Dear Peggy,<br><br>You can not know what a gift your posting is to our community and to me personally. The depth of what you describe will have me re-reading this many times, hoping beyond hope, that others in our community will engage as deeply as you have, in response to your queries. There is much under the surface of what you describe that speaks to the malaise that exists in thousands and thousands of companies in America and elsewhere where Open Space is so greatly needed. <br>
<br>I can feel what happened in that tech company as if I was there. I can hear the unspoken conversations (field and headquarters) having spent 25 years in a large multi-location international manufacturing company with many changes in leadership and many difficult dynamics between headquarters, parent company and operating/field people.I grew up in the place you just described; there were wonderful times with the most amazing people and there were many very painful times that felt as you described it. <br>
<br>I could feel the anger, the fear, the frustrations, the mix of positive engagement and then suddenly things coming to a screeching halt as people imagined the same old, same old patterns of going back to work as if hearing them speak it out loud: "Why should I do anything; it's up to THEM to change." <br>
<br>A few observations and questions: <br><ul><li>Day 1 was not in Open Space (I feel this did not help in the end)</li><li>"Stealth" action by a mid-level individual contributor familiar with Open Space seeding the idea of a conversational culture (this feels like a hidden agenda, with the intent of reforming a company).<br>
</li><li>Was the focus then more on process? In the descriptions, I did not feel that the meeting was predominantly about addressing "real issues in the business" where there is urgency and a need to act. Peggy I understand the confidentiality and sensitivity so perhaps this was a big part of the pre-work and that indeed the framing of this event was all about "Theme and Real Business Issue".<br>
</li><li>Who was involved in the pre-work? Who was the Sponsor? Was this person also the Host? How engaged in the discussions? What were the conversations about? Process or about the business issues that the sales and marketing organization? <br>
</li><li>How was the invitation worded? Were people forced or strongly guided to attend? </li><li>Was there enough diversity (managers? sales and marketing?) Could there have been other levels and other functions (internal/external customers)?</li>
<li>The fact that participants were expected to include action and next steps in the summary report may have prevented people to go deeper in their emergent dialogue on the theme and to listen to each other. The first day in non-Open Space may have hurt too. I know Diane Gibeault is on vacation now; will alert her to your posting Peggy because I know she has run into this "action" issue; we talked about it at length a few weeks ago. </li>
</ul>Peggy, while the second event may have been more rewarding and confirming, I think that what you did in the first event is the "hero's journey". I further predict that the silence you felt, the heaviness you felt, and the resistance you saw will have a huge impact "for the better" on this organization and the people, whatever that is, and whatever happens. Something got named and seen at this event. You will probably never know the good of what was done; it will probably never be spoken fully, at least not to you by so many who could tell you so much. <br>
<br>For myself, your description brought to the surface, the unease I still feel and how misguided I can be in judging whether an Open Space event that I facilitate was successful or not. What challenges me most when I open space is the feeling I have that behind the Theme, the Urgency and the Complexity, there is something under the surface that is being released that brings up "pain", a real visibility on the "dysfunctions" of how we operate and a certain "vulnerability". When that happens, inevitably it invites the question of : "What the hell do we do now?" And perhaps when that question, spoken or unspoken, appears, that truly is the measure of a successful Open Space event. <br>
<br>Thank you again for your very precious gift of sharing all that you shared in all of its layers! It reminded me about how much I long to do Open Spaces in the
places that are like the company where I grew up and lived. I know now that it is time for me to plunge there more purposefully.<br><br>Suzanne <br>
<br><br><br><br><div class="gmail_quote">On Sun, Jul 3, 2011 at 5:21 AM, David Osborne <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:dosborne@change-fusion.com" target="_blank">dosborne@change-fusion.com</a>></span> wrote:<br><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex">
<div style="word-wrap:break-word">Peggy,<div><br></div><div>Thanks for your sharing...it's expanding my own learning. I sense your insight into a key difference being the sponsor is important. If the top isn't bought in and committed to the outcomes why bother may have been the attitude. As I listened to the story I wondered about the urgency of the topic. Were they using OS as an approach to fill a meeting time or did they really have an urgent focal issue? The two also may be connected..... if the top isn't committed to the process perhaps the sense of urgency was lower. The other thought that came to mind for me was the rule "when ever it's over it's over" and perhaps the session was over despite the planned schedule.</div>
<div><br></div><div>Those are my thoughts along the way.</div><div><br></div><div>Thanks again for sharing.</div><div><br></div><div><div><font color="#999999"><font face="'Monotype Corsiva'" size="7"><span style="font-size:27px">David<br>
