At 02:15 PM 5/8/2002 +0000, Ralph C. wrote:
Yes.
I can't believe it -- I am in total agreement. AND Ralph is the Soul of brevity. Would that I could learn to be the same.
> 3. In a large, global organization where even one functional group (like > R&D) might be thousands dispersed across the world, can OST be done > effectively in a virtual setting? Does the magical collaborative energy > get generated under those kinds of virtual circumstances? You can have a virtual meeting, and it might achieve its objectives, and it'll open space on some levels, I suppose, but it won't be the same. Not even close. An alternative is to have a series of local OS gatherings and link them up.
I still agree with Ralph (unbelievable) -- and also I suggest that Paqul take a look at what is being done (to be done) "at" the VOSONOS -- advertized here on the web. After all the InterNet is the biggest Open Space going -- as we all know.
> Also, how do you > replace the 1, 2 or 3 day offsite meeting with a virtual meeting that might > have to stretch out over some extended time. I mention this because > telling management that people need to stop working and start travelling > and hotelling might present a big barrier to adoption in the real world I > am seeking to do good work in. I want to give you a bit of an argument here. Who says anybody is going to stop working just because we ask them to gather and think about their collective future? That's work as far as I'm concerned. Since when is work only the thing I'm doing now? (And since when has life in a global corporation ever been the "real world"?) When managers and such genuinely care about outcomes, growth, people, and rich, challenging futures, they don't worry about expense accounts. Don't sell the process. Sell the results. Go open some space. Remember to pick up the coffee cups. Best of luck!
I still agree with Ralph -- especially about the argument. Abstractly considered, 2 and 1/2 days sounds like a long time. But if you put all this in some sort of a context -- like designing a new product for example -- 2 and 1/2 days from concept to delivery is mind boggling light speed. Especially when prior experience says that anything less than 6 months is a "short time." So for sure, sell the results, not the process and then the whole question of time seems to fall into place. Harrison
Harrison Owen
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