[OSList] Open Space with Agile: Failure patterns
Daniel Mezick
dan at newtechusa.net
Sun Sep 29 22:37:34 PDT 2013
Harrison says:
"...In a "face off" between a well functioning self-organizing system
and any process we might have designed to create the system, install the
system, or enhance the system -- the designed process doesn't have a
chance."
Dan says:
Hell, yes!
To be 100% clear, Open Agile Adoption (OAA) favors an INVITE (which
makes self-organizing simple) over a MANDATE (which makes
self-organizing nearly impossible).
It's literally "no contest". The invite is superior in every way. And by
this I mean, efficient, useful, effective. Human! The "what" (in this
case Agile) really is just a contextual detail. The "how" (that is, the
human-centered and sincere invitation that OST represents) is the real
name of the game.
As a meeting format, Open Space is nothing without the invite (and in
fact, is likely quite dead-on-arrival without it.)
Further, and to Michael's point, OST is not a mere tool, it is a
practice. And of exactly what type is this practice?
My current belief is that certain aspects of spiritual life do manifest
in private, org-specific Open Space events. I feel feelings of privilege
and something sacred going on at some of these private OST events. And
so I think I must now assert: I believe Open Space is at the core a
spiritual practice. I have written about liminality and do think
liminality is a kind of collectiive (not just individual) spiritual
condition, that orgs do experience this condition together (often, as
grief) and that Open Space does a wonderful job of creating a point at
which things can tip from liminality and despair to some new order of
things, and hope.
Lastly, I must reiterate that in Open Agile Adoption, the goal is to
institute a recurring, open, cultural event on the organization's
calendar. The suggestion (not a mandate) in OAA is to schedule an Open
Space event of at least 1 day in January and July. This idea is a page
from the cultural playbook described in SPIRIT, which discusses the high
cultural value of a recurring cultural holiday. Such holidays are
anticipated by the group, and serve to remind members of what they
value, and remind them about "the story", which is how we make sense of
things in groups.
And so, when Harrison says:
"...So maybe the order of precedence should go the other way? Use Agile
to introduce Open Space, and then abolish Agile. Or, if you like ...
Self-Organization is the natural agility. It doesn't get any better than
that. "
My reply is:
"Hell yes!"
http://sivers.org/hellyeah
Dan
On 9/27/13 9:31 PM, Michael Herman wrote:
> I learned this phrase in the context of meditation, Arno. I've heard
> meditation teachers say about meditation practice that if we just "do
> the practice" we'll get the results... usually this is in contrast to
> simply talking about the practice or listening to teachings. This is
> akin to saying "anyone with a good head and good heart can do open
> space..." anyone who does the practice can get the same results that
> os teachers/practitioners, from harrison onward, have gotten. Does
> this help?
>
>
>
> On Friday, September 27, 2013, Arno Baltin wrote:
>
> Hi!
>
> I like this conversation about what OS is. And this practice
> notion is a bit complicated. I as non Enlgish speaker I looked for
> the meanings of the word and got confused. Could you Michael say
> it in other words what you mean that OS is practice (first of
> all). Especially when I read "do the practice" I cant understand
> the meaning.
>
> Be well,
>
> Arno
>
> **
>
>
> 2013/9/25 Michael Herman <michael at michaelherman.com
> <javascript:_e({}, 'cvml', 'michael at michaelherman.com');>>
>
> When I hear folks simplifying open space into a tool or
> technique, my usual response is to point out that circle is a
> tool, bulletin board is a tool, etc. Open Space is a
> /practice/, incorporating a number of these different tools.
> And hopefully, my use of them together is getting more and
> more skillful over time. To me, "practice" includes the
> suggestion that we do it once, as best we can, and then we try
> again, and again, learning and refining as we go.
>
> My felt sense of this is a little different from "values and
> principles" though I don't think calling OS or agile or scrum
> that is incorrect. For me the difference is that I hold
> values and principles, but practice is something that /holds me/.
