[OSList] How to assess the effectiveness of an OS Meeting.

Mon May 6 06:58:25 PDT 2013

Fantastic! I have only used Kirkpatrick's 4 levels of evaluation in traditional ways, until now.
Thomas, I'm grateful that you shared this new way of flipping the model upside down.  I look forward to trying it out while evaluating my next Open Space.
Vielen Dank!

Leslie S. Zucker
Training Manager, Human Resources Division
Creative Associates International

and

Life Coach for Life's Dancers
www.lesliezucker.com<http://www.lesliezucker.com/>

From: oslist-bounces at lists.openspacetech.org [mailto:oslist-bounces at lists.openspacetech.org] On Behalf Of Thomas Herrmann
Sent: Friday, May 03, 2013 6:16 PM
To: World wide Open Space Technology email list
Subject: Re: [OSList] How to assess the effectiveness of an OS Meeting.

ups, it seems I sent the email before finishing it (-:
So the basic framework I use is from Kirkpatricks four levels for evaluating trainings/development activities
1. Experience
2. Learning
3. Transfer (behavior/actions)
4. Results

So in pre-work we turn it around starting with exploring expected results (L4) then move backwards to L3 (behaviors and action needed to create those results), then we look at what do we need to learn and what experience is needed to support the learning.

Then post intervention - I use it in my trainings as well as development work in organizations. For example at the end of an OS-meeting and/or in the follow up meeting within 2 weeks, participants are invited to dialogue and capture what they experienced and what they learnt. (so it's qualitative, not quantitative).

Then 6 months later we meet again to evaluate level 3-4.

As a side note both these follow up meetings (as well as the pre-meetings) are conducted in a WPPF-container (Whole Person Process Facilitation) and normally includes about 2 hours of open space work to decide on how to move on. In total the meetings are between 4-6 hours each.
So the follow up meetings are about what happened and how do we go on... I view it as opening space for the organization to become conscious about what they accomplished and learnt and move on from there.

I think this simple way works great and there is of course more to it than I shared briefly
All the best

Thomas Herrmann
Open Space Consulting - naturlig företagsutveckling
Tel +46 (0)709 98 97 81
Email thomas at openspaceconsulting.com<mailto:thomas at openspaceconsulting.com>
www.openspaceconsulting.com<http://www.openspaceconsulting.com>

...bistår er, att släppa loss de naturliga krafterna i er organisation. Ta tillvara hela potentialen och skapa en långsiktigt hållbar och framgångsrik verksamhet! Vi erbjuder stöd till ledarskapet, facilitering av kreativa processer och överföring av kompetens när ni vill skaffa er intern kapacitet att navigera i förändring.

Vi är del i Konsultgruppen Beyond Performance Group.
Medägare i Genuine Contact Co-Owners Group Inc

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/thomasherrmannopenspaceconsult<http://linkedin.com/in/thomasherrmannopenspaceconsult>
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3 maj 2013 kl. 15:16 skrev Thomas Herrmann <thomas at openspaceconsulting.com<mailto:thomas at openspaceconsulting.com>>:

Dear friends in Open Space
Since many years back I use a way to evaluate development work with Open Space Technology as the main event. I have shared here previously but will give a brief summary of how I do it.

2 maj 2013 kl. 18:21 skrev Chris Corrigan <chris at chriscorrigan.com<mailto:chris at chriscorrigan.com>>:

Paul...that is a weird tool,  Tells me nothing except that if 85% of my potential value outcomes are achieved, then I will always break even on my ROI for any meeting.  It's all just so arbitrary.

And that is the problem.  When we use quantitative and summative methods for evaluation of qualitative and developmental processes, we get meaningless results.  In other words, how much relationship did I generate in my last meeting?  12.  Whatever that means.  It makes as much sense as giving the answer "lots of green ones that made me contemplative" to the question "how much money did we make selling those ladders?"

What we need are tools that evaluate complexity properly.  What you are looking for are tools from the realm of Developmental Evaluation (grab the book by that title by Michael Quinn Patton).  These tools, which can complement summative, merit-and-worth evaluation tools, help organizations and ncommunities to track the learning, development and effectiveness of things like Open Space Technology meetings.

Here is a place to start with DE: http://tamarackcommunity.ca/g3s61_VC_2010g.html

Chris

On Thu, May 2, 2013 at 6:49 AM, Paul Nunesdea <nunesdea at me.com<mailto:nunesdea at me.com>> wrote:
Keith
Although not disagreeing the least with Doug, guess that your company would be looking for some meeting ROI type of calculations.
I have googled a couple of entries and this must be useful for you.
http://www.fastmeetings.com.au/meeting-roi-calculator.htm

Best
Paul

>From my iPhone

El 19/04/2013, a las 00:26, doug <ost at footprintsinthewind.com<mailto:ost at footprintsinthewind.com>> escribió:
Keith--

How does one assess the value of a top-down "You shall all do this" meeting? When do you measure it? How many walking out the door thought it the best meeting ever? How many are still doing the required or "volunteered" activity 6 months or 6 years later? What is the purpose of the meeting in the first place?

If six great projects come out of the OST meeting, 4 actually get started, and one is still accomplishing good in the organization a year later, was the meeting a failure?

Those who want numbers as proof of something will always be disappointed. Because they seek disappointment.

           :- Doug.

On 04/18/2013 06:17 AM, Blundell, Keith wrote:

Dear OS practitioners

As some of you already know I have been trying to pioneer the use of OS
in our agenda driven, action outcome orientated organisation.  I have
had the opportunity to run several meetings, but they have been short
sessions and restricted participants (in terms of organisational
functional structure).

This has created a bit of a buzz and I am delighted that I have been
approached to run a meeting with a larger diverse group of participants
(cross functional) for at least a whole day!  Brilliant and I have no
concerns that it wont be successful.

But...unfortunately it is viewed as an "experiment" and so I am being
pushed by the sponsors as how will we assess its success.  I know that
there will be some good discussions, that participants "heads" will be
in a different place after the meeting, and it will be a great sharing
and learning experience.  I also know that any change and actions may
come long after the discussions so that the link between the event and
outcome will be more tenuous.

Has anyone experience and ideas for explaining the effectiveness of OS
within an organisation?

I look forward to hearing from you.

Best Wishes,

Keith.

--

*Keith Blundell*

Leadership and Team Excellence Leader
Innovation, Communication and Engagement (ICE)
Product Development Global Operation

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