[OSList] FW: short os extended

Fri Apr 4 15:29:41 PDT 2014

Just in case this did not get through...

ho

From: Barry Owen [mailto:barryo at comcast.net] 
Sent: Friday, April 04, 2014 5:46 PM
To: Douglas Germann; oslist; Ethelyn & Harrison Owen
Subject: Re: [OSList] short os extended

Hi Doug (and all)

Thank you for the nudge Dad :-)

I've been lurking . . . 

Yes - Doug - I was asked to give a "class" about Open Space technology to a
Local MBA program "Change Management" course.

I met with the professor and suggested that, instead of describing OST, why
not Open some space and let the students experience it?

He was intrigued, and we met to talk about the details. I recommended that
he serve as the "Sponsor" and I would come in as an outside consultant. I
coached him through determining a theme that would be relevant for the
students . . . and then to craft a compelling Invitation which would be sent
via email to the students 2 weeks prior to the class.

We agreed that we would not do any "Instruction" as to the specifics of OST
etc . . . 

the students would arrive to a circle of chairs and the "normal" (for OST)
posters and pile of markers - tape - chart paper in the center.

I would simply do a traditional opening, we would have time for one 45
minute session followed by "Evening News" . . . ending with a brief "Process
Q&A"

My recommendation was to treat this as if it were a 2.5 day event. I created
a complete time and space matrix with post-its allowing for 5 Break-out
spaces with 2 full days - "Morning Announcements" followed  by two 1.5 hour
morning sessions - 2 hour lunch - two 1.5 hour afternoon sessions - "Evening
News" - PARTY - the final 1/2 day began with "Morning Announcements - one
1.5 hour session - an hour break - then "Closing"

the theme was a good one: "How to improve our MBA National RANKINGS" 

After the opening, the participants filled the wall and used ALL of times on
the matrix (50) which boiled down to @ 35 after the marketplace . . . then
they broke into the first session period - 5 topics.

In evening news, the passion was high - Energy was high - and I could sense
that there was real momentum to take some things forward, so I invited them
to "Finish what they started" by defining spaces and times outside of the
classroom to hold the remaining sessions.

They did it . . . 3 weeks later, they "finished" and took their proceedings
to the Dean. This created quite a shake-up because I believe the
administration wasn't ready to relinquish quite that much control . . . If I
and the professor had even imagined that the students would take it to the
barn, we might have included the administration from the beginning (should
have) . . . some of the new ideas were implemented . . . others squashed.

I was "allowed" to guest facilitate 4 of these "MINI OST sessions" (1 each
semester for 2 years) . . . each one had less intensity than the one before,
and it was apparent to me that the administration was not "on board" . . .
they were squashing any initiatives that came from these sessions so the
students realized that they didn't have the "Power" to effect the change
they thought the school needed.

That was a few years ago . . . I sometimes wonder what would have happened
if the administration had embraced these ideas and agreed to participate in
the Open space events?

I'm betting their rankings would have improved :-) 

On Fri, Apr 4, 2014 at 12:56 PM, doug <ost at footprintsinthewind.com> wrote:

Thanks, Harrison!

Barry, what can you share with us?

                :- Doug.

On 04/04/2014 01:51 PM, Harrison Owen wrote:

There may have been several people, but I do remember Barry Owen telling a
similar tale of work he was doing at Vanderbilt.

Harrison

Harrison Owen
7808 River Falls Dr.
Potomac, MD 20854
USA

189 Beaucaire Ave. (summer)
Camden, Maine 04843

Phone 301-365-2093
(summer)  207-763-3261

www.openspaceworld.com
www.ho-image.com (Personal Website)
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-----Original Message-----
From: oslist-bounces at lists.openspacetech.org
[mailto:oslist-bounces at lists.openspacetech.org] On Behalf Of doug
Sent: Friday, April 04, 2014 12:16 PM
To: World wide Open Space Technology email list
Subject: [OSList] short os extended

Friends--

A short while ago on this list someone posted about doing an os only a few
hours long, where in the opening circle folks were invited to post topics
for the next several days. Participants would take responsibility for
holding the later sessions.

Who posted that? I have lost the post. Who has done something like that?

I have such an OS next week, 2 hours total, and think this would be good for
that....

:- Doug. Germann
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