Lisa et. al.:<br><br>You're into the heart of it I think when you raise these issues at the outset. The first conversation I have about the Open Space with the client is always about the need. Sometimes it's even a light hearted kind of thing :"You want to have an Open Space? Are you crazy? What do you want to do that for?" The answers to this question really help me get a sense of what role the OST meeting can play for the organization.
<br><br>Clients are on a journey. When they invite others in to do work with them, they are looking for people that can help them travel. In the context of the organizational journey, what role is the Open Space expected to have?
<br><br>I sometimes talk about OST as a process that does for organizations what slinging a space probae around a planet does for exploration. When space agencies launch machines that are built to go to other planets or to the far flung reaches of our solar system, they often aim them to intersect with large planets like Jupiter and Saturn and get a big boost from the immense gravitational fields of those bodies. It means that the space probes don't need to carry large amounts of propellant if they can benefit from the gravitational pull of a large planet. It's much like watching a discus thrower spin around and around and then apply that angular momentum to the discus which then flies in a straight line way down field.
<br><br>Open Space does that for organizations. And because it does that for organizations, it's worth having a clear sense about where exactly you want to be flung to. <br><br>Chris<br><br><div><span class="gmail_quote">
On 4/18/07, <b class="gmail_sendername">Lisa Heft</b> <<a href="mailto:lisaheft@openingspace.net">lisaheft@openingspace.net</a>> wrote:</span><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="border-left: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); margin: 0pt 0pt 0pt 0.8ex; padding-left: 1ex;">
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<p><font face="Trebuchet MS" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Hello, all –</span></font></p>
<p><font face="Trebuchet MS" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"> </span></font></p>
<p><font face="Trebuchet MS" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Esther mentioned her first OS with action planning.</span></font></p>
<p><font face="Trebuchet MS" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"> </span></font></p>
<p><font face="Trebuchet MS" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">She said:</span></font></p>
<p><font face="Trebuchet MS" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><I read several convergence methods some of you use (on Lisa Heft's website
- thanks Lisa for posting this!) and found great ideas for the future.></span></font></p>
<p><font face="Trebuchet MS" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"> </span></font></p>
<p><font face="Trebuchet MS" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Here are some of those resources Esther mentioned... </span></font></p>
<p><font face="Trebuchet MS" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><a href="http://www.openingspace.net/openSpaceTechnology_method.shtml" target="_blank" onclick="return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)">http://www.openingspace.net/openSpaceTechnology_method.shtml
</a></span></font></p>
<p><font face="Trebuchet MS" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">(or just go to <a href="http://www.openingspace.net/" target="_blank" onclick="return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)">http://www.openingspace.net
</a>
– Open Space Technology / The Method)</span></font></p>
<p><font face="Trebuchet MS" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"> </span></font></p>
<p><font face="Trebuchet MS" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">...in the <b><font color="blue"><span style="color: blue; font-weight: bold;">Resources
for OST Practitioners</span></font></b> you will see papers on </span></font></p>
<p><font face="Trebuchet MS" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"> </span></font></p>
<p><font face="Trebuchet MS" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Convergence: A Conversation</span></font></p>
<p><font face="Trebuchet MS" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Convergence Approaches</span></font></p>
<p><font face="Trebuchet MS" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Action Plans</span></font></p>
<p><font face="Trebuchet MS" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"> </span></font></p>
<p><font face="Trebuchet MS" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">It is interesting to me, always, to have the conversation with the
client / sponsor / host about what they wish to achieve in their one (or
whatever) day(s) together. Many say they want to end with the group
identifying action items – however upon further discussion it turns out
that it is not necessarily *<b><span style="font-weight: bold;">action</span></b>*
they needed, but a sense of *<b><span style="font-weight: bold;">accomplishment</span></b>*
- and all their previous models of meetings end in action items, votes or
otherwise naming numbers of things – so that is naturally what they feel
signals a productive end to a meeting. So I really like to have a very
thorough conversation for as long as it takes to get the truest sense of this
need and then decide what is the design that might accomplish it (and/or
perhaps we have a conversation that to accomplish a certain desired outcome
takes a longer OS or something). Action? Accomplishment? Next
steps? Personal commitments? Knowing also that a) Open Space
delivers closing comments and reflections (a useful deliverable) and a Book of
Proceedings (measure of accomplishment) and b) I am happy to design in action
identification a la Open Space if appropriate – however if we (the client
and I) structure a convergence activity we need to be very clear on what are we
asking, is there realistic support for follow-through if actions are
identified, do people have the tools they need or freedom to break out of their
traditional organizational roles to continue work post-event on their actions,
and so on. All very rich conversation and detective work before
finalizing design.</span></font></p>
<p><font face="Trebuchet MS" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"> </span></font></p>
<p><font face="Trebuchet MS" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">More thoughts from Lisa's surfacing into email land today...</span></font></p>
<p><font face="Trebuchet MS" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"> </span></font></p>
<p><font face="Trebuchet MS" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Lisa</span></font></p>
<p><font face="Trebuchet MS" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"> </span></font></p>
<p><font face="Trebuchet MS" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"> </span></font></p>
<p><font color="black" face="Trebuchet MS" size="2"><span style="font-size: 11pt; color: black;">___________________________</span></font></p>
<p><b><font color="blue" face="Trebuchet MS" size="2"><span style="font-size: 11pt; color: blue; font-weight: bold;">L
i s a H e f t</span></font></b></p>
<p><font color="blue" face="Trebuchet MS" size="2"><span style="font-size: 11pt; color: blue;">Consultant,
Facilitator, Educator</span></font></p>
<p><font color="blue" face="Trebuchet MS" size="2"><span style="font-size: 11pt; color: blue;">O p e n i n g
S p a c e</span></font></p>
<p><font face="Trebuchet MS" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><a href="mailto:lisaheft@openingspace.net" target="_blank" onclick="return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)"><font color="black"><span style="color: black;">
lisaheft@openingspace.net</span></font></a></span></font></p>
<p><font face="Trebuchet MS" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><a href="http://www.openingspace.net" target="_blank" onclick="return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)"><font color="black"><span style="color: black;">
www.openingspace.net</span></font></a> </span></font></p>
<p><font face="Times New Roman" size="3"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span></font></p>
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</blockquote></div><br><br clear="all"><br>-- <br>CHRIS CORRIGAN<br>Facilitation - Training<br>Open Space Technology<br><br>Weblog: <a href="http://www.chriscorrigan.com/parkinglot">http://www.chriscorrigan.com/parkinglot
</a><br>Site: <a href="http://www.chriscorrigan.com">http://www.chriscorrigan.com</a><br><br>Principal, Harvest Moon Consultants, Ltd.<br><a href="http://www.harvestmoonconsultants.com">http://www.harvestmoonconsultants.com
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