>
> I also like to suggest that open space is a robust practice, a
> sufficient practice. Everything that's needed is there in the
> basic story and mechanisms. We don't need to do anything
> more, add in different things. Just do the practice and we
> get the experience, get the learning, the performance, the
> self-organizing, the breathing.
>
> Thanks for your story, Harold.
>
> M
>
>
>
>
> --
>
> Michael Herman
> Michael Herman Associates
> 312-280-7838 (mobile)
>
> http://MichaelHerman.com
> http://OpenSpaceWorld.org
>
>
>
> On Mon, Sep 23, 2013 at 12:58 PM, Peggy Holman
> <peggy at peggyholman.com <javascript:_e({}, 'cvml',
> 'peggy at peggyholman.com');>> wrote:
>
> Harold,
>
> Thanks for bringing your knowledgable and eloquent
> perspective.
>
> Great to see these two communities working through an
> understanding of each other. With you and others as
> translators, I think Agile is in good hands.
>
> Peggy
>
>
>
> __________________________________
> Peggy Holman
> Journalism that Matters
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>
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>
>
>
>
> On Sep 23, 2013, at 7:53 AM, Harold Shinsato
> <harold at SHINSATO.COM <javascript:_e({}, 'cvml',
> 'harold at SHINSATO.COM');>> wrote:
>
>> Harrison,
>>
>> About your statement "Open Space is a terrible way to
>> introduce some new process, and especially to assure 'buy
>> in'".
>>
>> You're clearing going directly against the heart of what
>> Dan is trying to promote. Maybe I invite disaster for
>> myself by speaking an alternative view from what you are
>> saying given your founding status of this community - but
>> perhaps given my 12+ years working in the Agile space - I
>> have something worthwhile to say.
>>
>> Harrison, you've been opposed to calling "Open Space" a
>> tool. And I hear Lisa Heft (the best Open Space trainer)
>> talking about it being a tool all the time.
>>
>> I agree with both of you. Open Space is most emphatically
>> *not* a tool at it's heart. It's a set of values and
>> principles. But it is also definitely a tool. Or as Dan
>> says, a 'game'. A beautifully designed game.
>>
>> Agile is most DEFINITELY not a process. It's a set of
>> values and principles. You can see this in the Agile
>> Manifesto <http://agilemanifesto.org/> - especially the
>> first item, we value Individuals and Interactions *over*
>> Processes and Tools. Yes, the Agile community applies
>> many very specific tools and processes. And very heated
>> debates happen around the application (or misapplication)
>> of those tools and processes, such as Scrum.
>>
>> But oddly - even Scrum isn't *Really* a tool or a
>> process. At the heart of Scrum is also a set of
>> principles and values. If you want to get a sense of this
>> - go to the end of the first book on Scrum, by Schwaber &
>> Beedle "Agile Software Development with Scrum" - where it
>> lists the 5 values of Scrum - Commitment, Focus,
>> Openness, Respect & Courage. Or read Tobias Meyer's "The
>> People's Scrum". Very powerful assertion and meditation
>> on the core values and how to apply the processes to get
>>
>> Open Space has already been used with great success to
>> introduce, promote and sustain Agile in the world through
>> many uses of Open Space in conferences such as the
>> AgileOpen, Coaching Camps, and Open Agile Adoption such
>> as what Dan Mezick is explaining. From my vantage point,
>> Open Space is critical for helping the values and
>> principles to be successfully absorbed.
>>
>> From my vantage point - Open Space Technology's values
>> and principles are eternal and aren't going away. The
>> Universe won't suddenly stop self-organizing. If
>> anything, we'll only get better at understanding and
>> dancing with Order and Chaos. This dance, with the help
>> of Open Space Technology the Game (or Tool) has changed
>> my life and infused it with spirit. I'm eternally
>> grateful to you, Harrison, to Lisa Heft, and to and this
>> community. And maybe Open Space Technology the game or
>> tool will pass away. The same goes for Agile values and
>> principles. They're eternal. They're not going away. The
>> Process will never be more important than the
>> Individuals. The People are always more important than
>> the Game.
