Peggy Holman 
 

The creation of an Open Space Institute serves as a laboratory for learning how to embody, as well as extend, the practice of Open Space. 
 
Open Space Technology came into being in 1985. Since then, it has spawned several books and many training sessions and attracted several thousand practitioners throughout the world. All this has come about with the 
support of one person, Harrison Owen, and the help of a handful of close friends and colleagues. 

 The Open Space Institutes of the United States and Canada have been formed to sustain and build on what has come before. The people involved in forming the institutes began with a challenge: to mirror the essence 
of Open Space. Here I will share what I, as a cocreator of one of the Open Space Institutes, have learned about sustaining Open Space in a new venture. 

 Let me begin by inviting you to imagine what's possible: a community dedicated to nurturing the growth of human spirit in action; access to a global network that provides extensive knowledge, possibilities, experience, and mentoring; a home that is always open to you; a safe space to exercise your wildest ideas; an organization that holds many contradictions: unbridled energy and spirit coupled with support and safety, individual autonomy coupled with the alignment of a community working together. This is what we strive to attain as we invent our Open Space Institute. 

 I have drawn three basic lessons from our experience thus far. 
 
Lesson One.- Stay close to the essence, it keeps spirit and momentum alive. 

 Staying close to the intent that inspires us is vital. We find that every time we drift from what the institute means to each of us personally, our desire to invest any time or energy in making it happen dissipates. 

 Our early meetings on incorporation led to this discovery. As a person schooled in good meeting practices, I would prepare a full agenda, and we'd "slog" our way through, leaving everyone exhausted by the end of the 
session. There had to be a better way. So I let go of a pre-set agenda and asked, "What has real vitality and meaning for us?" Here is an excerpt from our reflections on that question: 
 
 Let us make the primary purpose of our time together the renewal of our spirit and commitment to what the Open Space institute is about. This is a time of restoring energy by focusing on our relationship to our purpose and to each other. 

 This has a variety of implications. It puts a great deal of responsibility on sub-teams to get things done. It means using a different vehicle for keeping everyone informed. (Our thought is to rely heavily on e-mail for this purpose.) It takes a leap of faith by each of us that things will get done. It also means trusting that those areas 
needing the whole group's attention will naturally emerge in our meetings because they are important to the people who are there. 
 
 The result? We are discovering that simple rituals of relationship provide the form to hold the spirit of the community. We begin every session with a check-in on what draws us here -what has heart and meaning 
for each of us right now. We end each session with a check-out- how we're feeling about the process and our progress. This has consistently led to conversations that not only cover more than we would have with a formal agenda but also leave each of us energized and with renewed connection to one another. 
 
Lesson Two: Pay attention to basic principles; they define the character of the organization. 

 Open Space Technology makes four principles and one law explicit. These principles, coupled with the intent or theme of the session, form the boundary conditions that give an Open Space event its organization. 
Stating them is part of the ritual of beginning an Open Space session: 

 Whoever comes are the right people. 

 Whatever happens is the only thing that could have. 

 When it starts is the right time 

 When it's over, it's over. 

 Follow the Law of Two Feet by taking responsibility for what you care about. If you are not contributing where you are, go somewhere else. 
 
 We are applying these principles to shape the Open Space Institute. In addition, we are applying other principles that are implicit in Open Space. They help us hold the space claimed by the institute across time 
and space. By naming them, we exist beyond the life of a single event: 

 Inclusion is our lifeblood. 

 Giving is our legacy. 

 "Less is more" is our work ethic. 

 Inclusion is our lifeblood. At the same time we were forming the Open Space Institute in Seattle, another group was forming the Open Space Institute of Canada. The seeds of competition were present as we compared 
notes on how differently we had approached our start-ups. Yet, as we talked, we found both parties had interest in answering many of the same questions: What did people want from the institute? How can we keep the Open Space community connected? How can we foster learning and research? How can we do a better job of training new facilitators? It became clear to us that starting with two affiliates was a blessing in disguise: there would never be a single "center." Our shared intent would guide what we do together and where one or the other would take the lead. 

 Giving is our legacy. The tradition of giving is at the heart of our founding. 

 Harrison Owen facilitated the growth of a population of approximately 3,000 practitioners of Open Space. This has been a lesson to us concerning the value of generosity of spirit. When people spoke of the role of the institute, many expressed the desire to pass on to others what they had learned, just as Owen had supported them in learning about the power and use of Open Space. 

 It was Harrison Owen who suggested the formation of the Open Space Institute. It is now his challenge to "let go of his baby." He has figuratively stepped from the center of the circle to join his colleagues on the perimeter. 

 "Less is more" is our work ethic. When the practice of Open Space began, early practitioners, used to elaborating on a good idea, wanted to embellish it. Owen would always caution, "Less is more. What can we take away and remain true to the spirit of what we are doing?" We strive to keep it simple by constantly reminding ourselves of the essence of whatever we do. 

 The genius of Open Space is that it puts no structure on the content; the form is entirely shaped by intent and principle. This is probably the most challenging part offorming the Open Space Institute because an institute implies stability and order. We seek to reinvent institute as an adaptive structure, a continually emerging community that expands itself through learning and action. 
 
Lesson Three. Someone has to "hold the space"; -otherwise, it's just another good idea before its time. 

 When an idea does not yet belong to everyone, it requires at least one person to keep investing time and energy. This includes doing the mundane tasks of setting meeting times and distributing meeting minutes to help those at a distance to stay connected to the conversation. Ultimately, if the idea is viable, others catch the spirit and activity starts happening in many places. 

 I have learned that while many think the idea of an Open Space Institute is a good one, only a few have an interest in creating and holding the space. If one or two of us were distracted, it is not clear that the institute would continue. Open Space teaches us that organizations run on passion and responsibility. How this moves from one to many is a lesson we are still learning. 
 
Peggy Holman is a cofounder of the Open Space Institute. She also worksfor Weyerhaeuser Company as a Quality Director, supporting communities of knowledge workers in changing the way they work. 
 
The Open Space Institutes provide access to training, research, publications, special events, and contact with others interested in Open Space. For more information, call 206-643-6357, e-mail osi@tmn.com, or 
visit http://www. tmn.com/openspace. Ifyou are in Canada, contact Larry Peterson at 416-653-4829, lpasoc@inforamp.net. 
 

THE ESSENCE OF THE OPEN SPACE INSTITUTE 
 

Our articles of incorporation describe the essence of the Open Space Institute: 

 We believe that inspired (inspirited) behavior can be an everyday experience and that humanity is limited largely by its perceptions of the possible. We intend to grow that sense of possibility and make it a reality by focusing on three fundamental areas:   * Expanding the learning and practice of self-organizing communities 

 * Understanding and integrating what sustains self-organizing communities   * Using Open Space principles in creating and sustaining the Open Space Institute