[OSList] Private vs Public OST Differences?

Wed Oct 15 14:25:12 PDT 2014

Peggy - Great comments! And I might take issue on a small point. You said,
"Public events don't have the context of an existing culture." Do you really
mean that? Or would it be more appropriate to say that such (public) events
do have a cultural context... but it is different. In this case the
"culture" of the culture. So for example, I was privileged to participate in
the public Open Spaces that the (then) mayor of Harrisonburg, VA convened on
various concerns of his city (Water, Education, etc) - All of them took
place in and around the central square of the city, and it was "pure"
Virginia. And why not? Everybody there was "Virginian." They wouldn't have
noticed, but any "outsider" (me) would have. And I did. The issues were
important. The discussion was intense. But it was "Virginia" with all the
"rules" in place. How could it have been any other way?

Harrison

Winter Address

7808 River Falls Drive

Potomac, MD 20854

301-365-2093

Summer Address

189 Beaucaire Ave.

Camden, ME 04843

207-763-3261

Websites

www.openspaceworld.com

www.ho-image.com

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From: OSList [mailto:oslist-bounces at lists.openspacetech.org] On Behalf Of
Peggy Holman via OSList
Sent: Wednesday, October 15, 2014 1:01 PM
To: Christine Whitney Sanchez; Open Listserv
Subject: Re: [OSList] Private vs Public OST Differences?

I'd echo Christine's observations about infrastructure. So much of that is
something that you can take for granted in an organization and requires some
thought when dealing with public settings. 

A couple other distinctions I've noticed:

Organizational events are high context. A calling question is asked within
an existing culture. That's both a blessing and a curse. It means that
there's much that doesn't need explaining. And it means there are
unconscious habits of relating and behaving present. Not bad. Just the
territory. 

Examples: I was recently with a group that had an internal clock for half an
hour meetings. It was interesting watching their rhythm shift over the
course of the Open Space. For that same event, I spent about 10 minutes with
the leadership team before we started encouraging them to be themselves and
participate, like everyone else. They bring a unique and valuable
perspective, as do others. And their voices carry a weight they might not
appreciate because of their place in the hierarchy. So if they found
themselves the center of attention, I suggested that it's a good time to ask
a question that gives the focus back to the group. Or use the law of two
feet and go elsewhere.

Public events don't have the context of an existing culture. So the calling
question may have a much wider variation in meaning to people who come. And
there may be fewer existing relationships and norms. Again, not bad. Just
different. 

Many years ago I was part of a team that did a public event with a calling
question so broad that people had multiple interpretations of it. The
question: How do we support a movement toward the conscious evolution of
increasingly conscious social systems? (See
http://www.thegreatstory.org/ev-salon2.html). A number of people on this
list were part of it.  People showed up because they were attracted to the
hosts or something about the question spoke to them. It was wild, fun, and
creative. And there was a demand on the second day to hear from the
organizers what we meant by the question, just for more context.

The other thing I've learned is that the process of invitation can be much
more intense for public events. In organizations, the bulk of participation
is internal. While there are certainly issues with ensuring a spirit of
invitation, who to invite and how to reach them is pretty straightforward.

For public events, I find that if you want a diversity of folks, inviting
can be the most time consuming activity of all. I did some work with the
Forest Service years ago to look at the future of the forests in the San
Bernardino Mountains in California. They were heading into a rough fire
season, felt they'd done everything they could do to prepare. While they had
the public's attention, they wanted to look to the future, 50 years out. We
worked with them to identify the range of people who cared, including state,
local, federal, and regional government, community organizations, chamber of
commerce, insurance companies (small, but influential), ranchers who leased
land in the national forests, environmental groups, and on and on. Getting
the word out to all these folks took some thought.

Peggy

_________________________________

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Executive Director
Journalism that Matters
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On Oct 15, 2014, at 8:43 AM, Christine Whitney Sanchez via OSList
<oslist at lists.openspacetech.org> wrote:

Daniel and all,

In my experience, public events have the same buzz and meaningful results as
an in-organization OST.  I've facilitated a number of them that were
sponsored by a group of organizations in the community.  For instance,
Vibrant Phoenix <http://vibrantphx.com/next-actions/top-ideas/> , was a very
productive economic development OST, sponsored by two mayors of large
municipalities and several local businesses.  One of the business sponsors
agreed to be the contact for folks who wanted to take their "actionable
ideas" to the next level.  However, there was no budget and no
infrastructure to really keep folks connected the the ideas they cared the
most about.  

This is where the public open spaces generally fall short.  Because the
ongoing action is not the core mission of any of these organizations, it is
hoped that the participants will self-organize going forward.  With very few
exceptions, this does not happen.  I believe that sponsorship for the work
after the OST is what is called for.

The Collective Impact
<http://www.ssireview.org/blog/entry/channeling_change_making_collective_imp
act_work>  model speaks to this.  It's nothing new, really, but does
represent a simple way to talk about the necessary conditions for sustaining
collective action.  I now include my version of this model when I talk with
potential sponsors to shine the light beyond the meeting so that we can
discuss their intentions for providing backbone support for self-organized
action going forward.

I especially love public Open Space events and look forward to working with
sponsors who see the meeting as merely the first small step in collaborative
action.  There is so much potential!

Warm wishes from a sunny autumn morning in the rain-greened desert,

Christine
<clip_image002.png>
Christine Whitney Sanchez, M.C.

Phoenix, AZ, USA . +1.480.759.0262
www.innovationpartners.com <http://www.innovationpartners.com/>  

Facebook <https://www.facebook.com/ChristineWhitneySanchez>  | LinkedIn
<https://www.linkedin.com/in/christinewhitneysanchez>  | Twitter
<https://twitter.com/CWhitneySanchez>  

On Oct 15, 2014, at 6:33 AM, Daniel Mezick via OSList
<oslist at lists.openspacetech.org> wrote:

Greetings To All,

I notice that there are many big differences between public-conference-type
OST events, and OST events arranged for organizations. 

Do you also notice this? Maybe I am imagining this....just making stuff
up...

...maybe not. In many key dimensions, I experience these differences as
striking. Even disturbing.

And so I have been poking around inside the GUIDE (3rd edition) and I notice
that, in some spots, the implication is that the discussion is about a
public event. Up to page 18 for example, this implication is clear:

<THE GUIDE PAGE 18>

Working With The Client if you ARE NOT the Sponsor

"To this point I have assumed that you (the reader) will be the sponsor and
facilitator of the Open Space, and therefore it is your decision as to
whether or not to proceed...(emphasis added.)

</THE GUIDE PAGE 18>

My current belief is that having the same person in the Sponsor role **and**
the Facilitator role is probably a very bad idea for an OST event inside an
organization. For the typical public-conference event on the other hand,
this seems to work just fine. Kinda like a Barcamp or Unconference....

Another current belief I hold is that OST is the essential tool for creating
"Development and Transformation in Organizations". It is best suited for use
in organizations. 

It is interesting to note how the Barcamp and/or "Unconference" formats seem
to get the same or as-good results as Open Space, in the public conference
setting. 

Not so inside organizations! In fact, as of now, I don't think Barcamp or
Unconference has any chance whatsoever at being effective in bringing about
Development and Transformation in Organizations the way Open Space can.
Something about the Sponsor?

Daniel

-- 

Daniel Mezick, President

New Technology Solutions Inc.

(203) 915 7248 (cell)

Bio <http://newtechusa.net/dan-mezick/> .  <http://newtechusa.net/blog/>
Blog.  <http://twitter.com/#%21/danmezick/> Twitter. 

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The Culture Game : Tools for the Agile Manager.

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