>>
>> BUT - there are powerful forces behind trying to adopt
>> agile as merely a tool or a process, because it's easier
>> to understand. And that invites failure - and it's the
>> exact kind of failure you're writing about, Harrison,
>> about how our creations are "inevitably clunky." To
>> succeed, any implementation of Agile or Scrum needs to be
>> able to self-organize - "Inspect and Adapt" is one of the
>> anthems of the agile and scrum communities. I hope that
>> the Open Space community will step up and help the Agile
>> community to do that.
>>
>> Thanks,
>> Harold
>>
>>
>> On 9/22/13 10:45 AM, Harrison Owen wrote:
>>>
>>> Dan wrote: "I've learned that there are actually more
>>> ways to fail with Open Space in Agile adoptions than
>>> there are ways to succeed. There are many ways to
>>> stumble when trying this."
>>>
>>> Actually, Dan -- I am not at all surprised. I learned a
>>> long time ago that Open Space is a terrible way to
>>> introduce some new process, and especially to assure
>>> "buy in." Typically, problems arise because folks take
>>> Open Space seriously. Instead of buying into the
>>> proposed process, they begin to invent their own!
>>> Somewhere I wrote that OS was a great way to design a
>>> new accounting system, but a horrible way to "implement" it.
>>>
>>> And just to be contrarian... I wonder whether the
>>> failure is a function of Open Space or Agile (and/or the
>>> SCRUM flavor of Agile)? As I think we have come to
>>> understand, Open Space is a total scam if people mistake
>>> it for some process we invented or "do." It is simply an
>>> invitation to be what we always have been -- self
>>> organizing. The process itself (SO) has been around for
>>> some time, and apparently has done quite well, witness
>>> the fact that we, along with all the rest of the Cosmos
>>> are here and seemingly functional. In a "face off"
>>> between a well functioning self-organizing system and
>>> any process we might have designed to create the system,
>>> install the system, or enhance the system -- the
>>> designed process doesn't have a chance. The reason is
>>> simple. No matter how wise, careful, diligent or
>>> skillful we may be -- our creation is inevitably clunky.
>>> We may get the big blocks right, even some of the finer
>>> points, but at the end of the day we always miss the
>>> nuances -- and as always, the devil is in the details.
>>> Put somewhat differently, our designed processes are
>>> always "averages" of what we think the process should
>>> look like. And "averages" do not exist anywhere in
>>> nature. To push an "average" on a natural system is
>>> always to make it function at some sub-optimal level,
>>> and usually to kill it.
>>>
>>> So maybe the order of precedence should go the other
>>> way? Use Agile to introduce Open Space, and then abolish
>>> Agile. Or, if you like ... Self-Organization is the
>>> natural agility. It doesn't get any better than that. Or
>>> something
>>>
>>> Harrison
>>>
>>> Harrison Owen
>>>
>>> 7808 River Falls Dr.
>>>
>>> Potomac, MD 20854
>>>
>>> USA
>>>
>>> 189 Beaucaire Ave. (summer)
>>>
>>> Camden, Maine 04843
>>>
>>> Phone 301-365-2093 <tel:301-365-2093>
>>>
>>> (summer) 207-763-3261 <tel:207-763-3261>
>>>
>>> www.openspaceworld.com
>>>
>>> www.ho-image.com (Personal Website)
>>>
>>> To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options, view the
>>> archives of OSLIST Go
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>>>
>>> *From:*oslist-bounces at lists.openspacetech.org
>>> <javascript:_e({}, 'cvml',
>>> 'oslist-bounces at lists.openspacetech.org');>
>>> [mailto:oslist-bounces at lists.openspacetech.org
>>> <javascript:_e({}, 'cvml',
>>> 'oslist-bounces at lists.openspacetech.org');>] *On Behalf
>>> Of *Daniel Mezick
>>> *Sent:* Thursday, September 19, 2013 11:26 AM
>>> *To:* oslist at lists.openspacetech.org <javascript:_e({},
>>> 'cvml', 'oslist at lists.openspacetech.org');>
>>> *Subject:* [OSList] Open Space with Agile: Failure patterns
>>>
>>> Greetings to you,
>>>
>>> In Paris this week at the Global Scrum Gathering I plan
>>> to issue certain warning about specific failure patterns
>>> I have experienced when working with Open Space inside
>>> Agile adoptions. I can tell you right now that Open
>>> Space by itself is not a panacea for the complex
>>> problems associated with Agile adoption.
