<html><head><meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"></head><body dir="auto">Birgitt,<div><br></div><div>What an amazing story. What courage from this person, the Dean. And how beautiful the eventual support from other staff members. Like an ode to trust, or faith. </div><div><br></div><div>Thomas <br><br><div id="AppleMailSignature" dir="ltr"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">___<br><br>All is possible together</span></div><div dir="ltr"><br>On 2 Oct 2019, at 19.04, Birgitt Williams via OSList <<a href="mailto:oslist@lists.openspacetech.org">oslist@lists.openspacetech.org</a>> wrote:<br><br></div><blockquote type="cite"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:verdana,sans-serif">Hi Rob,</div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:verdana,sans-serif">I have read your thoughtful post again, and focused on "<span style="font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">One other issue is that we are always ready to blame things like OST for poor outputs, a scapegoat. When things work and we have outstanding outcomes we must include OST as part of the fabric of success. How much we include it is dependent on the faith of the decision makers and their openness to the power of good process.</span></div><div><br></div><div>Much longer than I wished. The outcomes from OST events and process are far reaching and very powerful we should try and track them through good evaluation process.<span class="gmail_default" style="font-family:verdana,sans-serif">"</span></div><div><span class="gmail_default" style="font-family:verdana,sans-serif"><br></span></div><div><span class="gmail_default" style="font-family:verdana,sans-serif">I was wondering about your experience of OST being scapegoated for poor outputs. I feel this is worth exploring.</span></div><div><span class="gmail_default" style="font-family:verdana,sans-serif"><br></span></div><div><span class="gmail_default" style="font-family:verdana,sans-serif">I heartily agree with your guidance about the importance of evaluation of OST events and processes. I have found that it is challenging to separate out the evaluation of OST as separate from tracking the progress of the total consulting assignment and the results. I am wondering what thoughts you or anyone have about this.</span></div><div><span class="gmail_default" style="font-family:verdana,sans-serif"><br></span></div><div><span class="gmail_default" style="font-family:verdana,sans-serif">In our Genuine Contact way of Working with Open Space Technology, we encourage our clients to have what we call an accountability meeting sometime between 4-6 months after an OST meeting so that the participants express to one another the progress as a result of the OST meeting. This has been helpful. </span></div><div><span class="gmail_default" style="font-family:verdana,sans-serif"><br></span></div><div><span class="gmail_default" style="font-family:verdana,sans-serif">I remember an assignment for the school of business at a college. The situation had intense conflict, grievances by the union against the Dean. The Dean had the courage to engage us and to go ahead with a two day OST meeting plus 1/2 day for prioritizing and developing next step actions. We chose the theme'issues and opportunities for organizational excellence'. Day one was challenging beyond belief, with harsh topics coming up including that the Dean should be fired.Day two additional topics were posted. The 1/2 day of prioritizing included a dominant theme of evaluating the Dean for the purpose of getting her fired. Yes, she sat there throughout all of this, not shutting this down. I admired her very much and she offered to be as transparent as she could possibly be in answering what would be asked of her.</span></div><div><span class="gmail_default" style="font-family:verdana,sans-serif"><br></span></div><div><span class="gmail_default" style="font-family:verdana,sans-serif">Four months later, just before the accountability meeting, she phoned me to say that she didn't think we would have a good meeting because she wasn't sure that the groups that had formed had actually done their work. We agreed to take no action but to let the meeting unfold in whatever way it would.</span></div><div><span class="gmail_default" style="font-family:verdana,sans-serif"><br></span></div><div><span class="gmail_default" style="font-family:verdana,sans-serif">The accountability meeting was done within the method Whole Person Process Facilitation. When it came time for the 'champions' of actionable items to report to their peers about progress, it turned out that lots of action had happened, everyone had a report. Discussions took place regarding the reports to further the evaluative/accountability/tracking process.</span></div><div><span class="gmail_default" style="font-family:verdana,sans-serif"><br></span></div><div><span class="gmail_default" style="font-family:verdana,sans-serif">The report and discussion that dealt with the performance of the Dean was the big surprise. The group reported that within the constrains imposed on her by the College and its rules, she had actually done a good job.