Dear Paul, I dont think I could "shortchange" participants. What I do think, however, is that there are "many ways of shortchanging os and the forces of selforganisation". Its probably not a good idea for me to espouse such statements and rather stick to my experience with 171 os-events of lengths from 4 hours to a full 2,5 days and processes with organisations using os from 3 to 10 years and all sizes (9 to 2108). Seems there is very little research on OST that would give us a clue on what length, size, etc. are especially adequate or even optimal. As often in life, it "depends". I have had sponsors approach me for doing a "little open space" within a larger multi-day conference or at the beginning or at the end. When talking to them the "little" expanded... even to the extent that a two-hour request turned into a three-day event, in the year after they had the idea of doing a "little" open space... they took my suggestion and had the participants use the two hours to sit comfortable, drink a glass of wine and exchange on the questions they wanted experts to answer the next day. In my practice, setting up an os-event, takes always the same time no matter how many foldk attend (it took 30 minutes with 2108 to post 232 issues and start meeting) or how long the os is. If you mean by "setting up" the arrangement of the large meeting space, the breakout sessions, the buffet, the newsroom etc., it usually takes several hours to a full day... but when the presssure is on, as it was in Sevilla for 300 folks, the os team, assisted by 20 hotel employess took down a conference style setting and set up an os-setting in 1,5 hours, probably a world record. Everything pertaining to the os-setting had been carefully prepared in separate rooms the night before (agenda wall, posters, title....)

From where I stand, I see that space is always open (sometimes only a tiny bit) and I certainly dont open it as facilitator. What I do, after the sponsor has "opened the event", I introduce to the OST process knowing that within that process, time and space do expand for selforganisation to do its stuff. By selforganisation I dont mean that people (or I) self-organise my day or work or life of future, I rather consider "the force of selforganisation" to be one of the basic forces in the universe active since time began... in "nature", societies, organisations, networks, cities, communities, everywhere. Its not something we can have more of or less of, its just there and active the same way as lets say earth magnetism but in a larger, all encompassing way.

Open Space Technology for social systems can not be too short or too long, it can be adequate for the purpose of the task of the social system... what that means in practice is the result of a planning phase several weeks or even a year before the event. I have also run into situations where the planning phase started four hours before the OST event, or took place in the afternoon of the day before the event... when things really burn, stuff gets done fast and usually quite well.

I see it as one of the challenges for facilitators to NOT accept two hours, or 4, or a full day but to get into an exchange with the sponsor on what would be adequate, that is the optimal time for what he is planning to to. And if it turns out to be more than the two hours available, point out the consequences to the sponsor or the planning group. They could schedule more time or rethink what they want to achieve with the possible result that OST is not what fits them.

Wishing you and everybody else a great weekend from Berlin, where
Spring, completely uncontrolled, is breaking out all over... the farmers say two weeks late, it will make the prize for asparagus and strawberries skyrocket and be grand for this years apple harvest...

mmp

On 12.04.2013 19:15, paul levy wrote:
Whilst I agree and resonate with the sentiment of "if only you had
longer than two hours", I don't agree that shorter open spaces "short
change" participants. And I am someone whose most wonderful OS
experience was at an Open Space that ran for four days!

So, here's an alternative perspective - one that distinguishes Open
Space Technology from Opening Space.

Opening Space can take one second and be vital and wonderful. When our
eyes meet a stranger and we smile - that can be opening space,
especially if we self-organise, taking or giving ourselves permission to
break with the "rule" of never smiling at strangers or the structure of
"always walking on by.

Open Space Technology takes a bit of time to set up, and therefore
longer is often suggested as better (though even Open Space Technology
can bet set up in a few minutes, rather than the 45 mins it is often
strung out to). Also quite a few open space fans see open space is so
good for the world, that any minutes not doing are a kind of terrible
shame. That distaste for structure is plain silly and a bit vain.

Opening Space lies beyond time, though it manifests for us on timelines
and in space. We can open space during five minutes for a life-changing
conversation. We can open space for two hours, or two days, or two decades.

Often less can be so much more - and this applies to number of minutes too.

Opening Space needs only permission to self-organise and the principles
of OST are great to enable that self-organisation.

So, for me, two hours is what it is, and it is potentially as powerful
as a lifetime. Two hours is not "not longer" - it is 120 gloriously
potential minutes.

Open Space for it and trust the community to make use of it. Out of it
might come some restlessness to open more space. Or not.

I believe it is a fallacy to equate open space as being always better if
longer. I'm not sure we have really begun to see how OST can embrace an
hour, though I've heard some inspiring stories. Moments of wow happen in
moments, and not always because they took place in hours of not wow.
They emerge. And they can emerge across a crowded room between two
strangers in a second, and change the whole universe, just as much as
they can emerge at an open space conference over 8 hours.

You have two hours and that is what you have! Open Space for two hours
and trust to what opening space can do with anything, anywhere, anytime.

warm wishes

Paul

On 12 Apr 2013 17:02, "Jeff Aitken" <r.jeff.ait...@gmail.com
<mailto:r.jeff.ait...@gmail.com>> wrote:

    Hi Chris,

    Last year at the height of the Occupy gatherings, we brought 130
    people together for a two hour evening. I did a 30 minute opening, we
    had two 30 minute sessions for 24 topics, and used the final 30
    minutes for report-backs from the convenors of the topics, focused on
    what ideas or plans they are taking 'out of the room'. It was a very
    high energy gathering. Of course we wish we devoted a day or more.

    Because of the size of the church hall and the fact that some
    breakouts were in another building, I felt ok about designing for two
    sessions instead of trying three. For example I noticed elders taking
    their time moving from place to place. However, if there were well
    over 30 topics I can see that would have been a spatial challenge to
    work with.

