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<P><FONT face=Arial size=2><SPAN class=750240002-30042000>Dear
friends,</SPAN></FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=Arial size=2><SPAN class=750240002-30042000>I have sent this out
before, quite a while ago however, I notice many new names on the list so am
sending it again. It is a list compiled by Diane Blair at Bank of Montreal that
she did for use in corporations for bringing OST in. Very thorough. Very
corporate. You might find it useful. Diane gave me permission to share it with
fellow open space colleagues.</SPAN></FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=Arial size=2><SPAN
class=750240002-30042000>Birgitt</SPAN></FONT></P>
<P><STRONG><EM>10 CRITICAL SUCCESS FACTORS for Using Open Space
Technology:</EM></STRONG></P></FONT><FONT face=Arial size=3>
<P>(Developed by Diane Blair, Manager of Meta Learning, Bank of Montreal,
Institute for Learning. Diane developed this for circulation at the Bank, where
Open Space Technology has been used both at senior levels and across entire
divisions. Diane has put this together with a large organization in mind. As
well as her role at the Bank, Diane is an active member of the Open Space
Institute of Canada. Diane can be reached at </FONT><A
href="mailto:dblair@ifl.bmo.ca"><FONT face=Arial
size=3>dblair@ifl.bmo.ca</FONT></A><FONT face=Arial size=3>)</P></FONT><FONT
face=Arial size=1>
<OL></FONT><B><FONT size=3>
<LI>OUTCOMES: <I>Do you have pre-set outcomes for your meeting?</LI></B></I>
<P>If you already have an agenda that must be addressed or an issue with a
solution already in mind, Open Space is <I>not</I> the approach to use; choose
a structured process that will best get you to those goals. Open Space is an
opportunity to get at what’s really important about a particular topic for
those who are already "passionate" about it and are committed to doing
something about it.</P><B><I>
<P>* An Open Space meeting should declare issues and opportunities and should
NOT pre-determine outcomes.</P>
<P>* Choose only the topic and create the "space". Let the participants create
the outcomes</I>.</P></B>
<P></P><B>
<LI>PARTICIPANTS: <I>Is the invitation "Open"?</LI></OL>
<DIR></B></I>
<P>Traditional meetings tend to focus on transferring knowledge: they begin by
teaching content, usually by educating participants about a particular vision
and understanding the rationale behind it, then motivating them to help make it
happen. Open Space meetings focus on <I>leveraging</I> knowledge: they begin
with what people are already "passionate" about and provide space to capture the
passion and take responsibility for doing something about it. The effectiveness
of Open Space depends on engaging the <I>right </I>people: an Open Space
invitation is open to anyone who has a passion about the issue and challenges
them to take responsibility by sharing that passion. </P></FONT><I><FONT
face=Arial size=3>
<P>Hint: Avoid limiting your invitation list by position or role, invite the
right community of interest for the topic.</P></DIR>
<UL></FONT><FONT size=3>
<LI>The invitation should include a brief explanation of the issue; the
question that will be addressed; a clear message that the meeting is only for
individuals who have a passion about this issue and a willingness to take
responsibility. (Note: you can still set a limit on the total number of
participants, in fact, this often heightens the enthusiasm and commitment to
attend.)</LI></UL></I></FONT><FONT size=1>
<OL start=3></FONT><B><FONT size=3>
<LI>EXPECTATIONS: <I>How focused is your issue? How much time can be
allocated?</LI></OL>
<DIR></B>
<P>a) The more focused the question or topic the more tangible the outcomes.
</I>A broad topic, such as "What are the challenges and opportunities to enhance
our productivity" will attract a very broad collection of issues and could take
several days of discussions before common understandings begin to emerge. Where
as, a more focused question, such as, "What are the challenges and opportunities
to enhance customer service scores of our flagship in the next 12 months" will
attract a much more specific audience and a more specific set of concerns. </P>
<DIR><B><I>
<P>* If the intent is simply a sharing meeting or "idea gathering," the topic
question can be very broad in scope; </P>
<P>* If more specific solutions are desired, make the topic question more
focused and allow more time to come to a deeper understanding and to develop
solutions</B></I>.</P></DIR><I>
<P>b) The longer the Open Space the greater the discussion and more focused the
resolutions.</I> Open Space is a learning process. Discovering, reflecting and
resolving issues needs time. The general rule is: one day of Open Space produces
good conversation; two days, common understanding and three days provides
tangible results such as issue resolution, emerging leadership and action
planning. However, to some degree, groups can achieve more tangible results in
less time by focusing on a more specific topic and ensuring the stakeholders or
hosts of the Open Space are well prepared (see Stakeholders).</P><I>
<P>Hints:</P></DIR>
<UL>
<LI>Plan on the appropriate number of days to match your expectations for
results.</LI></UL>
<UL>
<LI>When time is short, narrow the scope of your topic to match the outcomes
you expect OR break the issue into several meetings and tackle it in stages.
