Richard Henry 
 

Open Space in the life of Pierce Coffege: educational opportunities at a state penitentiary, morale in Continuing Education, technology use, and more. 

According to Bell Research Laboratories, a daily edition of the New York Times contains a greater quantity of information than 15th-century humans had to process in their entire lifetimes. One inescapable outcome of this vast complexity is that it is impossible for one person, or even a small group, to be able to take in, process, and interpret all the vast inputs that impinge on a given problem or situation. It is no longer possible, if it ever was, for a single leader to know in which direction we should go. Yet solutions exist in the group; no one person knows, but together we all know. The essence of Open Space is to create an environment where the group's wisdom, the aggregate contribution of each individual's experience and spirit, can emerge. 

 Pierce College is one of Washington's largest community colleges, serving approximately 15,000 students each year. We operate from five major sites and a host of smaller ones. We have been using Open Space methods and principles for about a year. Here is a progress report. 

 A group of seven faculty and administrators attended a five-day Open Space training session in February 1996. We learned the theoretical concepts and practical methodologies of Open Space. Much more significantly, we experienced Open Space and the true community it can foster. 

 Open Space is inherently unpredictable; a fair degree of faith is required to launch an Open Space event. And having been a participant in an Open Space event is very different than being told about it. So it's not uncommon for decision makers who have not experienced Open Space to be skeptical or reluctant to proceed. We encountered some of this at Pierce College, and found our training as a group to be quite helpful in this regard. This common experience created a natural and effective group for brainstorming, coaching, help with logistics, and moral support. 

 Educational Opportunities at a State Penitentiary. Our first opportunity for an Open Space event came quickly, just a few weeks after the training. Pierce College operates an educational program under contract with the Department of Corrections (DOC) on McNeil Island, a state penitentiary. The state legislature had recently passed a new statute mandating significant cutbacks in educational opportunities for inmates; only basic skills and vocational programs would continue. 

 Open Space purports to work best when timelines are short and there is high potential for conflict. Both of these factors were at play at McNeil Island: a transition plan had to be devised and furthermore, a prison environment, by its very nature, is steeped in distrust. This was a challenging situation for our first effort with Open Space. 

 The results were remarkable, a combination of both concrete and less tangible outcomes. The McNeil Island environment is a complex system with three major operations units influencing inmates' daily routines: the DOC "custodial" unit, responsible for inmate security and the running of the prison; the Pierce College education unit; and Correction Industries, which uses inmate labor to manufacture office furniture for sale to state agencies. One of the most significant results was the commitment to greater collaboration by the leadership of the three units. In the past, decisions by each of these units were often made in isolation even though they could have a major impact on the other two. Getting the leadership in the same room for a discussion that revealed their interdependence was a direct result of the Open Space. 

 Less tangible, and perhaps more important, was the opportunity for members of the education unit to express their fears and concerns about an uncertain future, and to feel they had some say in their fate. This opportunity to be heard was an important step in their acceptance of inevitable changes, since many programs and courses would no longer be offered. Open Space allowed the creativity and wisdom within the group to emerge in seeking new solutions that would fulfill the mandate of the legislature while honoring the interests and concerns of those affected. 

>From Problem Solving to Changing Our Way of Being 
 

 Since that first event, we have held about a dozen other Open Space events involving from 15 to 50 participants. Open Space works at multiple levels, from the rather prosaic to the deepest core of human experience. The outcomes can range from an efficient method for group problem solving to creating community to changing our way of being in the world. Pierce College has experienced this whole spectrum of possibilities. Here are two examples, one from near each end of the spectrum. 

 Use of Technology at the College. Almost every higher education institution faces the challenge of providing adequate support for 
computer use. The number of computers has increased dramatically over the past decade, and so has their complexity, making each computer more difficult to support. Increases in support staff, however, have not kept pace. We decided to hold an Open Space event focused on technology. The invitation was extended to the entire college, and about 30 people from many departments and sites came together to explore the question, How can we, how should we, how will we use technology at Pierce College to help 
achieve our mission? 

