What is an Open Space Technology meeting?
 

Open Space Technology is a meeting methodology  that  helps individuals and groups become  more effective in work  environments that are rapidly and constantly changing  by developing their skills as lifelong learners and collaborative problem solvers. It creates the conditions so that the maximum potential of the individual and the organization to be realized.  Open Space Technology captures  the knowledge, experience  and innovation in the organization that is not captured through less open processes. 

What are the benefits of using Open Space Technology? 

• Breakthrough learning
• Appropriate structure
• Genuine community
• Spirited performance
• Playful involvement 
• High efficiency
• High productivity
• Shared leadership
• Growth from within
• Elimination of barriers to doing a job quickly with excellence and pride

What is Open Space Technology best used for?

Almost any business issue including strategic direction setting, envisioning the future, identifying the issues and opportunities to realize the desired future, conflict resolution, morale building, organizational transformation to a high performing and high learning organization.

When is Open Space Technology the best meeting format to use?

Any organizational situation in which there is:
• A real issue of concern
• Diversity of players
• Complexity of elements
• Presence of passion (conflict is an element of passion)
• Decision time is now

To learn more about whether Open Space Technology is what you would like to use for your organization

1. 1. Review some of  the  articles about  the use of Open Space around the world. These can be found on the website that is currently under construction for the Global Open Space Institute at geocities.com/Athens/Oracle  (note that this is the location of the site until initial construction is completed at which time it will be located at www.tmn.com/openspace replacing the site that is currently there. I refer you to the one under construction because it has over 200 articles and is content rich). 
2. 2. Go through Harrison Owen’s Open Space Technology, A User’s Guide (Berrett-Koehler, 1997) to give you some insight into the basic principles of  Open Space and how it has worked in a number of settings.
3. 3. Read the appendices attached to this document. They have been carefully selected from the available materials to give you a quick overview of why large systems interventions are critical as the means for achieving organizational change in these times; description of Open Space Technology; and selected articles giving you examples of the successful use of Open Space Technology.
4. 4. Determine whether Open Space is appropriate.  (Consider Critical Success Factors 1 and 2.)
5. 5. Create the conditions for success (Plan  your strategy for meeting  Critical Success Factors 3-10)

10 CRITICAL SUCCESS FACTORS for Using Open Space Technology:

(developed by Diane Blair, Manager of Meta Learning, Bank of Montreal, Institute for Learning. Diane developed this for circulation at the Bank, where Open Space Technology has been used both at senior levels and across entire divisions. Diane has put this together with a large organization in mind. As well as her role at the Bank, Diane is an active member of the Open Space Institute of Canada. Diane can be reached at dblair@ifl.bmo.ca)

1.  OUTCOMES:  Do you have pre-set outcomes for your  meeting ? 
 

If you  already have an agenda that  must be addressed or  an issue with a solution  already  in  mind,  Open Space is not the approach to use;  choose a structured process  that will best  get you  to  those goals.   Open Space is an opportunity  to get at  what’s  really  important about a particular topic  for those who  are already “passionate” about it and are committed to doing something about it.
* An Open Space meeting should declare issues and opportunities and  should NOT pre-determine  outcomes.
  * Choose only the topic and create the “space .   Let the participants create the outcomes.

 Traditional meetings tend to focus on  transferring knowledge:  they begin by teaching content, usually by educating participants  about a particular vision and understanding the rationale behind  it,  then motivating them to help make it happen.    Open Space  meetings focus on  leveraging  knowledge:  they begin  with what people are already “passionate”  about  and  provide  space  to capture the  passion  and  take  responsibility for doing something about it.  The  effectiveness of  Open Space  depends on engaging the right people:  an Open Space invitation  is open  to anyone who has a passion  about  the issue and challenges them to take responsibility by sharing that passion.  Hints:
• Avoid limiting your  invitation list by  position or role,  invite  the right community  of  interest  for  the topic. 
• The invitation should include:  a brief explanation of the  issue; the question that will be addressed; a clear message that  the  meeting is only  for  individuals  who have a passion about this issue and  a willingness to take responsibility.  ( Note: you can still set a limit on the total number of participants,  in fact,  this  often heightens the enthusiasm and commitment to attend. )