(E.g. The first stage could be a small Open Space for the leaders or champions
of the issue. The "Small Space" could focus on the issue with respect to the
challenges and opportunities for leadership) </LI></UL></I></FONT><FONT
size=1></FONT><B><FONT size=3>
<P>4. THE "RIGHT" QUESTION: How<I> well does your topic match your target
audience?</I> </P>
<DIR></B>
<P>It clearly doesn’t make much sense to bring people from all over the Bank to
discuss how to improve customer service scores for one flagship in Alberta.
Similarly, it would be just as inappropriate to invite only sales
representatives to address how to improve product-to-market time for the Bank’s
new financial products. Successful Open Space meetings tailor the topic to the
target audience OR engage the right audience for the topic.</P>
<DIR>
<DIR>
<DIR>
<P><B><I>*Ensure you include any group that may have a potential interest in
your topic OR</P></DIR></DIR></DIR></DIR>
<P>*Size the issue to suit the audience you are serving.
</P></B></I></FONT><FONT size=1>
<DIR></FONT><FONT size=2>
<P></FONT><B><FONT size=3>5. STAKEHOLDERS: <I>Who are the leaders and are they
prepared to lead differently?</P></B></I>
<P>If Open Space is to be more than a "brainstorming" session, participants must
have the "space" to take responsibility for the issues they are passionate about
both during open space and after. In any organization, most issues will involve
more than one stakeholder group. Each of these stakeholders has its own leaders
and change agents that play key roles in getting things done. Tapping the
potential of all participants in an Open Space cannot be achieved with out
leaders who both understand the issues and are committed to using an Open Space
approach to address them. The messages leaders send about the issue and the
process can greatly support or inhibit Open Space results, even when they say
nothing at all! A successful Open Space has leaders who are able to create the
space for shared leadership to emerge (out of passion + responsibility),
recognize it and support it. Successful Open Space leaders not only agree to
Open Space as a meeting process, they are committed to the topic and to
resolving it as a shared responsibility, including giving up control of the
agenda to get there!</P></FONT><B><I><FONT size=1></DIR>
<UL></FONT><FONT size=3>
<LI>Prepare Stakeholders by involving them in a small Open Space to plan
future Open Spaces</LI></UL>
<UL>
<LI>Ensure you have the understanding and commitment of each leader with an
interest in the issue and its outcomes. Reinforce this commitment in all your
communications.</LI></UL>
<UL>
<LI>Name each of the stakeholders on the invitation as hosts for the Open
Space.</LI></UL>
<UL>
<LI>Have stakeholders set parameters around the issue (see
Parameters)</LI></UL></FONT><FONT size=1>
<DIR></B></I></FONT><FONT size=2>
<P></FONT><B><FONT size=3>6. CRITICAL MASS: Do<I> you have enough "critical
mass" for this issue to move forward?</P></B></I>
<P>While it is possible, its a lot tougher and a lot slower for one person to go
back to work as the only supporter of a new idea or approach to a problem. When
two people work in the same area, or can impact different aspects of the same
division or department, they can not only support each other better, they are
more likely to create a ripple effect that’s large enough for others to notice.