</span></div><div><span class="gmail_default" style="font-family:verdana,sans-serif"><br></span></div><div><span class="gmail_default" style="font-family:verdana,sans-serif">Some months later, the union grievances against the Dean were being heard. As a result of what happened in the OST (outcomes more than outputs affected this), even unionized staff spoke on her behalf in the hearing and the grievances were dropped. She phoned to tell me of this, in complete amazement that this was possible. She thanked me for helping her hold steady in the process so that the people could address what they needed to address.</span></div><div><span class="gmail_default" style="font-family:verdana,sans-serif"><br></span></div><div><span class="gmail_default" style="font-family:verdana,sans-serif">in genuine contact,</span></div><div><span class="gmail_default" style="font-family:verdana,sans-serif">Birgitt</span></div><div><br></div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:verdana,sans-serif"><br clear="all"></div><br clear="all"><div><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_signature" data-smartmail="gmail_signature"><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div><span style="font-size:12.8px"><b>Birgitt Williams</b></span></div><div><span style="font-size:12.8px"><b>Supporting Next Level Leadership "Leading So People Will Lead"</b></span></div><div dir="ltr"><span style="font-size:12.8px">Author, Senior Consultant, President <a href="http://www.dalarinternational.com/" target="_blank">Dalar International Consultancy, Inc</a></span><br></div><div dir="ltr"><div>Founder <a href="http://www.dalarinternational.com/genuine-contact" target="_blank">Genuine Contact Program</a></div><div>Co-owner <a href="https://genuinecontact.net/about/co-owners/" target="_blank">Genuine Contact Group, LLC</a></div><div>Founder<a href="http://www.extraordinaryleadershipnetwork.com/" target="_blank"> Extraordinary Leadership Network</a></div><div><br></div><div><font color="#212121" face="sans-serif"><b>Learn with us for your skill and capacity development for leading and working in the new leadership paradigm "Leading So People Will Lead"</b></font></div><div><br></div><div>Upcoming learning module: <a href="https://www.dalarinternational.com/curriculum/open-space-technology/" target="_blank">Working with Open Space Technology</a>. Three different learning options to learn a process for facilitating meetings that engage the people. <span style="color:rgb(68,68,68);font-family:"Helvetica Neue",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;text-align:center">Self-Study + One-to-One Mentoring + Mentoring Circle; </span><span style="color:rgb(68,68,68);font-family:"Helvetica Neue",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;text-align:center">Self-Study + Real-Time Workshop + Mentoring Circle; and </span><span style="color:rgb(68,68,68);font-family:"Helvetica Neue",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;text-align:center">Self-Study + Real-Time Workshop + One-to-One Mentoring + Mentoring Circle</span><span style="color:rgb(68,68,68);font-family:"Helvetica Neue",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;text-align:center"> with real time workshop dates three consecutive Fridays from 9am to 12:30pm EST on October 18, 25, and November 1st.</span></div><div style="color:rgb(33,33,33);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px"><br></div><div>PO Box 19373, Raleigh, NC, USA 27613</div><div>Phone: 01-919-522-7750</div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><br></div><br><div class="gmail_quote"><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_attr">On Sat, Sep 28, 2019 at 10:19 PM Robert Chaffe via OSList <<a href="mailto:oslist@lists.openspacetech.org">oslist@lists.openspacetech.org</a>> wrote:<br></div><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0px 0px 0px 0.8ex;border-left:1px solid rgb(204,204,204);padding-left:1ex"><div dir="ltr"><div>Birgitt,</div><div>Thank you for your comments as you refer to "outcomes" or things that happened under the influences beyond your control. Some use the words "surprises" or "unexpected". These are often the game changers.</div><div><br></div><div>Why do we not have a great list of these things? I think it is because we are often contracted to do a job in a very complex system involving many "jobs". In "Who moved my Cheese" we are reminded that the prudent operator spends some time looking around and checking the environment and changes. In the business world this level of thinking is not common. The Fortune 500 group do this and "we" developed a program called "Group Business Visits" that got business people out of their own business and into another business to confidentiality review that business and its practices, direction etc. A very powerful process and one that is much valued by those who have chosen to us it. "To see ourselves as other see us" and to be humble enough to accept what is said.