[OSList] short os extended

Fri Apr 4 14:45:58 PDT 2014

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)
>> To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options, view the archives of
>> OSLIST
>> Go to:http://lists.openspacetech.org/listinfo.cgi/oslist-
>> openspacetech.org
>>
>> -----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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