OPEN SPACE TECHNOLOGY
BASICS FOR ORGANIZING AN OPEN SPACE EVENT

E-mail:  Birgitt Bolton 

Open Space Events Are: 

    - Easy to organize, requiring very little lead time 
    - Effective for small (i.e.: 20) or large (i.e.: 500) groups 
    - Participative 
    - Enabling for leadership to surface naturally 
    - Effective for newly formed or existing organizations, coalitions, associations 
    - Facilitated by only one or two consultants, no matter how large the group (usually only one facilitator is required, but sometimes a team approach is advisable) 
    - Less expensive and less complicated than other large group methodologies
When is Open Space Appropriate? 
    - When an existing organization needs reenergizing 
    - When creative planning needs to be done quickly 
    - When an organization faces challenges that require immediate action 
    - When communication needs to improve 
    - When a wide variety of issues need to be dealt with 
    - When opportunities for the future need to be explored and then moved into action 
    - When an organization is in an embryo stage, to enable it to develop its vision and structure quickly 
    - When individual interests within a group appear to be quite diverse 
     
When is Open Space Not Appropriate? 
    - When specific outcomes are pre-determined 
    - When existing leadership is not willing to make changes as a result of an event 
     
In an Open Space Meeting You will Discover How To: 
    - Take risks 
    - Develop practical visions 
    - Rekindle your passion and take responsibility for your own agenda 
    - Self organize with others in work teams 
    - Develop an awareness of yourself, others, and the organization 
    - Flow with the energy of the moment, with the spirit of team, for maximum creativity Options to Meet Your Needs: 
    - Meeting the needs of your organization may require a one, two, or three-day meeting.  A one-day meeting will raise the issues and opportunities and make possible ownership for change.  A three day meeting is the ideal if the organization wishes to identify priorities, focus participants around those priorities, and develop further steps for action 
    - Multi-site meetings linked via Internet mean that several locations of an international organization can 
    meet simultaneously with one facilitator at each location, enabling interactivity with each different location. 
     This is also an effective means of strategic planning during corporate mergers (i.e.: hospitals in the same 
    community merging as one corporation). 
    - Leveraging from the Open Space meeting to an Open Space Management/ Leadership style quickly 
    bringsan organization that can position itself well for the future in a very competitive marketplace.
Role of the Consultant: 
    - With the planning or leadership team to determine the purpose of the intervention.  Often clarity of the 
    purpose is the most challenging part of the event for the organization 
    - Exploring the story of the organization – past, present, and future 
    - With the planning/ leadership team to determine whether Open Space is the appropriate intervention 
    - In an advisory capacity to ensure that all of the steps that are needed before the event are looked after 
    - To facilitate the event 
    - To advise the leadership team about the possibilities/opportunities for managing the organization in 
    ongoing Open Space as a management style to see them into their future.  To advise the leadership team 
    about harvesting from the opportunities presented at the Open Space event
Before the Event: 
    - Participants for the event are to be invited, attendance is voluntary.  Planners decide who is to be invited, using a rule of thumb that the greater the diversity of stakeholders, the better.  The planners prepare and 
    distribute the invitations, handle the RSVP’s and if desired do follow up phone calls to encourage attendance 
    - The planners arrange for any other kind of publicity (brochures, posters, media) 
    - A site needs to be arranged by the planners
The Site: 
    - One large plenary room, where the chairs can be arranged in a circle or concentric circles (no tables) 
    - Plenary room needs one large blank wall that can be taped onto 
    - P.A. system with cordless microphone for plenary room 
    - Breakout spaces (number varying depending upon registration) 
    - Arrangements for refreshments and meals available throughout the day, because there are usually no 
    formal breaks
Supplies: 
    - Flip chart paper, masking tape, magic markers 
    - Lined and plain paper and pens, incase they are needed 
    - Report back sheets (supplied by the consultant if they are used) 
    - One computer per twenty participants, one printer
Reports: 
    - Every discussion group is responsible to record its findings as per format that is laid out 
    - The recorder inputs the report into a computer 
    - The consultant organizes, indexes and ensures one printer ready copy of the “book of proceedings” 
    which is made up of all of the reports from the groups as well as other pages the planning committee 
    has agreed upon  (i.e.: covering letter) 
    - In a three day event, the book is printed during the second night for distribution on the third morning, 
     In a one or two day event, the book is to be in the hands of the participants within two weeks of the event
The Cost: 
    - This is the least expensive of all of the large group interventions 
    - Fee for one/two facilitators (in a multi-site event, fee for one facilitator per site) 
    - Invitations/printing of report/mailing 
    - Site/coffee etc./meals 
    - Rental of computers 
    - Supplies as listed
Birgitt Bolton 
 
 
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