    Jeff

    On 4/12/13, chris grady <ch...@chrisgrady.org
    <mailto:ch...@chrisgrady.org>> wrote:
     > Dear Chris
     >
     > I recently did 200 doctors and patients in 3 hrs, and I'm about
    to do a
     > follow up with 300 in the same time !!
     > We offered stenographers roaving around the room to help with
    notetaking,
     > and whilst we had the Newsroom for effect we didn't push
    participants to
     > have to do their own writing up.  The challenge was to move them
    from the
     > circle to get started. I underplayed the time for merging
    sessions and
     > marketplace so we kept it moving.  The individual agenda sessions
    were set
     > at 2 timeslots of 45 minutes each with no break.  This was not
    ideal, and I
     > don't know how it will work with an extra 100 people in the room.
      Time
     > will tell.
     >
     > I am hoping the medics will like Open Space so much that they
    will realise
     > allowing it to breathe more will help
     > I didn't stint on the time for the opening circle - because I
    needed to
     > calm them after an hour of key note speeches which the medics
    insisted was
     > also needed.   They are reducing that front-end speaching this
    time round
     > having seen the effect of Open Space.
     >
     > Good luck
     > Cheers
     >
     > Chris
     >
     > Chris Grady
     > Chris Grady.Org
     >
     > Gothic House, High Road, Great Finborough, Suffolk IP14 3AQ
     > Tel: +44 1449 771007 <tel:%2B44%201449%20771007>,  Mob: +44 7713
    643971 <tel:%2B44%207713%20643971>
     > ch...@chrisgrady.org <mailto:ch...@chrisgrady.org>
     >
     > www.chrisgrady.org <http://www.chrisgrady.org>
     > Associates: Kath Burlinson <http://www.kathburlinson.co.uk/>, Tom
     > Atkins<http://www.tomatkins.co.uk/>
     > , Rajni Shah <http://www.rajnishah.com/> and Kate Reed (New York)
     > *CGO - Making Connections*
     >
     > *Current Projects/Contracts*:
     > Course Leader – MA Arts Management Anglia Ruskin University
     > International Licensing Consultant – Stage Entertainment NL
     > Industry Liaison (shared post) – Mountview Academy of Theatre
     > Associate - Wonderbird Ltd / Consultancy
     > In development - StoryMusic2020
     >
     > For more information on CGO Surgeries for theatremakers and emerging
     > artists
     > And for work using Open Space Technology go to www.chrisgrady.org
    <http://www.chrisgrady.org>
     >
     >
     >
     >
     > On Fri, Apr 12, 2013 at 9:23 AM, Chris Altmikus @ iDeA-Link <
     > chris.altmi...@idea-link.eu <mailto:chris.altmi...@idea-link.eu>>
    wrote:
     >
     >> Hello dear Open Space friends,
     >>
     >> I am preparing for a very short OS Session, 120 minutes ... with
    some
     >> 100+
     >> participants, french- and/or german-speaking.
     >>
     >> Any experience and guidance you may be willing to share on how
    to open &
     >> structure such a ... short ... space ? How crisp can I make the
    opening,
     >> which I will be doing in both German & French... What is the
    additional
     >> thing I can drop or leave doing ... ?
     >>
     >> Gratefully yours    +    Chris
     >>
     >> *Chris Altmikus*
     >>
     >> *Human Systems @ iDeA-Link*****
     >>
     >> *La Bovarde 37*****
     >>
     >> *1091 Grandvaux*****
     >>
     >> *Suisse*****
     >>
     >> ** **
     >>
     >> *+41 33 533 31 34 <tel:%2B41%2033%20533%2031%2034>*****
     >>
     >> *+41 78 935 31 34 <tel:%2B41%2078%20935%2031%2034>*****
     >>
     >> *chris.altmi...@idea-link.eu* <chris.altmi...@idea-link.eu>
     >>
     >>
     >> _______________________________________________
     >> OSList mailing list
     >> To post send emails to OSList@lists.openspacetech.org
    <mailto:OSList@lists.openspacetech.org>
     >> To unsubscribe send an email to
    oslist-le...@lists.openspacetech.org
    <mailto:oslist-le...@lists.openspacetech.org>
     >> To subscribe or manage your subscription click below:
     >> http://lists.openspacetech.org/listinfo.cgi/oslist-openspacetech.org
     >>
     >>
     >
    _______________________________________________
    OSList mailing list
    To post send emails to OSList@lists.openspacetech.org
    <mailto:OSList@lists.openspacetech.org>
    To unsubscribe send an email to oslist-le...@lists.openspacetech.org
    <mailto:oslist-le...@lists.openspacetech.org>
    To subscribe or manage your subscription click below:
    http://lists.openspacetech.org/listinfo.cgi/oslist-openspacetech.org



_______________________________________________
OSList mailing list
To post send emails to OSList@lists.openspacetech.org
To unsubscribe send an email to oslist-le...@lists.openspacetech.org
To subscribe or manage your subscription click below:
http://lists.openspacetech.org/listinfo.cgi/oslist-openspacetech.org


--
Michael M Pannwitz
Draisweg 1, 12209 Berlin, Germany
++49 - 30-772 8000



Check out the Open Space World Map presently showing 409 resident Open Space Workers in 72 countries working in a total of 143 countries worldwide: www.openspaceworldmap.org
_______________________________________________
OSList mailing list
To post send emails to OSList@lists.openspacetech.org
To unsubscribe send an email to oslist-le...@lists.openspacetech.org
To subscribe or manage your subscription click below:
http://lists.openspacetech.org/listinfo.cgi/oslist-openspacetech.org

Reply via email to