yes yes yes!
As Daniel mentioned, the facilitation I lead was almost completely
unprepared because of a dearth of contact and returned communications
from the client. No proper "pre-work". No theme. No extended period of
invitation. People regularly dashing off to other "more important"
things. No closing circle. It still worked. As Harrison Owen has said -
what's going on?
There's a huge need for technologies that Open Space - or open space -
and Open Space Technology is extraordinarily robust. I've seen it work
despite there being huge holes in how it was executed. And I think the
main reason it works so well in so many scenarios is not from the skill
of the facilitator - but in how parched is the soil. Or perhaps, as
Harrison has noted in his writings - how polluted is the soul.
Even a few drops of authentic human connection in a space closed by
rigid roles and goals...
Even a few breaths of fresh air by opening a window in a space filled
with the pollution of soulless pursuits...
I'd love to hear more stories of improvised techologies that opened
space. In this perspective, OST is so much more than a tool.
Harold
On 6/21/15 5:45 AM, Daniel Mezick via OSList wrote:
Lately I'm noticing that people are absolutely starved for genuine
connection with other humans. Or, so it seems...
...I'm coming to this conclusion as a result of getting more and more
experience doing these Open Space events in organizations and
conferences.
At a conference at PMI in Boston last Friday, I facilitated an very
short event that was 1 hour from end to end. We did 5-minute sessions
to introduce the format. All 50++ of them were completely new to it.
In the closing circle, these people reported genuine authentic
pleasure in connecting with others.
This was more than a little strange to me, since the 3 sessions were
just 5 minutes long.
Earlier that same week, inside an organization, with about 20-25
people, Harold and I with Louise Kold Taylor literally "threw
together" an OST event last Tuesday. It was all improv. We were
winging it. We were all unsettled. We were all making sh*t up on the
fly. We had like 20 minutes to set it up and convene.
It wasn't supposed to work.
This "improv-episode" was missing many of the standard elements in the
standard OST composition.
I'm embarrassed to say which... and how many.
And hey guess what? There was loads of connection and engagement by
and between the members. LOADS.
This from an organization "with no time" to do such things. This via
an "unsettled" facilitator. We scheduled the 45-min sessions for 10AM,
1045AM, 330PM and 415PM. So there was this huge gap in the schedule.
We did not expect the afternoon sessions to be attended at all. What
was amazing to us was the fact that almost all of them returned for
the afternoon sessions and they all immediately engaged.
All of which had me scratching my head for quite awhile. Do you know
what I mean? As in, "what the heck is going on here?"
Why is this OST thing so robust, even when some of the essential "big
O, big S" elements are missing? When there is "no time?" When there is
no planning? When the facilitator is not really prepared?
What is making this OST stuff work, even when it's "slipshod" in terms
of planning and form?
My current hypothesis is: typical people in our world are literally
starved for real connection.
And that anything, anywhere resembling anything AT ALL that looks like
a genuine and authentic opportunity to connect ... is going to work.
And this without "management" of things like "when to start", "when to
stop", "topics", "silence", etc.
This Human-Connection-Starvation hypothesis might tend to explain: why
OST always seems to (mysteriously) work, why getting out of the way is
a primary job of the facilitator, etc.
Daniel
http://OpenSpaceAgility.com
http://DanielMezick.com
--
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.
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<http://newtechusa.net/services/agile-scrum-training/> and Coaching.
<http://newtechusa.net/services/agile-scrum-coaching/>
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<http://newtechusa.net//user-groups/ma/>Community.
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