Paul,
This is great. I have some questions, hopefully intriguing questions,
which I hope you are willing to answer...I'm very interested in learning
about /your/ thoughts on these questions....
Question 1 background:
In this 1st person account, there are several people occupying /roles/:
* "I am on /the //team.../"
* "the/lead facilitator/ looks to me..."
* "The /bosses in the room/ are gobsmacked."
Question 1:
At the time you take these actions, /where does the authority come from/
to take these actions?
The actions:
* "Er, hey."*I roar.* "Why don't we open some space?" *I'm loud.*
* *I say: "This is crap isn't it?"* Silence. "Can everyone bring their
chairs and let's get into a big circle."
* *I introduce open space* in about four minutes and quickly crab some
flip chart paper *and tack it to the wall*,
Question 2 background:
It seems as if the person in /lead facilitator/ role authorized you.
Quoting:
"I am on the team and the lead facilitator /*looks to me* for any
ideas/...Do you mind if I... I ask, a bit pompously and the /lead
facilitator *is up for whatever help he can get*./ I leap up.....
If it is true the authorization to do this comes from the /lead
facilitator/, my next question is:
Question 2:
Where does the lead facilitator getting /their/ authorization from? I
assume, perhaps incorrectly, that they /are/ authorized, and that this
authorization comes from /somewhere/...
Daniel
On 11/11/14 3:51 PM, paul levy via OSList wrote:
I wonder if anyone reading this has experiences to share of what I am
about to describe. Most published stories of open space tend to go by
the book. The book is often referred to as the *user *
<http://www.openspaceworld.com/users_guide.htm>*guide*
<http://www.openspaceworld.com/users_guide.htm>", and it tends towards
a process that is largely based on an* instruction manual*
<http://elementaleducation.com/wp-content/uploads/temp/OpenSpaceTechnology--UsersGuide.pdf>.
Dogmatic application manual can then lead, in my humble opinion, not
to one less thing to do, but often one more thing to do. These are
"guides" not rules, and that is the spirit in which they were written.
In many cases, the user guide proves remarkably resilient and
applicable. Yet there is always the next moment, the new story, the
moment that needs something playful.
There's a lot in the manual (and the many trainings that have come
into being from it) about sponsors and invitations, and the things
that need to be done before an Open Space to ensure the open spacer
er... opens space. I have no difficulty with the manual. It's full of
good advice and is the foundation you might just need to open some
space. But, hey, what about this... I'm at a company away day that is
looking at product innovation. It is business critical, and it is
floundering. Powerpoint after Powerpoint has resulted in a stifled
audience, and when they get to breakout sessions, the flipcharts look
empty, the energy is low, and it all looks a bit too quiet. There's a
feeling in the room that the event is dying on its feet. Several
sessions are lost in badly facilitated action planning. I am on the
team and the lead facilitator looks to me for any ideas. It must be
because I am silent and looking knowing and wise.
Actually I'm seething inside at this over-facilitated, over-designed,
overplanned conference crash. Do you mind if I... I ask, a bit
pompously and the lead facilitator is up for whatever help he can get.
I leap up, and step into the mess. I have a loud voice and it can't
get any worse than this. An idea has just occurred to me and I decide
to hurl it into the cluttered room. "Er, hey." I roar. "Why don't we
open some space?" I'm loud. It goes silent.
This is what I say: "This is crap isn't it?" Silence. "Can everyone
bring their chairs and let's get into a big circle. Tuts, irritation,
doubt and mostly relief. Two minutes later there's a big circle.
I introduce open space in about four minutes and quickly crab some
flip chart paper and tack it to the wall, creating four corners at new
breakout spaces.
I ask people to take their chairs with them and, within about ten
minutes we have a whole bunch of different sessions, many based around
action.
The bosses in the room are gobsmacked.
We have a two hour open space until wrap up and there's a huge buzz in
the room from this pop-up open space.
The invite was improvised and spontaneous.