>>>
>>> Agile is actually a cover story about the wider act of
>>> bringing culture change (a new and unfamiliar game) to
>>> an enterprise situation (the old story we all want to
>>> cling to). The SPIRIT book pretty much spells out the
>>> problem.
>>>
>>> I've learned that there are actually more ways to fail
>>> with Open Space in Agile adoptions than there are ways
>>> to succeed. There are many ways to stumble when trying
>>> this. I'll be enumerating some of these subtle
>>> Agile-related pitfalls and traps in the Paris keynote on
>>> Tuesday, and in upcoming blog posts. Simply holding one
>>> or more canonical Open Space meetings (with full
>>> pre-planning and post processing) is not enough to
>>> neutralize the forces that oppose healthy and well Agile
>>> adoptions. The game mechanics, storytelling and
>>> passage-rite-structure elements must be present and
>>> robust for Open Space to be an effective tool in Agile
>>> adoptions. Open Space and these elements are composed in
>>> harmony with each other in the Open Agile Adoption
>>> technique.
>>>
>>> If you offer training in Open Space for Facilitators
>>> and/or Sponsors, I invite you to send me your links and
>>> I will make sure they are added to the list of resources
>>> I am beginning to compile at OpenAgileAdoption.com
>>> <http://OpenAgileAdoption.com>. I plan to list in the
>>> Paris slides some specific French-language OST course
>>> offerings from French-speaking instructors located in
>>> Europe, and Quebec.
>>>
>>> Kind Regards,
>>> Dan
>>>
>>> --
>>>
>>> Daniel Mezick, President
>>>
>>> New Technology Solutions Inc.
>>>
>>> (203) 915 7248 <tel:%28203%29%20915%207248> (cell)
>>>
>>> Bio <http://newtechusa.net/dan-mezick/>. Blog
>>> <http://newtechusa.net/blog/>. Twitter
>>> <http://twitter.com/#%21/danmezick/>.
>>>
>>> Examine my new book:The Culture Game
>>> <http://newtechusa.net/about/the-culture-game-book/>:
>>> Tools for the Agile Manager.
>>>
>>> Explore Agile Team Training
>>> <http://newtechusa.net/services/agile-scrum-training/>
>>> and Coaching.
>>> <http://newtechusa.net/services/agile-scrum-coaching/>
>>>
>>> Explore the Agile Boston
>>> <http://newtechusa.net/user-groups/ma/>Community.
>>>
>>>
>>>
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>>
>>
>> --
>> Harold Shinsato
>> harold at shinsato.com <javascript:_e({}, 'cvml',
>> 'harold at shinsato.com');>
>> http://shinsato.com <http://shinsato.com/>
>> twitter: @hajush <http://twitter.com/hajush>
>> _______________________________________________
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>
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> --
> Michael Herman
> MichaelHerman.com
> (312) 280-7838
>
> Sent from my iPhone
>
>
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--
Daniel Mezick, President
New Technology Solutions Inc.
(203) 915 7248 (cell)
Bio <http://newtechusa.net/dan-mezick/>. Blog
<http://newtechusa.net/blog/>. Twitter <http://twitter.com/#%21/danmezick/>.
Examine my new book:The Culture Game
<http://newtechusa.net/about/the-culture-game-book/>: Tools for the
Agile Manager.
Explore Agile Team Training
<http://newtechusa.net/services/agile-scrum-training/> and Coaching.
<http://newtechusa.net/services/agile-scrum-coaching/>
Explore the Agile Boston <http://newtechusa.net//user-groups/ma/>Community.
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