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The facilitator welcomes the group, explains the theme and focus of their work together and invites them to think of what they want to hold discussions about. She gives a few guidelines for the discussion groups:
- Whoever comes is the right person – You don’t need every person in the organization, just whoever cares the most. And if you’re the only one who comes, you might finally have some rich, focused quiet time for thinking and writing on that issue.
- Whatever happens is the only thing that could have – Let go of your expectations and work with whatever unfolds.
- Whenever it starts is the right time – Creativity doesn’t happen on a schedule.
- Whenever it’s over, it’s over. – If you find a solution in 20 minutes, move on to the next group. If it takes 2 hours, keep the conversation rolling.
One more thought: Be prepared to be surprised – Don’t carry in your own agenda and by doing so miss some amazing thing that could come out of more creative minds working on the same issue...
There is only one rule: originally called the Law of Two Feet (I call it the Law of Motion and Responsibility -- we don’t all have two feet, after all) -- if you are neither learning nor contributing in a session you are required to get up and leave and join another session in progress where you feel you’ll be more useful and inspired.
The facilitator then invites participants to come to the center of the circle to announce what they would like to discuss and work on regarding this theme. Whatever they want to talk about – whatever has heart and meaning for them around this theme – and for which they are willing to convene a 75-minute discussion group.
At first, everyone looks at the facilitator, who is now sitting down silently in the circle. They look at the center of the circle, at the markers and paper there. They look back at the facilitator. They look at each other.
Then after a long moment someone walks into the center, writes down their topic, announces it to the group and posts it on a long empty wall. Then two more people. Then six. Then the center of the circle is full of people scribbling and holding up their topics and announcing them and posting them and the agenda wall fills up with 60, 80, 100 topics.
And so the day unfolds, as people pull their chairs together into groups of 2 or 20 and begin to talk and get more animated and trade ideas and learn from one another. Then it’s time for them to move on to their next group, and their next group, and so on – to whatever topic inspires them.
Who facilitates the groups? The individuals in that group. What if someone is talking too much? Well you can be sure that anyone bothered by that will not choose to be around that person for their next discussion. They can always leave the group to go where they’ll feel they can contribute. Notes are taken in each discussion -- what if you don’t like the way someone took notes? Then you’ll probably choose to be the note-taker in your next group. Each group consists of individuals with the capacity to self-organize. And so the groups self-regulate throughout the day, each individual meeting his or her own needs.
Now people are chattering and scribbling on their notepads and others are walking around the room to grab a coffee or alight in a new group, and notes-takers enter the proceedings into a bank of computers then float back into another session. The day passes with everyone moving from issue to issue and idea to idea and the proceedings from each meeting are posted on the wall for everyone to read throughout the day. It looks like chaos – that is, if you are used to quiet meetings around conference tables. But if you look again, you see a teeming hub of activity, animated discussion, scribbling out of ideas and, even considering the urgency of the issue...laughter.
They continue talking over coffee. They continue over lunch. They are animated and passionate and people are communicating with each other in ways that break through the barriers they carried with them. Before they leave the group identifies actions and sets timelines and individuals offer themselves as point-persons for the work that must be done after this event. And a huge amount of work gets done in a very little amount of time. Two days covers more issues and solutions than six months worth of task forces or committees could ever do. As they gather in a closing circle for reflections, observation and insights on their time together, they don’t say, “Boy, she was a great facilitator.” They say, “Look what we accomplished together!”
Open Space originated because Harrison Owen designed and planned a conference, and when it took place he noticed that all the best work was done during the coffee breaks. All the networking, deal-making, visioning, and collaboration. All the new ideas and new products and new programs came from small circles of people chatting over similar passions and interests. Just as it happens in life. So for the next conference he designed a process that would be all coffee-break energy, all the time. Thus Open Space Technology was born.
When should Open Space Technology not be used?
When the people who hold power and authority feel they must control the outcome and the way that people work together, then Open Space is not appropriate. A client using Open Space must commit to staying open to where the experience takes the organization, and as holding an Open Space may lead to innovation, the outcomes of the meeting are unknown until you get there. In Open Space people work together across hierarchal, historical and departmental lines, and indeed when everyone gets back to work it is probable that they will continue to work and communicate in a way that is different than the on-paper organizational structure or the ways a society has been set up, historically. Open Space shifts control from one leader to all of the participants themselves, including the organization’s or community’s traditional leaders.
Don’t squish the space
It also doesn’t work well if you squish the space into too little time. A half-day Open Space will work for quick brainstorming. A one-day Open Space allows for deep discussion and next steps -- I wouldn’t design action planning into that short a time. Two days allows for deep exploration of the theme with some action plans and a full book of proceedings. A 2.5-day Open Space can include brainstorming, action planning, a book of proceedings and deeper buy-in from the participants.
Who uses Open Space Technology?
Since the mid-1980’s Open Space has been used to hold international conferences, design new approaches to cancer research, rebuild communities after war, increase efficiency and revenue, design land use, create new products, discuss ethnicity and culture, develop strategic plans and bring perceived adversaries together. It has been used by Palestinians and Israelis coming together to talk about peace, New Yorkers trying to define their experience soon after the terrorist tragedy, Haitians building literacy programs, South Africans working together after apartheid, students, parents, managers, activists, engineers and architects.
Nobody owns the method, no certification process is necessary, and you can either learn it for yourself from reading a book or take a workshop to share your learning and experience with others.
I am part of a global learning community of Open Space practitioners who invite you to question, learn and share with us. We’ll share our materials and experiences with you and help you design and prepare to lead your own Open Space event – and we’ll want to hear your stories of challenges and successes, as well. Because we feel that when you open space for deeper communication and more passionate work, good things happen.
Feel free to contact me if you have any questions: lisaheft@openingspace.net www.openingspace.net
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