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</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body bgcolor=white lang=EN-US link=blue vlink=purple><div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>Dan wrote: “I've learned that there are actually more ways to fail with Open Space in Agile adoptions than there are ways to succeed. There are many ways to stumble when trying this.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>Actually, Dan – I am not at all surprised. I learned a long time ago that Open Space is a terrible way to introduce some new process, and especially to assure “buy in.” Typically, problems arise because folks take Open Space seriously. Instead of buying into the proposed process, they begin to invent their own! Somewhere I wrote that OS was a great way to design a new accounting system, but a horrible way to “implement” it.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>And just to be contrarian... I wonder whether the failure is a function of Open Space or Agile (and/or the SCRUM flavor of Agile)? As I think we have come to understand, Open Space is a total scam if people mistake it for some process we invented or “do.” It is simply an invitation to be what we always have been – self organizing. The process itself (SO) has been around for some time, and apparently has done quite well, witness the fact that we, along with all the rest of the Cosmos are here and seemingly functional. In a “face off” between a well functioning self-organizing system and any process we might have designed to create the system, install the system, or enhance the system – the designed process doesn’t have a chance. The reason is simple. No matter how wise, careful, diligent or skillful we may be – our creation is inevitably clunky. We may get the big blocks right, even some of the finer points, but at the end of the day we always miss the nuances – and as always, the devil is in the details. Put somewhat differently, our designed processes are always “averages” of what we think the process should look like. And “averages” do not exist anywhere in nature. To push an “average” on a natural system is always to make it function at some sub-optimal level, and usually to kill it.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>So maybe the order of precedence should go the other way? Use Agile to introduce Open Space, and then abolish Agile. Or, if you like ... Self-Organization is the natural agility. It doesn’t get any better than that. Or something<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>Harrison<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'> <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>Harrison Owen<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>7808 River Falls Dr.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>Potomac, MD 20854<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>USA<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>189 Beaucaire Ave. (summer)<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>Camden, Maine 04843<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>Phone 301-365-2093<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>(summer) 207-763-3261<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'><a href="www.openspaceworld.com%20"><span style='color:blue'>www.openspaceworld.com</span></a> <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'><a href="www.ho-image.com%20"><span style='color:blue'>www.ho-image.com</span></a> (Personal Website)<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.5pt;font-family:Consolas;color:#1F497D'>To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options, view the archives of OSLIST Go to:<a href="http://lists.openspacetech.org/listinfo.cgi/oslist-openspacetech.org"><span style='color:blue'>http://lists.openspacetech.org/listinfo.cgi/oslist-openspacetech.org</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></p></div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><div><div style='border:none;border-top:solid #B5C4DF 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 0in 0in 0in'><p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif";color:windowtext'>From:</span></b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif";color:windowtext'> oslist-bounces@lists.openspacetech.org [mailto:oslist-bounces@lists.openspacetech.org] <b>On Behalf Of </b>Daniel Mezick<br><b>Sent:</b> Thursday, September 19, 2013 11:26 AM<br><b>To:</b> oslist@lists.openspacetech.org<br><b>Subject:</b> [OSList] Open Space with Agile: Failure patterns<o:p></o:p></span></p></div></div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:12.0pt'>Greetings to you,<br><br>In Paris this week at the Global Scrum Gathering I plan to issue certain warning about specific failure patterns I have experienced when working with Open Space inside Agile adoptions. I can tell you right now that Open Space by itself is not a panacea for the complex problems associated with Agile adoption. <br><br>Agile is actually a cover story about the wider act of bringing culture change (a new and unfamiliar game) to an enterprise situation (the old story we all want to cling to). The SPIRIT book pretty much spells out the problem. <br><br>I've learned that there are actually more ways to fail with Open Space in Agile adoptions than there are ways to succeed. There are many ways to stumble when trying this. I'll be enumerating some of these subtle Agile-related pitfalls and traps in the Paris keynote on Tuesday, and in upcoming blog posts. Simply holding one or more canonical Open Space meetings (with full pre-planning and post processing) is not enough to neutralize the forces that oppose healthy and well Agile adoptions. The game mechanics, storytelling and passage-rite-structure elements must be present and robust for Open Space to be an effective tool in Agile adoptions. Open Space and these elements are composed in harmony with each other in the Open Agile Adoption technique.<br><br>If you offer training in Open Space for Facilitators and/or Sponsors, I invite you to send me your links and I will make sure they are added to the list of resources I am beginning to compile at OpenAgileAdoption.com. I plan to list in the Paris slides some specific French-language OST course offerings from French-speaking instructors located in Europe, and Quebec.<br><br>Kind Regards,<br>Dan<o:p></o:p></p><div><p class=MsoNormal>-- <br><br><o:p></o:p></p><p class=p1>Daniel Mezick, President<o:p></o:p></p><p class=p1>New Technology Solutions Inc.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=p1>(203) 915 7248 (cell)<o:p></o:p></p><p class=p2><span class=s1><a href="http://newtechusa.net/dan-mezick/">Bio</a></span><span class=s2>. <a href="http://newtechusa.net/blog/"><span class=s1>Blog</span></a>. <a href="http://twitter.com/#%21/danmezick/"><span class=s1>Twitter</span></a>.</span><span class=apple-converted-space><span style='color:black'> </span></span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=p3><span class=s2>Examine my new book:</span><span class=apple-converted-space><span style='color:black'> </span></span><span class=s2><a href="http://newtechusa.net/about/the-culture-game-book/"><span class=s1>The Culture Game </span></a></span><span class=s1>: Tools for the Agile Manager</span><span class=s2>.</span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=p1>Explore Agile Team <a href="http://newtechusa.net/services/agile-scrum-training/"><span class=s3>Training</span></a> and <a href="http://newtechusa.net/services/agile-scrum-coaching/"><span class=s3>Coaching.</span></a><o:p></o:p></p><p class=p1>Explore the <a href="http://newtechusa.net/user-groups/ma/"><span class=s3>Agile Boston </span></a>Community.<span class=apple-converted-space> </span><o:p></o:p></p></div></div></body></html>