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<p dir="auto">Hi Jake,</p>
<p dir="auto">Some questions</p>
<ul>
<li>How realistic are the team’s fears (in your opinion)?</li>
<li>Would leadership retaliate against the team?</li>
<li>Why would they retaliate?</li>
<li>Which topics/questions are "safe"?</li>
<li><p dir="auto">Which topics/questions does the team think/know bring retaliation?</p></li>
<li><p dir="auto">How are the "leadership" in question working to sponsor and participate the event?</p></li>
<li><p dir="auto">And, how are you working with them before the event?</p></li>
</ul>
<p dir="auto">How I want to approach it…</p>
<p dir="auto">I wonder how you create the event with the sponsors in advance. And I wonder if you have a compelling question and invitation for every event.</p>
<p dir="auto">In your shoes I would do these things. I often see people skipping at least some of these things so I list everything that comes to mind, excuse me if you’re already doing all of them:</p>
<ul>
<li><p dir="auto">I would be sure the leaders are "sponsoring" each event.</p></li>
<li><p dir="auto">I would want to start working with the leaders/sponsors about 2 months out in your scenario (as soon as you complete one event, start working on the next one by engaging the sponsors).</p></li>
<li><p dir="auto">As usual, I would help the leaders / sponsors identify a compelling theme (urgent, complex/many answers not just 1, controversial/something that sparks passion and triggers responsibility across the teams and "leaders").</p></li>
<li><p dir="auto">And also, I would help the leaders / sponsors craft the invitation to the next event clearly stating the question & clearly committing to HOW they will respond to the outcomes. I would ask them to make this part of a "written" invitation that they (the VPs) send to everyone involved in the event (by email engraving not required).</p>
<p dir="auto">I hope that there are no limits to what can be raised in the Open Space, but if there are limits (and you say people are afraid that there are discussions that will be punished—so yeah they perceive hard limits) I would ask the sponsors to clearly state what is allowed (and if you can swing it what is not allowed). Granted, it’s not ideal, but I believe if there are constraints on what’s allowed into the space, then you create safety by helping the sponsors name and acknowledge the constraints and show what they are. (Also gives you an opportunity in advance to invite them to be more open by pointing out how the off-limit topics close the space.)</p>
<p dir="auto">To balance the fear of retaliation, you give the group more information to organise themselves to go where it’s safe to go—and also not to avoid where it’s not safe. Of course, if they are avoiding key controversial subjects this is definitely closing space, but it’s at least helpful to be explicit about what’s open and what’s closed. I feel like you’re helping open the remaining space by asking the sponsors to clearly point out what is open and what is closed. (The sponsor’s must do it because it’s the facilitators job to hold the space open.)</p></li>
<li><p dir="auto">I would ask the sponsors to be explicit about what they commit to do with the outcomes of the open space after the event.</p></li>
<li><p dir="auto">I’ve experienced Open Space as a powerful laboratory type environment that helps everyone (leaders team members — all equal in the circle) to experience true self-organisation for the first time. (And it’s a side effect of using Open Space to solve real problems rather than the end goal in itself.) If you are doing the things above to open space and your organisation’s hierarchy is still interfering you may simply need to acknowledge that is the only thing that can happen right now.</p></li>
<li><p dir="auto">If what ever happens is the only thing that could happen", then I find it’s usually the only thing that <em>must</em> happen. Some folks (ORSC coaches mainly) say "every voice is the voice of the system …" So what are the voices in the system telling everyone when they remain silent when it’s time to propose topics? They are speaking to all the participants (including the sponsors / leaders).<br>
— what does that say to your organisation about hierarchy and leadership<br>
— what else could the silent voice be saying about your system? Do you know for sure "fear of retaliation" is the problem? Or are these voices saying something else important for the system? (The question isn’t clear? The question isn’t compelling? The sponsor’s don’t support the outcomes? The Open Space EVENT is fine, but we’re constrained by the hierarchy the rest of the time? We’re sleepy?)</p></li>
</ul>
<p dir="auto">(Depending on other issues — like are you all remote right now or in the same place — I also might consider trying a longer Open Space. It’s hard for me to get into full swing when you have to do the whole thing in half a day. I recognise it might be hard to get sponsors’ commitment for more time.)</p>
<p dir="auto">Have you looked into Michal Hermann’s "Inviting Leadership Guide?" I rely on it for questions like these: <a href="https://www.michaelherman.com/publications/inviting_leadership_guide.pdf">https://www.michaelherman.com/publications/inviting_leadership_guide.pdf</a></p>
<p dir="auto">We also explore this deeply in the Open Space Leadership course I offer. We’re forming a new cohort for mid-October. I want to invite you to register and bring this question to work on in the workshop — https//coachingcoctails.com/osworkshop.</p>
<p dir="auto">Cheers,<br>
Steve</p>
<p dir="auto">On 6 Oct 2020, at 12:13, Jake Yeager via OSList wrote:</p>
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<blockquote style="border-left:2px solid #5855D5; color:#5855D5; margin:0 0 5px; padding-left:5px"><div id="05B0C6D5-DE47-4785-98EB-BD199DA13FE1"><div dir="ltr">Hi wonderful Open Space community,<div><br></div><div>I'd like your input. I am working with a division within my company. The division is sponsoring a half-day Open Space event every 2 months to help improve adaptability and innovation. The division consists of 200 people, and all team members are invited to every event. My company is very hierarchical, and some team members are afraid to call topics. They are afraid that leadership may retaliate against them.</div><div><br></div><div>Upper leadership is very open, but some of the middle managers--e.g., VP-level--are pretty controlling. </div><div><br></div><div>Does anyone have any suggestions for what to do in this type of situation?</div><div><br></div><div>If you have questions or feedback, let me know.</div><div><br></div><div>Thank you so much!</div><div><br></div><div>All the best,</div><div>Jake<br clear="all"><div><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_signature" data-smartmail="gmail_signature"><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></div></blockquote>
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