[OSList] Private vs Public OST Differences?

[John Baxter via OSList]

Amen to the time consuming nature of "invitations".

Of course, if you don't have a discrete list with an established
relationship to each member, the material nature of the activity isn't
"invitation", but marketing and promotion...  I haven't worked on a public
event where the promotion was not the hardest part.

Cheers


*John Baxter*
*​Co​Create Adelaide Facilitator, Director of Realise consultancy*
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​ | ​
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On Thu, Oct 16, 2014 at 3:31 AM, Peggy Holman via OSList <
oslist at lists.openspacetech.org> wrote:

> 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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>
> 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_impact_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
>
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> 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
>
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