[OSList] How long for opening for smaller group?

[Juliane Martina Roell (Structure & Process)]

Jake Yeager via OSList schrieb am 11.04.19 um 01:49:
> I am intrigued by the fact that you do not use pre-determined
>  session slots.  (...)
> What do you find to be the pros and cons of having the participants 
> handle time and, I assume, space management?

One less thing to do for me. :o)

I also feel that in my contexts (mostly the German-speaking world), 
people follow structure strongly: when a "slot" is 60 minutes, the 
"session" that people put into the "slot" will most likely last 60 
minutes. And it will end on time, because people have another "session" 
to go to (which was put into a pre-defined "slot" earlier on).

"It starts when it starts / it ends when it ends" become somewhat empty 
words.

By _not_ predefining "slots", I show people directly that *they can 
decide how to spend their time - freely*. In the moment. change their 
idea about what is important spontaneously. and so on. Pre-defined slots 
often create a "program" for the day whereas an open schedule creates 
much more flow, spontaneous changes, interesting conflicts and solutions 
about space-usage... and most of all: more *initiative*. With open 
schedule I see much more of "Oh, I have a new idea now; I will call for 
a session immediately!" (goes to board, rings a bell) and much less of 
"oh that was interesting, but the marketplace is already full and all 
these other sessions are scheduled so I might wait and see and distract 
myself..."

(And some people dislike these conflicts and the creativity and the 
intensity that comes with that and go for more ease and efficiency, and 
that may be perfectly valid depending on context.)

Another advantage is that people can create very tiny sessions to fix 
problems. "I have this thing and I need ten minutes to..." And then 
people show up and BOOM it's done, one problem solved, and more capacity 
created to now work on other things. This never happens if all the 
"slots" are 45, 60, 90 minutes long.

Love,
Juliane.

-- 
Structure & Process  | http://structureprocess.com | @strucproc
Juliane Martina Röll | GSM: +49 178 4984743