Hello Laurel, I have often wondered how OS could work as an evaluation tool, but have not used it in that way. For this reason I enjoyed your description of the session you described in your recent posting. Could you provide a little more detail? I am curious as to how much time you had and how many discussion sessions. Was it all done within the normal one or two hour class time?
I would also like to hear from others who have used OST for evaluation, and to give it a try myself soon. Many thanks, Susan Lilley 7 Canterbury Place Dartmouth NS B2Y 4J5 Tel: (902) 463-1837 Fax: (902) 469-0833 http://www.chebucto.ns.ca/~LilleyS/Profile.html "Doersam, Laurel" wrote: > I've done a program evaluation in Open Space with MA students in Leadership > and Training at Royal Roads University in Victoria. It was an amazing > experience, and the students took to the process like ducks to water. In > fact, I've been chatting with several who intend to use OST as a > data-collection vehicle for their research projects. I've directed them to > this listserve, so hopefully one of them will jump in to this discussion. . > . (Caroline, are you lurking???). Having recently graduated from the MA > (Leadership and Training) program at Royal Roads myself, it seemed like such > a natural fit that I contacted the university as soon as I got home from the > facilitators' training last spring. I believe that the iterative process > you describe would be ideally suited to adult leadership students in > creating their learning community. In Open Space the community would grow > organically and NOT require any of the manipulative fertilizer that the > instruction team seemed to feel was necessary to encourage the growth of our > learning community. > > Having said all that, I have another story to relate that ties in with > Birgitt's concerns. One of the faculty decided that since Open Space was > making an appearance at the university, she ought to learn the process. She > found a description of the process on the 'net and set about to do an "Open > Space" prior to the evaluation that I facilitated. I don't know the details > of what transpired, except that I was warned when I came to do the > evaluation that one of the classes had had a "bad experience" with a > "disastrous Open Space". (Something was muttered about one of the first > nations students in the class being deeply offended by the explanation of > the process and all hell broke loose - but I wasn't able to glean all the > details of what offended the student or why or what "disasterous" meant.) > Basically, I surmised that the facilitator had a very rudimentary > understanding of the Open Space process . . . my assumption is that the > facilitation was very heavy-handed with lots of intervention. > > I entered a milieu where people felt very guarded about the process itself - > so cautious, in fact, that the assistant director of the leadership program > insisted that I cancel the Open Space for the class in question and use an > different facilitation method. However, I did do an Open Space event (using > the theme "How could the MA (Leadership and Training) program be an even > richer learning experience?") with the other class (one which had never > experienced anything called "Open Space Technology"). The assistant > director attended the event and was astonished with the quantity and quality > of evaluation data collected, by the excitement of the participants, by the > energy and synergy in the room - and as puzzled as I was about what on earth > could have happened with the other class. So, I've already experienced > Birgitt's scenario of having the OST process defamed by faulty facilitation > and/or a poor understanding of the process. > > I agree with Birgitt that it would be nice for clients to have some way to > check on the credibility of their facilitator - but sometimes the > facilitator is a (trusted) internal dilettante (or, to use Birgitt's > analogy, a chef who improvises a recipe using whatever ingredients are > cheap, readily available or come to mind, but calls it "Lindy's cheesecake" > and sets up an expectation of a rich, creamy, delectable, cherry-topped > delight). However, once the damage is done and the credibility of the OST > process is undermined, it is very difficult to undo. I'm certain that if > the arrangements had not already been made (and announced) that I would be > leading the evaluation process in an OST format, BOTH OST sessions would > have been cancelled. As it was, the credibility of the process was > restored (I hope!!) by "Opening good Space" with the second class. > > I think that Peggy's comment about mentorship and lineage might be something > to explore more deeply. (Even in the cooking world, don't master chefs > often cite their professional lineage? Trained at such-and-such an amazing > restaurant, under the tutelage of so-and-so, a famous chef?) Certification, > with all the attendant difficulties and bureaucracy, certainly seems > dissonant with the spirit of Open Space. However, even if a certification > program WERE to exist, someone hiring a facilitator ought to do their due > diligence anyway by contacting professional references. > > I agree that this listserve is a phenomenal learning instrument!! > > Laurel. > > Laurel Doersam > Human Resource Consultant (Employee Wellness) > Capital Health Region > Victoria BC > * * ========================================================== osl...@listserv.boisestate.edu To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options, view the archives of osl...@listserv.boisestate.edu Visit: http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html =========================================================== osl...@egroups.com To subscribe, 1. Visit: http://www.egroups.com/group/oslist 2. Sign up -- provide an email address, and choose a login ID and password 3. Click on "Subscribe" and follow the instructions To unsubscribe, change your options, view the archives of osl...@egroups.com: 1. Visit: http://www.egroups.com/group/oslist 2. Sign in and Proceed