</div><div><br></div><div>The breakdown in most contracts is that the focus is on "outputs" things that can be directly controlled. Systemic integrated evaluation is uncommon in most contracts and that is where this "outcome" data comes from.</div><div><br></div><div>In our "irrigation Futures" project the contact was for specific outputs over three years. We engaged over 500 people in a wide range of conversations and meetings at a time when the allocation of irrigation water in South East Australia was under significant review (cities were running out if water) at the same time a massive deregulation of the dairy industry was undertaken. The major secondary industries in the irrigation area process milk fruit and vegetables was under considerable strain with over $100 million put in to prop up one industry alone. <br></div><div>The participants of our workshops included all levels of management in primary and secondary industries and the wider community. <br></div><div>80% of the dairy farms have disappeared one process company worth over $900 million was sold for under $30 million. many smaller dairy processing plants closed. Once viable towns struggle to field their own football teams and empty shops are everywhere.</div><div>I am sure that around the globe this story can be told in many places about the local primary and secondary industries. The big difference in our case was all these changes were identified and discussed as plausible possibilities and appropriate responses generated. OST was used extensively to work through issues and opportunities and complexity was the order of the day. <br></div><div>Consequences have been the adjustments in this multi billion dollar industry area of Australia have been in some way based on prior discussions the people involved had had. <br></div><div>The surprise moment came when the local member stood up in defense of her community and publicly denounced the leader of her party and the prime minister in the Parliament House for telling a lie about her community.</div><div>This is not your normal outcome from a process as it reflects that the local member has the support of the whole community and that she could speak out safely about issues that needed to be addressed.</div><div><br></div><div>Regretfully we had limited fund to continue on annual debrief sessions to capture the changes and the growth of the community. The outcome referred to has now resulted in the election of independents in once very strongly held conservative party areas in the electorates in the irrigation districts involved. <br></div><div><br></div><div>Dis OST cause this? It is certainly drawing a long bow to even think this way. As the facilitator of this multi million dollar project I believe that as the participants learned the art of conversation and truly valued others inputs while not seeking single answers we had a community that was ready and able to adapt to change. Change that has completely changed their community and their ability to do business. <br></div><div><br></div><div>I am sure others have similar stories, and when you see them in this short form the response is this is not possible. The next thing is to retreat back to the area of outputs where there is a high level of control and keep things simple. I say beware when the time has come for an idea to express itself and one thing that OST does is lift the lid on issues and opportunities. <br></div><div>Again in "who moved my Cheese" we need to lift our head and be brave enough to say "wrong paddock or field" when things are coming up roses. OST does expand the writing on the wall and we avoid this at our peril. <br></div><div><br></div><div>One other issue is that we are always ready to blame things like OST for poor outputs, a scapegoat. When things work and we have outstanding outcomes we must include OST as part of the fabric of success. How much we include it is dependent on the faith of the decision makers and their openness to the power of good process. <br></div><div><br></div><div>Much longer than I wished. The outcomes from OST events and process are far reaching and very powerful we should try and track them through good evaluation process.</div><div><br></div><div>Regards</div><div>Rob<br></div></div><br><div class="gmail_quote"><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_attr">On Tue, 24 Sep 2019 at 10:37, Birgitt Williams via OSList <<a href="mailto:oslist@lists.openspacetech.org" target="_blank">oslist@lists.openspacetech.org</a>> wrote:<br></div><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0px 0px 0px 0.8ex;border-left:1px solid rgb(204,204,204);padding-left:1ex"><div dir="ltr"><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:verdana,sans-serif">Hi Jake,</div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:verdana,sans-serif">I appreciated the way that you organized this case study data. I appreciated a lot that the way that you reported the data gives OST its due credit while simultaneously not claiming that it does more than it does in a given business situation. Mostly it is presented a a chosen tool/method for specific tasks within larger business processes, thus showing one aspect of the versatility and value of OST.