I was first formally introduced to open space in June 1995 when I participated in an Open Space training session with Harrison Owen.  I was completing an Administrative Internship with Birgitt Bolton as a requirement for my Master’s degree. She suggested that my experience would not be complete without learning about Open Space. 

I have worked in management and leadership roles in health care since 1981 and worked hard to learn different management theories.  None of them resonated with me at all…Theory X and Theory Y, Management by Objectives etc.  However, I diligently tried to apply the principles that I had learned in my management studies. 

I started working on my Master’s Degree in Community Health Nursing in 1992.  At this time I was introduced to nursing theorists like Rogers and Watson.  These theorists from the simultaneity paradigm integrated principles of quantum physics into the essence of nursing.  The holistic approach to viewing the world and the notion of evolution to a higher level of being connected with my values and beliefs.  However, each of these theories related to individual practice, and did not speak of management and leadership.  I felt that there must be something like quantum physics that applied to leading organizations.  A wise professor in my program referred me to Margaret Wheatley’s book Leadership and the New Science.  Again another puzzle piece fell into place.  In the midst of this, I took the Open Space Training course with Harrison Owen, and my brain exploded with the possibilities of Open Space.  Finally, I found a theory that resonated with my being.  As a novice practitioner, I wondered how I could make this happen in my workplace.  I had the opportunity to practice in real life situations shortly after taking the course.  My mentor, Birgitt Bolton, was hosting an open space to develop a Community Health Center for the urban core of a Southwestern Ontario city. 

The outcome of this project has been shared with the Open Space Community.   However, in my role as Administrative Intern, Birgitt asked me to facilitate in Open Space the first meeting of the Steering Committee for the Community Center.  My inaugural facilitation was done on my own (Birgitt was on the other side of the continent, no less) with an eclectic group of persons, some quite hostile to Open Space.  To say I was nervous was an understatement. 

I opened the space and before I got far into the session, the naysayers started.  “I don’t think this Open Space stuff is going to work for this meeting.  We have important issues that we must discuss.”   I had a sinking feeling in my heart that I might be the facilitator of the first unsuccessful Open Space meeting.  With all of the authority I could muster, I stated that if we honored process, that the important issues would be discussed. The naysayers were encouraged to put their ideas forward for posting on the bulletin board.  Anyone who thought that the topics were important would participate in discussion. I stayed firm on enabling everyone present to put an issue or opportunity forward and continued.  Despite great resistance, participants were invited to put their issues on paper, stand and announce them, and post them on the bulletin board.  At the end, there were 13 key issues or opportunities with some conflicting times.  The group questioned whether they could alter the time frames.  They were advised that they could negotiate the times as they saw fit among them and I left the room.  I wandered outside the meeting area and held the space with all of the energy I could muster.  The group… consumers of health services, providers, bureaucrats… negotiated a way to address all the issues as a single group within the time frame.  The discussion was energetic and the reports were rich. 

At the end of the session as the talking stick was passed, the most vocal opponents to the process stated that they could not believe how successful the Open Space process was and that it truly was adaptable to the needs of the group.  Everyone stated that they felt they had an opportunity to be heard and the group left with direction and vision to move the Community Health Center forward. 

For myself, while I feared that that I might fail as the meeting was launched, I learned that if I honored the principles of Open Space, I could not go wrong.  My persistence was rewarded as I saw the disempowered consumer of health services have equal voice with a powerful provider with great influence on community health care.  I saw the bureaucrat listen authentically to the new immigrant describing the needs of her community.  Any measure of doubt that I had about the potential of Open Space was erased.  As an aside, the Steering Committee achieved its goal and the health center met its proposed deadlines to be incorporated, elect a Board of Directors and start providing services. 

While the Steering Committee may have achieved its objective without Open Space, I believe the issues that were uncovered in the single four-hour session would have taken many meetings to address.  I am quite certain that it would have taken a long time for the new immigrant, whose first language was not English, to bring issues forward in a traditional meeting setting where the vocal bureaucrats would have controlled the agenda. I learned the importance of holding steady and firmly to what has heart and meaning and what I believe in.  Even if you do not do everything right, the process takes care of itself.  The principles of Open Space have put a framework and words to the concepts that I have had for many years about leadership and management. 

Encouraged by my new learning, I hurried back to my place of work to apply the theories in daily life.  However, I learned that the truth that evolves from Open Space is not necessarily viewed as positive.  While many employers talk the value of self-empowered employees and self-directed work teams, when employees believe the talk and then start walking the talk, the persons “in charge” may react negatively to the “loss of control”.   My continuing challenge has been in applying the principles of Open Space in daily management.  However, this is for another story.