The OSLIST conversation about preparing for Open Space Technology continues. Here’s one of my own contributions there…
One of my latest descriptions of Open Space Technology is this: it is fundamentally a decision and a commitment on the part of leaders and sponsors and facilitators to movement. Seen from this place we can always ask ourselves whether the work we do in the prep time is making movement more or less easy, more or less possible.
Some see a preparatory focus on the “givens” as getting in the way of movement. Others note that in corporate groups it helps for folks to hear that this or that is open for movement, that movement is allowed and expected. Some simply say, “Let’s get moving together now” and organize an “open” planning session with leaders and sponsors. Others prefer to let the movement go as it will/can and deal with givens as limits that tend to pop up in the discussion of the Theme or Question. Sometimes the discussion about what is happening now, current conditions, usually experienced as limits, can help surface the Bigger or Deeper Question that is not being addressed directly. All in all, I’m hearing that movement, and the space to move in, is the common center. Not particularly surprising, I think.
In terms of moving through meeting preparation then, I find that many “givens” or what I sometimes think about as “forms of focus” are necessarily embodied in the people who will come. The invite list. If you want discussion and ideas, invite talkers. If you want decisions, invite the decisionmakers. If you want action, invite those known for doing. If you want it fast, invite the bottlenecks. etc. I think in many cases if I fish around the edges of who should be there, who could be allowed to be there, then most everything else gets handled in that question. As we expand or simply clarify the invite list, we take care of naming and testing lots of “givens,” too. And in the end, those invited are certainly the ones who decide what this event will be. So they really do embody the whole of it…
In this way, you see, OpenSpaceTech serves to focus what and who the organization already is… and literally invites movement on the most important issues and questions. What more could we ask for?
“movement,and the space to move in, is the common center”
Last term, I had a class of around 50 students, more than half of them new to me. As I launched into my explanation of the objectives and parameters and expectations, etc. of the class, my colleague who was sitting in and I noticed that the students looked a little drab. So we decided to talk to them about how they were feeling, especially in terms of how healthy they felt in that moment (the course is called The Determinants of Health), one thing led to another, some students wanted to rearrange the room so we were in a circle, some didn’t, some wanted to discuss it and vote…
I invited them to just stand up. That movement thing. In a few moments we were in a big circle, and indeed some of the Bigger/Deeper stuff did come right up. Including some of the students being very angry with me that it didn’t turn out the way they wanted! I had already introduced the principles of Open Space and most of the folks took them right to heart, but one or two of them are still mad at me! I don’t mind too much–part of inviting that Bigger and Deeper stuff to come on out.
you must be busy, Michael! I hope you are very well.
love, Christy