</span></font></font><font color="#656565"><font size="1"><font face="Geneva, Verdana, Helvetica, Arial"><span style="font-size:9pt"><a href="http://dosborne@change-fusion.com" target="_blank">dosborne@change-fusion.com</a><br>
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<img src="" height="65" width="146"></font></font></font></div></div><div><br></div><div><br><div><div><div></div><div><div>On Jul 2, 2011, at 7:29 PM, Peggy Holman wrote:</div><br></div></div><blockquote type="cite">
<div><div></div><div><div style="word-wrap:break-word"><p>In the last few
months, I opened space at a tech company and a biotech company. On one level,
they looked similar: one functional area, international participation, a mix of
managers and individual contributors.</p><p>Yet the
experiences and the outcomes couldn't have been more different!<span> </span>I'll describe the two events and my
reflections on what made the difference between them.</p><p><i><span>Note: I wrote the story about the tech immediately following the
Open Space but didn't have a chance to edit and send it before the second
experience. You'll see a couple of questions that the experience raised for me
embedded in the story.<span> </span>They took
on a little different light following the second experience.</span></i></p><p><b><span>Corporate dynamics at play in a technology company...</span></b></p><p>This OS was with
an international sales and marketing meeting for the launch of a new year. Day
1 was not in Open Space.<span> </span>It was a
manager’s only session, using a mix of conversational forms (a huge stretch for
the power point, info-out culture). It went well. People appreciated talking
rather than just listening.<span> </span>Many
of the field people acknowledged the quality of listening from headquarters
people who usually do most of the talking.</p><p>On the first
afternoon, the larger meeting – 100 people – began with a conversation between
execs and the people in the room.<span>
</span>A great, candid conversation.</p><p>On day 2, we
opened the space. During the Open Space, I ran into a several issues that I
haven't experienced before and wondered if others have.</p><p>Overall, it was
a terrific day. And one of the unexpected dynamics surfaced: the managers
didn't feel complete with the conversations that they wanted just amongst
themselves. And they didn't feel they had the space for their private
conversation in the Open Space. My client caught wind of the situation as they
planned to organize a session during day 3's action planning/next step breakout
session time. That meant the management layer wouldn't be part of action
planning/next step conversations.</p><p>We negotiated
having the manager session posted in the context of action planning/next steps
so that it would be visible even if not open to everyone. In practice, it was
announced but not posted.</p><p>We added a
second action oriented round of breakout sessions in the afternoon following a
short briefing of what came out of the morning group to fit the timing of the
manager’s session,<span> </span>It made room
for managers or others to host more action/next step sessions.<span> </span></p><p><b><i><span>So question 1</span></i></b><i><span>:
have others run into the managers-only dynamic?<span> </span>If so, how have you dealt with it?<span> </span>Are there questions you use in your pre-work for the OS to
surface the issue and deal with it in advance?<span> </span>We thought we had handled the need with the pre-meeting
among managers. What signs might have tipped us off to the need for more?</span></i></p><p>The second
dynamic completely blindsided me. Normally the second morning of an OS just
buzzes!<span> </span>Perhaps it was the party
the night before but the group was really subdued. When I opened the space for action,
no one came forward. Given the energy in the room, I had the sense that an
elephant was sitting there untouched. I asked if anyone would speak to what was
up. Someone said they didn't want to step on headquarter people's toes by
proposing action sessions that were really HQ responsibilities. The exec in the
room encouraged people to do so, saying that HQ was there to serve the field's
needs.<span> </span>Ultimately, five sessions
on topics of importance were posted.</p><p>After the
meeting, my client said she thought the reluctance came from a pattern of headquarters
taking field input and having the suggestions disappear without any feedback on
what happened to the ideas or why. So why should field people offer anything?</p><p>I got the
impression that the field saw it as the responsibility of headquarters people
to take the lead. And the HQ people already felt full up so they weren't
stepping in. Plus, people didn't see a need for action sessions since they felt
they’d been identifying actions throughout the Open Space.</p><p><b><i><span>Question 2: </span></i></b><i><span>Given
that tension between field and headquarters is common, have others run into
this sort of reluctance to post action sessions? Might we have anticipated this
perception before it put a damper on things?</span></i><span><span> </span></span></p><p>It was one of
the only Open Space gatherings I've ever done in which people didn't come away
saying, "Wow! Best meeting I've ever attended."<span> </span>Instead, we heard from many that the
meeting was too open and confusing.<span>
</span>People wanted to hear more from the senior managers about what was on
their minds. <span> </span>I left the experience
pondering the dynamics that led to that outcome.<span> </span>The contrast with this second meeting helped me identify
some possibilities.</p><p><u></u> <u></u></p><p><b><span>High times in a biotech...</span><u></u><u></u></b></p><p>The work was
part of a company-wide change initiative. The senior manager was its host.<span> </span>He was actively involved. For example,
he opened the meeting by speaking of his aspirations for the department.<span> </span>He also said a few words at morning
