilized the deep power of Open Space would totally change the game. Game on! J
 Harrison 
Harrison Owen7808 River Falls Dr.
Potomac, MD 20854USA 
189 Beaucaire Ave. (summer)Camden, Maine 04843
 Phone 301-365-2093
(summer)  207-763-3261 
www.openspaceworld.com www.ho-image.com (Personal Website)
To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options, view the archives of OSLIST Go to:http://lists.openspacetech.org/listinfo.cgi/oslist-openspacetech.org
 From: oslist-bounces at lists.openspacetech.org [mailto:oslist-bounces at lists.openspacetech.org] On Behalf Of Daniel Mezick

Sent: Thursday, July 25, 2013 12:38 PM
To: oslist at lists.openspacetech.org
Subject: [OSList] The Open Agile Adoption story

 Good morning OST-List! 
I am Daniel Mezick, probably someone you never heard of. 
I’m an executive & Agile coach that seeks (and occasionally obtains) work in that section of the USA between NYC and Boston. I live in CT. I have a story to tell you…and an invitation…

Open and Agile 

 …about 4 years ago I start experimenting with Open Space, using it inside public www.AgileBoston.org conference events. I study OST more. In 2010 we at Agile Boston innovate by getting the 80-page proceeding from a large public OST event rendered to a PDF and shipped to all participants in less than 24 hours. (We employ a rapid transcription service to render the per-session outputs to text and images, then create a WORD doc and PDF.)
 I actually did not know what the hell I was doing. I just knew it was a generally good idea to socialize Open Space in Boston. 
 Little do I know… 
In late 2010, by Googling around I discover the free-download PDF of the SPIRIT book by HO. Reading that changes everything for me. I realize that OST is really about development and transformation in organizations, NOT simply for public conferences and general education. (This is how the “Agile community” currently uses Open Space.)
 As a consultant to organizations, I realize that the SPIRIT book for some reason is completely overlooked by the Agile community, and that this book had the seeds of success in it. The “secret sauce”. I begin experimenting with bringing Open Space meetings into my Agile coaching engagements. The basic hypothesis is that the introduction of change (Agile in this case) creates alarming levels of anxiety and worry. And, that Open Space might actually help reduce worry and fear.
 From late 2010 to the present day, I begin experimenting with using Open Space in service to rapid and lasting Agile adoptions. By diving into this work with willing clients, I begin to realize the power of Open Space… with them. We find that we can reduce the anxiety of change via the power and mystery of “invitation.” I begin to study and build upon work from Ed Seykota (“testing for willingness”), Michael Herman (“invitation”), Harrison Owen (the SPIRIT book), others. 
 In 2011 I do a few more experiments and begin pulling ideas from cultural anthropology (Victor Turner), from positive psychology (Tony Hsieh’s application of Martin Seligman’s work) and from the art and science of game design (Jane McGonigal).
 In 2012 I write THE CULTURE GAME (www.TheCultureGame.com), a book about how to help your organization get smarter. At this point I have worked with OST in more than a few organizations. In that book I write a chapter, chapter 21, and give it the title “Open The Space”. That chapter contains several “easter eggs” which a few astute readers find and begin using. I start to get emails from around the world about that chapter. In that chapter I reference many of Harrison’s works, I disclose some of the Open Agile Adoption technique.  In that chapter, I specifically provide the link to the SPIRIT book. 
 By late 2012, I have confirmation of several hypotheses. The first is that without engagement, we have nothing. That seems very obvious, yet the current Agile literature has little or nothing to say about the role of engagement in effective Agile adoptions. Second is that there is no engagement without psychological safety sufficient to engage. Third, safety (and a general sense of well-being) is a largely a function of creating an “inviting structure”. By structure I mean: a clear goal, or purpose…and a clear set of rules…and a great, always-on feedback system and the big one…”opt-in participation”. 
 I started ranting on Twitter and on my blog about how “mandated collaboration” in Agile adoptions is at best misguided. How mandated practices may be...harmful. Remember by this point I have my experience and case data. I am speaking from some experience. 
 At first, no one seemed to hear me. But after a while, I start getting ReTweets a lot. And people started talking back to me from around the world and there is conversation. Questions. Insights. I start connecting with all kinds of people around this idea. Some of the ReTweets are from people with French names who Tweet in French AND English.

