<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN">
<HTML><HEAD>
<META content="text/html; charset=iso-8859-1" http-equiv=Content-Type>
<META content="MSHTML 5.00.2314.1000" name=GENERATOR></HEAD>
<BODY>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><SPAN class=980421323-01092000>Today I received a
call, similar to others I have received, in which an organization has hired a
consultant to facilitate an Open Space Technology meeting. The decision to hire
the consultant and to use the process was made at a senior management level. The
contract is in place. The story, one that I have had to deal with before (this
is the third time in the last 6 weeks), is that the senior manager has been in
discussion with another manager who has used OST and the discussion led to the
satisfaction that the other manager had because of the convergence and action
planning process at the end of the meeting. The senior manager who phoned me
realized that there was no plan for this type of convergence in the contract.
When she had phoned the consultant, the manager discovered that the consultant
did not know what she was speaking of. This caused the manager to go onto the
internet to find out a little more, came upon my website, and wanted to know if
she had hired a consultant who would do a good job and deliver Open Space
Technology as she now understood it to be.</SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><SPAN
class=980421323-01092000></SPAN></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><SPAN class=980421323-01092000>The name of the
consultant was unfamiliar to me. I have no idea what the consultant does that he
calls Open Space Technology. I do know he charged a lot. I said I did not know
the consultant, couldn't speak for his work, and then I e-mailed the manager a
list of what key ingredients would be in an Open Space Technology meeting and
suggested questions that she ask of the consultant. She phoned me back and
wanted to know about standards of performance. She said that she had hired Open
Space Technology, in good faith, because she was convinced it was the right
thing to do. She assumed that this is what she would get from someone who
provided Open Space Technology.</SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><SPAN
class=980421323-01092000></SPAN></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><SPAN class=980421323-01092000>I believe strongly
that situations such as this are going to cause a backlash against Open Space
Technology. I stand even more firmly in my belief that each facilitator of Open
Space Technology will facilitate in accordance with his/her uniqueness as well
as with his/her interpretation and perception of what Open Space Technology is
AND that certain key ingredients must be attended to.</SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><SPAN
class=980421323-01092000></SPAN></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><SPAN class=980421323-01092000>Years ago, when I
worked in social services, the various agencies were working hard, doing good
works, and were filled with pride but not necessarily focused on meeting the
needs of the clients, working with the clients on what the clients wanted. I
feel the same at this moment about the way we are offering Open Space
Technology. Are we the ones interpreting the needs of the clients in the same
way social services did? Or are we listening to what the clients want and
meeting their needs? What if one of their needs is assurance that if they hire
Open Space Technology, that this is what they will actually get? To date, in my
experience, we do not offer this. The client gets whatever the consultant
chooses to deliver and calls Open Space or Open Space
Technology.</SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><SPAN
class=980421323-01092000></SPAN></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><SPAN
class=980421323-01092000>Birgitt</SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><SPAN
class=980421323-01092000></SPAN></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><SPAN class=980421323-01092000></SPAN></FONT><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>
<DIV><FONT face="Arial Black" size=2>Contact us for consulting services,
</FONT><FONT face="Arial Black" size=2>training, </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Arial Black" size=2>conference and meeting facilitation,
</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Arial Black" size=2>and keynote speaking.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Arial Black" size=2><A
href="http://www.openspacetechnology.com/">www.openspacetechnology.com</A></FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV></BODY></HTML>