</P>
<DIR>
<P><B><I>* Focus the open space target audience so that participants are more
likely to establish connections they can draw on after the Open
Space.</P></B></I></FONT><FONT size=1></DIR></FONT><FONT size=2>
<P></FONT><B><FONT size=3>7. PARAMETERS: <I>What are the parameters for your
issue?</P></B></I>
<P>Despite popular opinion, having "no parameters" around an issue does not
necessarily mean more freedom. In fact, Open Space parameters are not
limitations at all; they can be the key to unlocking some of the old barriers
that keep people from taking responsibility for their good ideas. Setting
parameters is a very tangible way for the leadership to reinforce their support
for an issue and their confidence in their staff in resolving it.</P>
<DIR>
<DIR>
<DIR>
<P><B><I>*Some parameters to consider....</P>
<DIR>
<DIR></B></I>
<P><I>Budget - any project within $X</P>
<DIR>
<DIR>
<DIR>
<DIR>
<P>Schedule - any project within Y time</P>
<P>Structure -any project within the domain of the division, /region,
/department)</P>
<P>Bus. Plan -any project within the vision, mission, and objectives</P>
<P>- or, supports our current business plan priorities</P>
<P>Other... -commitment to discuss any proposal for this issue outside</I>
<I>these </P></I></FONT><FONT
size=1></DIR></DIR></DIR></DIR></DIR></DIR></DIR></DIR></DIR></DIR></FONT><B><FONT
size=3>
<P>8. SUPPORT: <I>How can I best support what can happen next?</P>
<DIR></B></I></FONT><FONT face=Arial size=3>
<P>Open Space invariably produces innovations that don’t always fit with the
current way of doing things. How can I best create the "space" for participants
to move forward with their issues in the daily work? Consider:</P></DIR>
<UL></FONT><FONT size=2>
<LI></FONT><B><I><FONT size=3>Identifying Mentors?</LI></UL>
<UL>
<LI>Adopt an executive?</LI></UL>
<UL>
<LI>Other open space forums? Or mini-forums?</LI></UL>
<UL>
<LI>Adopting open space principles in regular meetings</LI></UL>
<UL>
<LI>Building outcomes into personal and business
plans</LI></UL></B></I></FONT><FONT size=1>
<OL start=9></FONT><B><FONT size=3>
<LI>COMMUNICATION: <I>Keep up the communication.</LI></OL>
<DIR></B></I></FONT><FONT face=Arial size=3>
<P>In Open Space, even though the meeting comes to an end the issues continue to
evolve. The on-going learning and discovery are important benefits that need to
be nurtured. </P></DIR>
<UL></FONT><B><I><FONT size=3>
<LI>Create opportunities for sharing stories and discussing new issues and
concerns.</LI></UL>
<UL>
<LI>There is no one answer to the most appropriate way to keep the learning
alive. Any approach is best supported by helping key leaders understand the
importance of encouraging ongoing, informal links and being prepared to
support opportunities as they emerge</B></I>.</LI></UL></FONT><FONT size=1>
<OL start=9></FONT><B><FONT size=3>
<LI>ASSESSMENT: <I>Be prepared to be surprised.</LI></OL>
<DIR></B></I></FONT><FONT face=Arial size=3>
<P>By having the freedom and capacity to think about issues differently and work
differently, opportunities will emerge in different ways and at different times.
Some issues will take shape and be ready to happen right away, others may
percolate for even a year or two before taking shape. Still others may never
take a concrete form but will impact the way groups begin to think and work
together in many ways. The impact of Open Space is best measured with a
long-term approach that can take into account the on-going learning and activity
generated by the Open Space.</P>
<DIR>
<DIR>
<DIR>
<DIR>
<DIR></FONT><FONT size=3>
<P>*<B><I>Create a means of assessing where your ideas and new competencies are
coming from. How can you increase these opportunities? Can open space techniques
help in other ways?</P></B></I></FONT><FONT
size=1></DIR></DIR></DIR></DIR></DIR></DIR></FONT><B><I><FONT size=2>
<P>Other Helpful hints...</P></FONT><FONT size=3>
<P>Preparing Stakeholders:</B></I> </P>
<P>If Open Space is new to the audience, it is important to prepare them to be
successful. Hold a Small Open Space to introduce the technology and to help the
stakeholders discover how they can best provide support. Focus the small space
on the role of leadership in moving forward with the issue.</P></FONT><FONT
size=1></FONT><B><I><FONT size=3>
<P>Participation:</P></B></I>
<P>When possible, all stakeholders should actively participate in the Open Space
meeting. Open Space is a much more powerful learning tool and change agent when
it is truly a "round-table" meeting where the whole community is represented and
all idea and concerns are valued equally. </P></FONT><FONT
size=1></FONT><B><I><FONT size=3>
<P>Facilitation:</P></B></I></FONT><FONT face=Arial size=3>
<P>If you are a stakeholder you should plan on participating in the open space
rather than facilitating. It is generally advantageous to have an objective
facilitator so you can focus on the issue and they can focus entirely on the
process and on coaching the stakeholders without bias. </P></FONT><FONT
size=1></FONT><FONT size=2>
<P>Note: above section reproduced with permission, Diane Blair, Bank of
Montreal, 1997</P><B></B>
<P> </P></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Arial Black" size=2>Birgitt Williams</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Arial Black" size=2>Make Genuine Contact!</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Arial Black" size=2>Dalar Associates: organizational
</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Arial Black" size=2>effectiveness consultants</FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Arial Black" size=2>Striving for Success? Ready to exceed
</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Arial Black" size=2>your expectations?</FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
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<DIV> </DIV>
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