So here I am with this more-than-pretty-good technique that incorporates Open Space. And I am kind of feeding out provocative questions about Agile coaching, and talking a lot about invitation, and about the futility of mandates…I also make some radical assertions. This goes on for a while. 
 Then I got this interesting invitation.  
It’s an invite to come and keynote the Global Scrum  Gathering in Paris France in September of 2013. The invite is from some of those French people who ReTweet my Tweets. They tell me I can talk about absolutely anything I deem important, and ask me to “come and play” with them. 
 It takes me about 2 minutes to make up my mind. As soon as this happens, I know it is one of these providential-type events that becomes a defining moment. I gather up all my notes and start crafting the speech. I also immediately contact Harrison Owen, and bring all my work and notes up to his place in Camden to talk, and explain OAA with Open Space to him, and seek his guidance. That was back in early July. 
 And so: here we are. I’m going over there to Paris to talk about Open Agile Adoption with Open Space to six hundred Agile and Scrum practitioners. Many of them are coaches. The OAA technique incorporates OST, storytelling, play, and some ancient and proven tribal patterns for managing change, specifically the rite of passage pattern. 
 There is a list of links at the bottom of this note, so you can get a sense of what I am presenting. Over July and August I am planning to explain the whole technique to you and everyone else, holding back the case data and the toolkit until 9/24 in Paris, when I deliver the actual speech. On that day, the toolkit and all the tools become free to the world via an open source license and a free download. The intent is to provide a body of work that others can immediately use and more importantly, improve upon. 
 We know that people are only 25 or 30 percent engaged at work. (see related link below.) Open Space is a profoundly useful way to double or even triple engagement from there. The hypothesis of Open Agile Adoption is that a safe space is required for true group learning to take root. And that Open Space is the primary tool for constructing that kind of place. 
 The keynote address is designed to resonate before and after the event. Before the event, INFOQ.com is publishing articles, videos and interviews on Open Agile Adoption. During the event, the speech will be transcribed, videotaped and recorded by the Scrum Alliance. After the event these Scrum Alliance artifacts will be available to anyone in the world via the Scrum Alliance. Also after the event I plan to make the case data and Open Agile Adoption toolkit free to the world, such that anyone with “a good head and a good heart” can do it and do it well. 
 I’m taking a page from Harrison’s playbook, and from his ethos, choosing to make the entire body of know-how free to the world. I’m hoping that Open Agile Adoption (and derivatives) become the standard for implementing more rapid and lasting Agile adoptions…
 …Not everyone is likely to be happy if this comes true. The Open Space element has the potential to radically reduce the amount of Agile coaching that is actually needed to get a rapid and lasting Agile adoption. That reduces billable hours!
 Further (and of far more interest to you) is the idea that skilled OST Facilitators are required to execute well with the Open Agile Adoption technique. This has the potential to open up new demand for those here with deep OST skills and experience. 
 There is clear potential for a certain “changing of the guard” in Agile adoptions worldwide. There is potential for disruption...and maybe a little bit of chaos. 
 After the Paris Scrum Gathering, I plan to offer short, plain-talk seminars in how to do Open Agile Adoption. I do not plan to teach Open Space facilitation in detail, because others in this community are already doing this very well, and also because there is more to Open Agile Adoption that just Open Space. There are elements of storytelling, elements of a passage rite, elements of gaming, play and more. I plan to teach the overall OAA technique to people who want to learn it. In France in September, I am teaching two ½ day seminars on 9/26 and 9/28 after the Scrum Gathering. When I return I plan to continue teaching in the United States.
 I am asking for help. Will you help me socialize the idea that Open Space is essential for creating rapid and lasting Agile adoptions? 
 You can help in the following ways: 
0/ Be playful, and help me refine and improve Open Agile Adoption with others 
1/ Learn more about OAA via the provided links below. Then, ask me questions. 
2/ Tell me if you offer Open Space training courses, and send me your info, so I can promote your course to Open Agile Adoption practitioners. If you are a Facilitator for hire, I want to talk to you!
 3/ Examine the work, and provide feedback as I disclose  it over the next month.
 4/ Sign up for the Facebook group Open Agile Adoption via this link: https://www.facebook.com/groups/204037609756665/
  5/ Help me get in front of Agile audiences to the extent you can. This year I am speaking on Open Agile Adoption with Open Space at these events (in date order):
8/7/13: session, Agile20139/24/13: keynote, Global Scrum Gathering, Paris
11/6/13: keynote, Agile Tour, Quebec City Quebec CA 
I hope you like this story, and I hope you want it to continue, and I hope want to help write it. 
 I am inviting you to come and do that. Will you join me with others in writing the next chapter of the Open Agile Adoption story? 

I hope you will consider doing exactly that.  
Kind Regards,Daniel Mezickwww.DanielMezick.com
dan at newtechusa.net203 915 7248   
 Related Links: 
GALLUP Link on (dis) engagement$350 billion per year in lost productivity.
http://businessjournal.gallup.com/content/247/the-high-cost-of-disengaged-employees.aspx
 SPIRIT Link (Harrison Owen book)http://www.openspaceworld.com/Spirit.pdf
 Open Agile Adoption Linkwww.OpenAgileAdoption.com
 Mandated Collaboration Linkhttp://newtechusa.net/agile/the-recipe-for-botched-agile-adoptions/
  Scrum Gathering Link (click ‘keynotes’ and then click “right arrow”…
http://www.scrumalliance.org/courses-events/events/global-gatherings/2013/paris-2013
  Agile2013 Link
http://www.agilequebec.ca/nouvelles/agile-tour-2013-keynote/
 Agile Tour Quebec City keynote Linkhttp://www.agilequebec.ca/nouvelles/agile-tour-2013-keynote/
 Open Agile Adoption Group on Facebookhttps://www.facebook.com/groups/204037609756665/

-- 

Daniel Mezick, President

New Technology Solutions Inc.
(203) 915 7248 (cell)
Bio. Blog. Twitter. 

Examine my new book:  The Culture Game : Tools for the Agile Manager.

Explore Agile Team Training and Coaching.

Explore the Agile Boston Community. 

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-- 
Suzanne Daigle
NuFocus Strategic Group
7159 Victoria Circle
University Park, FL 34201
FL 941-359-8877;  
CT 203-722-2009
www.nufocusgroup.com

s.daigle at nufocusgroup.com
twitter @suzannedaigle

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