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</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body 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'>Koos – I couldn’t possibly have said it better. You, however and always, are infinitely more nuanced and diplomatic than myself. <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'>Inviting people into Open Space (open space) is a magnificent way to enable the unleashing of innovation (of all sorts), ownership, and best of all, follow-thru – all combined with the capacity to turn on a Dime (small US coin), known as Agility. <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'>However. <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'>Using Open Space to sell/modify/implement some prior arrangement is asking for trouble. It CAN work. And has done so. BUT – it might just happen that the people involved (that would be ALL the people) take the invitation seriously and at face value. This could mean that the “well laid plans” are “toast” – Using an Americanism that somebody other than myself will have to translate.<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'>I don’t happen to have a copy of “The User’s Guide” – being in my northern retreat for the summer – but I distinctly recall writing something to the effect that OS was a great way to create a vision for the future, but a terrible way to sell it. I believe I wrote that 25 years ago – but no matter, I am stuck with 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'>Thanks Koos!<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><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"'>From:</span></b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"'> OSList [mailto:oslist-bounces@lists.openspacetech.org] <b>On Behalf Of </b>Koos de Heer via OSList<br><b>Sent:</b> Saturday, June 4, 2016 3:37 PM<br><b>To:</b> 'Karolina Iwa'; 'World wide Open Space Technology email list'<br><b>Subject:</b> Re: [OSList] OST for big changes in company<o:p></o:p></span></p></div></div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><span lang=NL style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>Hi Karolina,<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span lang=NL 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'>If you have been supporting this company for a while, I assume you are in a position to ask questions about their change strategy – maybe you are even helping them design their change strategy. If I would be in a position to discuss this with them, I think I would ask some more fundamental questions first. This is because for me, the idea behind Open Space is that there is not one person (or a small group of people) who has the answers. Usually, when you involve the whole system to explore the challenges that are ahead of us, the solutions are much better than any one person on their own could ever imagine. This is what happens over and over in Open Space and this is why it is so great. But this greatness comes with a price and I always discuss this price beforehand.<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 the question is: is there a possibility to put this major change itself on the table? How certain are the management of the company that the solution they have chosen is the best solution? Could the whole system, brought together in Open Space, maybe design an even better solution, with less pain for the people in the system? From the perspective of change management, we know that people are much more likely to adopt and support a solution they have designed or made a contribution to. <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'>If managers choose to use Open Space, I assume they hold the same beliefs that are the basis of Open Space: that a solution discovered and designed together by the whole system is usually much more sustainable and more successful in the long run. This belief seems to contradict with your story of a management team designing a solution on their own and using Open Space only to give this solution a softer landing. I don’t think this is a very good way to use Open Space. What is the true belief of this management team? Do they believe in the positive energy and the creativity of the people? Do they really trust the people who work for them? If they do, I would suggest they involve the people in the decision making. If they don’t, then Open Space is not for them.<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'>Koos<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><b><span lang=NL style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"'>Van:</span></b><span lang=NL style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"'> OSList [<a href="mailto:oslist-bounces@lists.openspacetech.org">mailto:oslist-bounces@lists.openspacetech.org</a>] <b>Namens </b>Karolina Iwa via OSList<br><b>Verzonden:</b> donderdag 2 juni 2016 15:53<br><b>Aan:</b> World wide Open Space Technology email list <<a href="mailto:oslist@lists.openspacetech.org">oslist@lists.openspacetech.org</a>><br><b>Onderwerp:</b> [OSList] OST for big changes in company<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><div><div><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:12.0pt'><span style='font-family:"Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"'>dear group, <br><br>i am seeking advice and stories.<br><br>on monday i have a meeting with the board of a company we've been supporting for the last year in their growth. some time ago they decided to make a major change (cannot get into more details at this point), which most probably a. will make quite some people in the company experience negative emotions and b. is coming quite unexpectedly. <o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:12.0pt'><span style='font-family:"Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"'>the board intends at designing the best change experience they can in the moment of communicating the changes and after. <o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:12.0pt'><span style='font-family:"Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"'>we intend to open the space after the news has been shared + the reasons behind it & consequences for the company & employees have been communicated, so i am wondering - from your experience:<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"'>- what would be similar stories you took part in / heard of?<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:12.0pt'><span style='font-family:"Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"'>- what can be helpful / should we pay attention to while preparing the meeting for the board and with the board preparing the whole organisation meeting?<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"'>thanks in advance for sharing.<br><br clear=all><o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><p class=MsoNormal>karolina.<br><br><br><span style='color:#073763'><br></span><span style='font-size:10.0pt;color:#073763'>____________________________________<o:p></o:p></span></p><div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;color:#073763'><img border=0 id="_x0000_i1025" src="https://ssl.gstatic.com/ui/v1/icons/mail/images/cleardot.gif"><o:p></o:p></span></p></div></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;color:#073763'>karolina iwa</span></b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;color:#073763'><o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;color:#073763'>social innovation<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;color:#073763'>senior facilitator<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;color:#073763'><a href="http://www.karolinaiwa.com" target="_blank">blog</a> I <a href="https://twitter.com/karolinaiwa" target="_blank">twitter</a> I <a href="http://de.linkedin.com/pub/karolina-iwa/58/9b6/403" target="_blank">l</a><a href="http://de.linkedin.com/pub/karolina-iwa/58/9b6/403" target="_blank">inkedin</a> <br>+49 15774 932193<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;color:#073763'>____________________________________</span><o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></p></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></body></html>