announcements and evening news on each of the two days.</p><p>Like the tech
company, this session was basically one function -- human resources -- with a
few others invited for spice. Also similar to the tech meeting, people came
from around the world.</p><p>The meeting was
a hit!<span> </span>People instantly leaped out
to post sessions.<span> </span>With about 100
participants, more than 50% posted something. I don't think I've ever had a group
that size post in that ratio. The conversations were rich and useful. Along with the variety of topics, people worked through issues around organizational levels as well as field/headquarters dynamics. At least three Open Space meetings resulted, to be hosted by different
attendees over the coming weeks.<span>
</span>In fact, I was invited to help with one of them.</p><p><span>One other aspect
of this session: I ran a workshop before and after the OS for about a half a
dozen internal people to support them in opening space in the organization. We also met </span>to reflect on the experience <span>before morning announcements and after evening news during the Open Space. In
other words, they had already adopted Open Space as a key element of how they wanted
to work. T</span>he organization is investing in a group of people to support
creating a conversational culture.<span> </span></p><p>At a second OS I
did with them a few weeks later, we brought most of the new practitioners
together to continue to learn together. It's wonderful because they now have an
internal community of practice to support each other.</p><p>I was grateful
to have the biotech meeting on the heels of the technology meeting! I went from
questioning what I thought I knew to having some ideas of what created the
differences in the experiences.</p><p><b><br></b></p><p><b>Reflections on the
differences that made a difference</b></p><p><span>The biotech was
committed to changing their culture and open to new ways of working. </span>The
OS was focused on the group envisioning how it can best perform its role in the
company in light of those changes. <span>The
tech company meeting was more of a “stealth action” by a mid-level individual
contributor familiar with Open Space.<span>
</span>She was seeding the idea of a conversational culture.<span> </span>In other words, the biotech event occurred
in fertile soil, the tech company event was breaking up the hardpan.</span></p><p>At the biotech,
the sponsor was a senior manager who was explicit about using the event to
spark culture change.<span> </span>His whole
team participated throughout the event so there was no issue around hearing
what senior people were thinking.<span>
</span>They were in the room. In contrast, the tech company host was a
mid-level individual contributor.<span>
</span>She is highly trusted and used her influence to bring Open Space
in.<span> </span>Her goal was to take steps towards
creating a more conversational culture.<span>
</span>Both intentions are valid. They just created different experiences.<span> </span></p><p>At the biotech,
the sponsor had used Open Space at a previous organization as part of a
successful culture change initiative. He "got" the simplicity of Open
Space, not even feeling a need for an action round.<span> </span>Instead, as part of session notes, we asked people to
include both a discussion and a "next steps/commitments" section.
That dealt with one of the disconnects in the tech company meeting.<span> </span>They were confused when I re-opened the
space for action, saying they had been naming actions throughout. The biotech
meeting helped me see that re-opening the space for action turned out to be an
unnecessary thing to do.</p><p>The biotech
meeting was offsite, so even those who were stretched by the Open Space stuck
around because it was a big effort to leave.<span> </span>That gave them time to warm to the experience over the two
days.<span> </span>The tech company meeting was
onsite, making it easy for the senior managers and others to show up briefly and
leave.<span> </span></p><p>Finally, the
biotech is thriving and growing while the tech company is really struggling to
rediscover its identity. This external factor strikes me as a key difference in
the environments.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-autospace:none">So what does it all mean? I
would still Open Space in the tech company.<span> </span>There were plenty of people who found the experience
worthwhile, even if their feedback was quieter than those who were frustrated
or confused. I believe we prepared the soil for a few seeds to take root.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-autospace:none">For the tech company to take further steps, it strikes me that the person who hosted the Open Space
would benefit from finding informal partners, other inside change agents.
I like to believe that even without strong leadership support, she can make
a dent. As the biotech company shows, management involvement can be an
accelerator. Still, as I think about what someone sitting in the middle
of an organization can do, enlisting partners who share interest in
creating a conversational culture could be a way to continue to move forward.
By forming an informal community of learners, she can create a
system of support.</p><p>Could we have
done better?<span> </span>No doubt.<span> </span>I look forward to any thoughts you
have.</p><p>Appreciatively,</p><p><span>Peggy</span></p>
<br><br><div>
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<div>_________________________________</div><div>Peggy Holman</div><div><a href="mailto:peggy@peggyholman.com" target="_blank">peggy@peggyholman.com</a></div><div><br></div><div><span style="font-size:12px;font-family:Helvetica"><div style="word-wrap:break-word">
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