OPEN SPACE TECHNOLOGY 
Open Space Basics 
Enabling Organizations and the Individuals within them to Recognize and Achieve their Full Potential 

The organizational management tool of the 21st century, Open Space Technology enables organizations to become simpler, high achieving, high learning, and highly playful.  Developed with simplicity in mind, while adhering to clear principles and values, Open Space is a powerful tool for creating an environment for innovation, problem solving, creativity, and rapid change, better utilize your workforce, inspire growth in organizational performance, and getting the chaos in your organization working for you rather than against you.  Experience the impact and power of Open Space Technology for yourself. 

Open Space Events Are: 

    - easy to organize, requiring very little lead time 
    - effective for small or large groups (20-500) 
    - interactive 
    - conducive for leadership to surface naturally 
    - effective for existing organizations, coalitions, associations, or those that are newly formed 
    - facilitated by only one or two facilitators, no matter how large the group 
    - less expensive and less complicated than other large group methodologies 
     
Open Space is Appropriate When: 
    - an existing organization needs reenergizing 
    - creative planning needs to be done quickly 
    - an organization faces challenges that require immediate action 
    - communication needs to improve 
    - a wide variety of issues need to be dealt with 
    - opportunities for the future need to be explored 
    - an organization is in its embryonic stage, to enable it to develop its vision and structure quickly 
    - individual interests within a group appear to be quite diverse
Open Space is Not Appropriate When: 
    - specific outcomes are pre-determined 
    - 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 and develop practical visions 
    - rekindle the passion for your job 
    - take responsibility for your own changes of agenda 
    - self organize with others in work teams 
    - develop greater awareness of yourself, others, and the organization 
    - flow with the energy of the moment, and with team spirit, for maximum creativity
 

Meeting the needs of your organization may require a one, two, or three-day meeting.  A one-day meeting will raise issues and opportunities and make ownership of change possible.  A three-day meeting will identify priorities, focus participants around those priorities, and develop further steps for action. 

Multi-site meetings linked via the Internet mean that several locations can meet simultaneously with one facilitator at each location, and interact with each other’s meetings.  This is a particularly effective means of strategic planning during corporate mergers. 

Leveraging from an open space meeting to an open space management/leadership style quickly brings an organization to being a high learning, highly interactive organization that can position itself well for the future in a very competitive marketplace. 

Who Attends? 

    Planners decide who is to be invited to participate, with the general rule of thumb being the greater diversity of stakeholders, the better.  Members of every level of an organization should be present. 
     
What is Required? 
    One large plenary room with a large blank wall which can be taped onto, and in which the chairs may be arranged in a circle or concentric circles.  The number of breakout spaces depends on registration.  Arrangements for refreshments and meals throughout the day.  A public address system with a cordless microphone, one computer per twenty participants, and a printer.  Paper, pens, flipchart paper, masking tape, and magic markers.  The consultant will supply report sheets if they are being used. 
     
What does the Consultant do? 
    The consultant helps the leadership team clarify the purpose of the event, explores the company’s story and its needs to verify whether an Open Space event is the most appropriate, and ensures that all the steps needed before the event are looked after.  Naturally, the consultant facilitates the event itself.  Afterwards, the consultant works with the leadership team about leveraging from the opportunities presented at the event, and can provide information about the opportunity to manage the organization in an ongoing Open Space style to see them into the future. 
     
What Concrete Information do we get out of it? 
     A format is laid out for every discussion group to record its findings, and the recorder inputs the report into a computer.  The consultant organizes, indexes, and assures one printer ready copy of the “book of proceedings” with reports from each group, as well as other pages the planning committee have agreed upon (such as a covering letter).  In a three-day event the book is printed during the second night for distribution on the third morning, whereas in a one or two day event the book is to be in the participants’ hands within two weeks.  Criteria for prioritization, feasibility, and actionable forward steps may be included in the report. 
     
 Far more important and far-reaching, however, is the change, which takes place in the minds of the participants, who emerge from the event as ambassadors for the change within the organization. 

Dalar Associates/Change Team Canada 
55 Ravina Crescent            Suite 10, 1726 - 12 Ave. SW. 
Ancaster, Ontario                Calgary, Alberta 
Canada, L9G 2E8                                         Canada, T3C 0R4 
Phone: (905) 648-5775                                Phone:  (403) 244-0281 
Fax:     (905) 648-2262 
E-mail: Birgitt Bolton  
 
 
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