 Participants were invited to take responsibility for the aspects of technology they cared about. The result: a dozen ad hoc task forces working with the Institutional Technology (IT) Department on a wide variety of initiatives, including cross-campus contributions to a comprehensive training plan, a directory of software experts willing to help other staff, and the design and implementation of shared resources on the servers. These are all important projects that were completed more quickly and more comprehensively than if the besieged IT staff had worked alone. 

 By opening the opportunity for involvement beyond IT, everybody wins. The college gets new technology solutions that increase efficiency, the users get the technology they care about and also get to make contributions that enhance their sense of worth and meaning, and IT gets to leverage its strengths for greater effectiveness. One participant, expressing a common feeling, said, "It was great to work with people I don't usually work with on a project we all cared about. We got to apply skills and expertise not usually recognized in our job descriptions." 

 Morale at Continuing Education. The Continuing Education Division offers a wide variety of non-traditional courses at many different physical sites. The geographical separation of division members makes communication and connection difficult. An Open Space was held to address some of the problems they were facing. About 25 people participated. Although some of the agenda items emerging from the group addressed practical details, most concerned feelings and relationships. Everyone chose to stay together and work through all of the issues as a group, which is contrary to the typical Open Space practice of having multiple, 
simultaneous sessions. 

 Previously unacknowledged wounds were disclosed, and tough emotional issues were confronted. At the end of the second day, enormous territory had been covered. Healing had begun. The Dean of Continuing Education commented, "We went places I never expected to go, but where we needed to go. With 'business as usual,' we could have gone on for years without getting to the heart of the matter. By having a forum where the real issues were honestly addressed, we reached a new level of understanding, acceptance, and commitment. We realize benefits every day from that Open Space." 

 As the college gains more experience with Open Space we also become more open to it. Success breeds success. With every Open Space event at the college we've achieved different and far better results than we expected. And more and more people have directly experienced Open Space. The events so far have involved subsets of the college. We are now planning an Open Space event for Spring 1997 that will include the entire college. 
 

Keeping the Spirit Flowing 
 

 Open Space is more than the event; it is a philosophy, a way of being. It is about allowing people to be involved in what truly has heart and meaning for them. There is no denying that a one- or two-day Open Space event is transformative and always yields a high return on investment. Yet in a large and complex organization it is difficult to clear everyone's calendar. We are finding that an event is the best start, and periodic events are invaluable, especially when specific issues arise. We are also finding there are things that can be done between events to keep the spirit flowing. We are actively exploring ways to incorporate Open Space principles between actual Open Space events. 

 One idea we are considering is an ongoing or "rolling" Open Space. We will establish a routine place and time so everyone will know the opportunity exists. Sessions will be proposed by interested conveners a day ahead of the established time, using both virtual (e-mail) and real (physical wall) marketplaces. Those interested can then meet face-to-face for the session. Another idea we are pursuing is network software that enables asynchronous discussions that can transcend both place and time. (A listserv is a simple way to do this, but there are much more effective technological options. An excellent compendium of the choices and 
respective advantages is available on the Web at http://union.ncsa.uiuc.edu/HyperNews/get/www/coUab/conferencing.html. ) 

 We don't expect these alternatives to be as effective as an actual Open Space event. However, we do expect them to be a good adjunct to extend its power. We are not looking for the one tool that works in every situation, but rather a well-stocked tool kit from which we can select the most appropriate tool for the particular context. 

 Many organizations are recognizing that work must be more than trading some hours for some dollars. This is true for the health and well-being of both the organization and the individual. To get the inspired performance necessary to be effective in today's world, people must find meaningful participation in their work. Open Space is a powerful model and method to allow people to be more fully engaged in their work. 
 

Richard Henry is Dean of Institutional Technology at Pierce College. He is especially interested in the role of community in effective learning, and how technology can be employed to enhance both community and learning. He can be reached at 206-964-6434 or 
rhenry@pierce.ctc.edu