3. EXPECTATIONS:  How focused  is your issue? How much time can be allocated?
 

a)    The more focused the question or  topic  the more  tangible the outcomes.  A broad topic, such as “What are the challenges and opportunities to enhance  our  productivity? “  will attract a very broad collection of  issues and could take several days of discussions before  common understandings begin  to emerge. Where as, a more focused question, such as, “What are the challenges and opportunities to enhance  customer service scores of our  flagship in the next 12 months?”  will  attract a much  more specific audience and a more specific set of  concerns. 
 *  If  the intent is simply a  sharing meeting or “idea gathering,"  the topic question can be very  broad in scope 
 *  If more  specific solutions are desired,  make the topic question  more focused and allow more time to come to a deeper understanding and to solutions.

b)  The longer  the Open Space the greater  the discussion  and more focused the  resolutions.   Open Space is a learning process.   Discovering, reflecting and resolving issues needs time.   The general rule is:  One day of Open  Space produces good conversation; Two  days - common understanding;   Three days -Tangible results ...issue resolution, emerging leadership and action planning.    However,  to some degree,  groups can achieve  more tangible results in less time by focusing  on a more specific topic and  ensuring the stakeholders or hosts of the Open Space are well prepared (see Stakeholders).

• Plan on the  appropriate number of days to match your expectations for results.
• When time is short,  narrow the scope of your  topic to match the outcomes you expect OR  break the issue into several  meetings and  tackle it in stages.   (E.g. The first stage could be a small Open Space for the leaders or champions of the issue.  The “Small Space” could focus on the issue with respect to the challenges and opportunities for leadership) 

4.  THE “RIGHT” QUESTION:   How well does your  topic match your  target audience? 
 

 It clearly doesn’t make much sense to bring people  from all over the Bank to discuss  how to improve customer service scores  for one flagship in Alberta.  Similarly,  it would be just as  inappropriate to invite  only sales representatives  to address how to  improve product-to-market time  for the Bank’s new financial products.    Successful Open Space meetings  tailor the topic to the target audience OR engage  the right audience for the topic.
  *Ensure you include any group that may have a potential  interest in your  topic OR
  *Size the issue  to suit the audience you are serving. 

 5. STAKEHOLDERS:   Who are the leaders and are they  prepared to lead differently?
 

 If Open Space is to be more than a “brainstorming” session,   participants must have the “space” to take responsibility for the issues they are passionate about both during open space and after.  In any  organization,  most issues  will  involve  more than one stake holder group.  Each of  these stakeholders has its own leaders and change agents  that play key roles in getting things done.   Tapping the potential of all participants in an Open Space cannot be achieved with out  leaders who both understand  the issues and are committed to  using an Open Space approach to address them.   The messages leaders send about the issue and the process can  greatly support or inhibit Open Space results, even when they say nothing at all!  A successful Open Space has  leaders who are able to create the space for  shared leadership to emerge (out of passion + responsibility),  recognize it and support it. 
Successful Open Space leaders not only agree to Open Space as a meeting process,  they  are committed to the topic and to resolving it  as a shared responsibility, including giving  up control of  the agenda  to get there!
• Prepare Stakeholders by involving them in a small Open Space to plan  future Open Spaces
• Ensure you have the  understanding and commitment of each leader with an interest in  the issue  and its outcomes. 
• Reinforce  this commitment  in all your  communications.
• name each of the stakeholders  on the invitation as hosts for the Open Space.
• have stakeholders set parameters around  the issue (see Parameters)

 
 6. CRITICAL MASS:  Do you have enough “critical mass”  for this  issue to   move  forward ?
 

 While it is possible, its a lot tougher and a lot slower for one person to go back to work as the only  supporter of a new idea or approach to  a problem.   When two people work in the same area, or  can impact  different aspects of the same division or department,  they can not only   support each other  better,  they are more likely to create  a   ripple effect that’s large enough for others to  notice. 
  * Focus the open space target audience so that  participants are more likely  to establish 
   connections  they can draw on after the Open Space.

 Despite popular opinion,  having “no parameters”  around an issue does not necessarily  mean more freedom.  In fact, Open Space parameters are not limitations at all, they can be the key to unlocking  some of the old barriers that  keep  people from taking responsibility for their good ideas.   Setting parameters is a very tangible way for the leadership to reinforce their support for an issue and their confidence in their staff in resolving it.
  *Some parameters to consider....
 
