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<FONT FACE="Times, Times New Roman"><SPAN STYLE='font-size:18.0px'>I agree with Harrison.<BR>
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Open space does not “fail”. I mean, look at what open space is: it’s just an expanded moment into which people place or bring...whatever. The fact that the overwhelming number of people who have entered the spaces we have “opened” have had incredible experiences speaks more about our species than it does about the “technique”.<BR>
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Or perhaps it says more about the times we’re in. <BR>
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Or maybe it says something about our ability as facilitators to help a system know when the moment has arrived to take advantage of the open space process. (There is no substitute for good consulting skills.)<BR>
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One of the above. Maybe all of them.<BR>
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All that said, I’ve run a number of OS meetings where there are noticeably fewer people at the close than at the opening. Maybe that says something about me, but I doubt it. Two times I can recall (among several hundred), people have come to me and asked me to make the closing earlier, because they were all done. One of these was a corporate group of about 150 that actually did manage to consolidate the afternoon sessions and complete everything on the wall, although nobody planned it that way. Another group of about 20 did the same thing. A third group consisted mostly of senior citizens and frankly, most grew too tired by 3:00 p.m. to continue. (I’m beginning to know how they feel.)<BR>
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There have been several occasions when I have coached someone else to handle all the usual opening chores and I showed up for support. Absolute rookies (time-honored American slang word for first-timers). Those times the opening has been sort of rough, unpolished, and wet with anxiety, but those people all got through it, and the spaces opened up nicely. This leads me to conclude that the person doing the opening does not have to be perfect, just clear enough on the main points and not take too long. You’re not leading them into heaven, only into an open place. If they’re the right people for the issues and opportunities at hand, well then... (shrugging my shoulders).<BR>
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In other words, don’t blame yourself.<BR>
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For all of you out there celebrating Thanksgiving this coming week, happy holiday and love from central New Jersey, USA.<BR>
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Ralph Copleman<BR>
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