The space opened because it wanted and needed to. It popped up and out
as if it were the most natural thing in the world. It transformed the
day and sent the clutter fleeing for cover. It was done without fuss
and chairs from the main circle quickly went into breakout and back
again. The facilitator team were edgy because they felt they were
supposed to be doing something and I dragged them away for coffee. We
chatted a bit about "emergence" and I was looked on as if I'd done
some kind of magic. I was young and enjoyed the attention. I was also
looked as as if I was a bit weird. Well, I am a bit weird. I do wonder
if pop-up open space could and should happen a lot more.
A lot of open spacers I know loved improvisation and spontaneity, yet
when it comes to open space are a bit locked in the process in the
book of instructions -- the manual that tends to overplay the "prep"
for the event. So, I'm waving a flag for pop-up, guerilla open space.
Why not open some space even for the process of open space? Let's
shimmy it a little and see what falls out.
"Flash mob" open space has, I think, a big future. My intuition tells
me a fair number of facilitators have done it, and a fair few of them
haven't reported it, telling instead there more "responsible"
by-the-book open space stories. But why not? Why not open some space
on the spur of the moment? The invite is still there -it just takes a
hell of a lot shorter. The opportunity is always there where an
over-organised event is disappearing up its own proverbial...
It is also there in an event that has some inbuilt flexibility. Why
not throw some open space into the flexible mix? But best of all, why
not open space when space is there to be open? Self-organisation is
often crying out for a chance in the midst of failing over-organisation.
So, here's to some more pop-up open space...
On 11 Nov 2014 19:59, "Peggy Holman via OSList"
<oslist@lists.openspacetech.org
<mailto:oslist@lists.openspacetech.org>> wrote:
Hi all,
I got the query below from my friend Tom Atlee. It seemed like a
great question for the list. Since Tom isn't on it, I told him
that I'd forward any responses.
appreciatively,
Peggy
Begin forwarded message:
*From: *Tom Atlee <c...@igc.org <mailto:c...@igc.org>>
*Date: *November 10, 2014 at 12:51:54 PM PST
*Subject: **Guerilla Open Space?*
*To: *Peggy Holman <pe...@peggyholman.com
<mailto:pe...@peggyholman.com>>
Hi Peggy,
Thinking about the NCDD conference, I got the idea for "guerilla
Open Space" to be used in conferences where you want to open the
space in the middle of a too-organized gathering. It would
involve a central website with instructions on what to do and
why. It would involve passing out cards with messages like "Is
there something that you'd really like to talk about or do here
that the agenda here is preventing you from talking about or
doing?" "Would you like to be learning, contributing, and having
more fun here?" with the web address on it. Tweets might also be
used. Then, on the main website it would tell people about how
to do a guerilla open space, referring them perhaps to meetup.com
<http://meetup.com> to arrange places to talk.
Or something like that. Have you heard of such thing before?
Do you have any thoughts/responses?
Hugs,
Tom
_________________________________
Peggy Holman
Executive Director
Journalism that Matters
15347 SE 49th Place
Bellevue, WA 98006
425-746-6274 <tel:425-746-6274>
www.journalismthatmatters.net <http://www.journalismthatmatters.net>
www.peggyholman.com <http://www.peggyholman.com>
Twitter: @peggyholman
JTM Twitter: @JTMStream
Enjoy the award winning Engaging Emergence: Turning Upheaval into
Opportunity <http://www.engagingemergence.com>
Check out my series on what's emerging in the news & information
ecosystem
<http://www.journalismthatmatters.net/the_emerging_news_and_information_eco_system>
_______________________________________________
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
--
Daniel Mezick, President
New Technology Solutions Inc.
(203) 915 7248 (cell)
Bio <http://newtechusa.net/dan-mezick/>. Blog
<http://newtechusa.net/blog/>. Twitter <http://twitter.com/#%21/danmezick/>.
Examine my new book:The Culture Game
<http://newtechusa.net/about/the-culture-game-book/>: Tools for the
Agile Manager.
Explore Agile Team Training
<http://newtechusa.net/services/agile-scrum-training/> and Coaching.
<http://newtechusa.net/services/agile-scrum-coaching/>
Explore the Agile Boston <http://newtechusa.net//user-groups/ma/>Community.
_______________________________________________
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