</div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:verdana,sans-serif"><br></div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:verdana,sans-serif">I feel that the case studies would be enhanced if there was an addition of a category that I refer to as 'outcomes'. These outcomes are the additional qualitative benefits that emerge. People have a shared experience of their leadership, vision, community, and management in ways that surpass what they assumed was possible. Something happens within that OST meeting that cannot be unremembered or undone.</div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:verdana,sans-serif"><br></div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:verdana,sans-serif">in genuine contact,</div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:verdana,sans-serif">Birgitt</div><br clear="all"><div><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div><span style="font-size:12.8px"><b>Birgitt Williams</b></span></div><div><span style="font-size:12.8px"><b>Supporting Next Level Leadership "Leading So People Will Lead"</b></span></div><div dir="ltr"><span style="font-size:12.8px">Author, Senior Consultant, President <a href="http://www.dalarinternational.com/" target="_blank">Dalar International Consultancy, Inc</a></span><br></div><div dir="ltr"><div>Founder <a href="http://www.dalarinternational.com/genuine-contact" target="_blank">Genuine Contact Program</a></div><div>Co-owner <a href="https://genuinecontact.net/about/co-owners/" target="_blank">Genuine Contact Group, LLC</a></div><div>Founder<a href="http://www.extraordinaryleadershipnetwork.com/" target="_blank"> Extraordinary Leadership Network</a></div><div><br></div><div><font face="sans-serif" color="#212121"><b>Learn with us for your skill and capacity development for leading and working in the new leadership paradigm "Leading So People Will Lead"</b></font></div><div><br></div><div>Upcoming learning module: <a href="https://www.dalarinternational.com/curriculum/open-space-technology/" target="_blank">Working with Open Space Technology</a>. Three different learning options to learn a process for facilitating meetings that engage the people. <span style="color:rgb(68,68,68);font-family:"Helvetica Neue",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;text-align:center">Self-Study + One-to-One Mentoring + Mentoring Circle; </span><span style="color:rgb(68,68,68);font-family:"Helvetica Neue",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;text-align:center">Self-Study + Real-Time Workshop + Mentoring Circle; and </span><span style="color:rgb(68,68,68);font-family:"Helvetica Neue",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;text-align:center">Self-Study + Real-Time Workshop + One-to-One Mentoring + Mentoring Circle</span><span style="color:rgb(68,68,68);font-family:"Helvetica Neue",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;text-align:center"> with real time workshop dates three consecutive Fridays from 9am to 12:30pm EST on October 18, 25, and November 1st.</span></div><div style="color:rgb(33,33,33);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px"><br></div><div>PO Box 19373, Raleigh, NC, USA 27613</div><div>Phone: 01-919-522-7750</div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><br></div><br><div class="gmail_quote"><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_attr">On Fri, Sep 20, 2019 at 7:17 PM Jake Yeager via OSList <<a href="mailto:oslist@lists.openspacetech.org" target="_blank">oslist@lists.openspacetech.org</a>> wrote:<br></div><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0px 0px 0px 0.8ex;border-left:1px solid rgb(204,204,204);padding-left:1ex"><div dir="ltr"><div>Hi everyone,</div><div><br></div><div>I've compiled <a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/1rgdvm6APRQ1ne-ipTBK5lnCc89PsFXEuieL2phwQDTw/edit?usp=sharing" target="_blank">OST case studies in a brief format</a> that I find useful for contracting. Others might too.</div><div><br></div><div>I compiled them from Open Space World, the User's Guide, and Tales from Open Space. </div><div><br></div>Feel free to add.<div><br></div><div>Much love,</div><div>Jake<br clear="all"><div><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><div>________________</div><div><br></div><div>When the mind is quiet, the sun of your heart will shine once again, and you will be free of problems.</div><div> - <a href="http://www.robert-adams.info/" target="_blank">Robert Adams</a></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>
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