• Budget  - any project within $X
• Schedule - any project within  Y time
• Structure -any project within the domain of the division,/region,/department)
• Bus. Plan - any project within  the  vision, mission, objectives or, supports our current business plan  priorities
• Other...  - commitment to discuss any  proposal for this issue outside these 
 

Open Space invariably  produces innovations that don’t always fit with the current way of doing things...How can I best create the “space” for participants  to move forward with their issues in the daily  work?   Consider:
• Identifying  Mentors? 
• Adopt an executive? 
• Other open space  forums?  Or mini-forums?
• Adopting open space principles in regular meetings
• Building outcomes into personal and business plans

9.  COMMUNICATION:  Keep up the communication.
 

In Open Space, even though the meeting comes to an end the issues continue to evolve.  The on-going learning and discovery are  important benefits that  need to be nurtured. 
• Create opportunities for sharing stories and discussing new issues and concerns.
• There is no one answer to the most appropriate way to keep the learning alive.   Any approach is best supported by helping  key leaders understand the importance of  encouraging ongoing, informal links and being prepared to support opportunities as they emerge.

 By having the freedom and capacity to think about  issues differently and work differently, opportunities will emerge in different ways and at different times.  Some issues will take shape and be ready to  happen right away , others  may percolate for even a year or two before  taking shape.  Still others may never take a concrete form but will impact the way groups begin to think and work together in many ways.  The impact of Open Space is best measured with a long term approach that can take into account the on-going learning and activity generated by the Open Space.
*Create a means of assessing where your ideas and new competencies are coming from.  How can you increase these opportunities?  Can open space techniques help in other ways?

Other Helpful hints...

Preparing Stakeholders: 

If Open Space is new to the audience, it is important to prepare them to be successful.  Hold a Small Open Space to introduce  the technology and  to help the stakeholders discover how they can best provide support. Focus the small space on the role of leadership in moving forward with the issue.

Participation:

When possible, all stake holders should  actively participate  in the Open Space meeting.  Open Space is a  much  more powerful learning tool and change agent when  it is truly a “round-table” meeting  where the whole community is represented and all idea and concerns are valued equally. 

Facilitation:

If you are a stakeholder you should plan on participating in the open space rather than facilitating.  It is generally advantageous to have an objective facilitator so you can focus on  the  issue and they can focus entirely on the process and on coaching  the  stakeholders without bias. 

Note: above section reproduced with permission; Diane Blair, Bank of Montreal, 1997
 
 

Open Space Technology was originally created to enable better meetings and to capture the potential of individuals and the organization. Over the last five years, as well as being used for meetings, it has been used as an ongoing way of organizational life with great success. The “givens” or “non-negotiables” in the organization need to be well attended to and clearly understood throughout the organization and not just by a few people at the top. Givens are to be authentic and kept to a minimum. The givens provide the boundary within which there is room for innovation, creativity, spirit, high play, genuine ongoing community. The formal leadership in the organization “holds the space” or ensures the conditions continue for this means of staying highly productive, highly creative, and inspired. If this is what you would like to create in your organization, you will create a leading edge organization that is able to maximize the potential of all involved and to ensure that the organization sustains itself as a learning organization. This cannot be achieved if there is a high desire to “control” the organization. In today’s times, we know that control does not achieve the type of organization that is leading edge, on the forefront for success in the world. The role of the senior leader in the organization is the critical role in seeing the organization through the transformation to operating in this highly spirited way. There is a great deal of resistance to the transformation which Harrison Owen calls “freedom shock”. No other large organization has yet made the decision to become an ongoing open space organization, although many large organizations use Open Space Technology to do critical components of their business. A number of small organizations (up to 100 employees) are operating in ongoing open space with successes that are greater than their original aspirations. Interestingly, all leaders who have taken the risk to try operating in a different way have been women. The risk is high; the payoff is high; but it does require a totally different way of managing than our business schools have taught us. The role of the external consultant/facilitator is to develop the plan for implementation; to focus on executive coaching with the formal leader; to train the internal organizational development team and senior management in leading open space events and in managing the open space organization; and to conduct the initial open space meetings. Total external consultant time is about 40 days. Beyond that, the senior staff and organizational development team can continue with both developing the new organization and creating the conditions to sustain it at peak performance.

Birgitt Bolton
Dalar Associates/Change Team Canada
55 Ravina Cres., Ancaster, Ontario, Canada L9G 2E8
phone: 905-648-5775    fax: 905-648-2262