Jack and Others in this conversation. Here are some of my thoughts. In the work and training I do, I make a substantial differentiation between Open Space Technology and Open Space. I think OST is a particular technology for navigating in Open Space - which was discovered by Harrison and has its own bells and whistles and rituals. When I use that approach I call it OST. Open Space (without the word Technology), as Harrison said, is the nature of the Universe. It can be "evoked" by asking a simple question or using a variety of technologies. I have led a number of processes with learning from OST that I do not call OST or OS2.0. So focusing on changing the "technology" to 2.0 or 3.0 or whatever when opening space does not change the basic insight about OST for me. Engaging consciously and skilfully with self-organization processes to enable breakthrough results at a high level (including but beyond the instrumental level) is great fun and I find that OST does it for many. Whole system change/projects in complex environments: With colleagues, we have been integrating OST or other forms of events with OS in a variety of change projects in organizations. Most times it enables the relationships and collective awareness to accelerate projects. Depending on the skills and experience of the folks involved, sometimes they want and likely need help in how to take ideas and move them into successful change projects. Sometimes, the group has the skills and experience to do that. I've used the Principles and Law of OST for other kinds of processes, like the fishbowl, with other "technologies". I think there are other processes like AI, fishbowl, etc that open some space for self-organization. I've not found anything that leads to the same level of breakthrough as OST as I understand it. I have found clients - more these days, who sole focus is scientific results and processes who want to make OST less "ritualized" and more in keeping with their own culture which is often anti-religious (that culture is what is and fine with me). They sometimes see OST having too many features of what they call "religion" or "spirituality" or "kum by ya" culture. However, if they loose the deeper possibilities with OST then they loose out (from my perspective). Unless, all they want is the instrumental outcome they are seeking. OST becomes one of the tricks in the trick bag for a number of folks. Recently, I Opened the Space with an international IT association board that included one person from one of the big (really big) IT businesses. After a substantial two day OST experience - which led to higher performance than he could believe - he said he had never experienced Open Space like this. It had only been an interesting way to generate an agenda and get people into groups with flip charts. Never had it resulted in the kind of dynamic emergence of leadership that moved far beyond the meetings and time frames - the principles and law did give permission to get way beyond the agenda created at the wall and do what was necessary and critical for the board. (I recently reported on a group of 150 that did much of the same.) It is fun when that happens! Larry Larry Peterson Associates in Transformation Toronto, ON, Canada 416.653.4829 <mailto:la...@spiritedorg.com> la...@spiritedorg.com <http://www.spiritedorg.com> www.spiritedorg.com
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