A User's Guide To Open Space Technology

8/12/2019 A User's Guide To Open Space Technology

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A USERS GUIDE TO OPEN SPACE TECHNOLOGYCopied from Harrison Owens website

http://www.openspaceworld.com/ reformatted for ease of use & readability

INTRODUCTION

Open Space Technology, as a definable approach to organizing meetings has been inexistence for somewhat more than a dozen years. Truthfully, I suspect it has been aroundas long as Homo sapiens has gathered for one purpose or another, from the days of thecampfire circle onward. It is only that our modern wisdom has obfuscated what wealready knew and have experienced from the beginning. But that is getting somewhatahead of our story.

In 1985, eighty-five brave souls, or thereabouts, gathered in Monterey for The ThirdAnnual International Symposium on Organization Transformation . The first two iterationsof this continuing international event (we are now at OT16) were organized in a mosttraditional manner. Papers, panels, and all the rest. But the consensus of participantswas, that despite monumental planning effort extending over a long time, the realexcitement came in the coffee breaks. Which of course werent planned at all. And so the

Third International Symposium was going to be different.

And different it was. At the point of arrival, the participants knew only when things wouldstart, when it would conclude, and generally what the theme might be. There was noagenda, no planning committee, no management committee, and the only facilitator inevidence essentially disappeared after several hours. Just 85 people sitting in a circle.Much to the amazement of everybody, 2 hours later we had a three day agenda totallyplanned out including multiple workshops, all with conveners, times, places andparticipants.

Observably, the operative mechanism was simplicity itself. As each person determinedthat they had some area of exploration they would like to pursue, they would write a briefdescription on a small placard, announce their topic to the assembled group, post theplacard on the wall and sit down. When no further topics were posted, the original


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proposers determined the time and place for meeting, and anybody interested in aparticular topic signed up. That was it.

For several years following, the annual symposium was conducted in a similar fashion.

The only real difference was that more people came and it took less time to getorganized. It seemed like the most natural thing in the world that 150 (or more)executives and consultants should sit in a circle and organize a multi-session, three daymeeting in less than an hour, with not a single argument. If anybody gave it a thought,which I doubt, this miraculous occurrence was probably attributed to the outstandingnature of the assembled group.

And then, in 1989, Open Space escaped. Within a period of less than a month, OpenSpace was utilized with two vastly different groups in widely separated areas. PolymerChemists from Dupont wrestled with the future of Dacron in the USA, followedimmediately by a group of scholars and executives in India considering the issue ofLearning in Organizations. It both cases, everybody sat in a circle, identified what hadheart and meaning for them, and collectively organized a multi-session gathering in lessthan an hour. Something rather strange was taking place.

In subsequent years, the space has continued to open. At this point, the experiencedescribed above has been replicated literally thousands of times on all continents with

groups ranging in size from 5 to over 1000. Participants have come from Fortune 500's,third world villages, religious communities, governmental agencies, and whole towns.They have been rich, poor, educated and not, labor and management, politicians andpeople... and all of the above. And in each case that I know of Open Space appeared to dothe job.

"Doing the Job" begs for further specificity. In the case of Open Space, it means (at thevery least) that diverse, often conflicted groups up to 1000 people, manage hugelycomplex issues in minimal amounts of time, with no advance agenda preparation, andlittle, to no, overt facilitation. Typically by the conclusion of a gathering, the followingpromises have been kept: 1) Every issue of concern to anybody had been laid upon thetable. 2) All issues were discussed to the extent that anybody cared to do that. 3) A fullwritten record of all discussions existed and was in the hands of all participants. 4) Allissues were ranked in priority order. 5) Critical "focal issues" had been isolated and NextStep actions identified for their resolution.


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Also to be included under the heading of, "doing the job" are a range of manifestbehaviors evidenced by the participant group. In a typical Open Space, self-managedwork groups are the general mode of operations, distributed leadership the norm, and

diversity is perceived as a rich resource to be cherished, as opposed to a problem to bemanaged. It is also usually noted that participants treat each other with respect, thatconflict inevitably seems to yield deeper outcomes, and high energy --often experiencedas playful, is the marked characteristic of the occasion.

It is reasonable to ask, what on earth is going on. The mere thought of inviting 500relative strangers, united by little more than their conflict around a particular issue to jointogether for a three day gathering, without a shred of agenda preparation, a small armyof facilitators...should be sufficient to raise eyebrows. The suggestion that somethingproductive might occur obviously contravenes most of what we have taught and/orlearned about meeting management and the care and feeding of hostile groups, anddefinitely qualifies as outrageous. And yet productive outcomes from unlikely quartershas been the continuing experience of groups gathered in Open Space all over the planet.The outrageous is now commonplace. Somehow incipient (or actual chaos) is productiveof order. Regularly.


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WHATS THE SECRET?

Some have suggested that the Four Principles and One Law which guide behavior in Openspace provide the clues. The principles are: 1)Whoever comes is the right people ,

which reminds people in the small groups that getting something done is not a matter ofhaving 100,000 people and the chairman of the board. The fundamental requirement ispeople who care to do something. And by showing up, that essential care isdemonstrated. 2) Whatever happens is the only thing that could have , keepspeople focused on the here and now, and eliminates all of the could-have-beens, should-have-beens or might-have-beens. What is is the only thing there is at the moment.3) Whenever it starts is the right time alerts people to the fact that inspiredperformance and genuine creativity rarely, if ever, pay attention to the clock. Theyhappen (or not) when they happen. 4) Lastly When i ts over its over. In a word, dontwaste time. Do what you have to do, and when its done, move on to something moreuseful.

The Law is the so called Law of Two Feet , which states simply, if at any time you findyourself in any situation where you are neither learning nor contributing use you twofeet and move to some place more to you liking. Such a place might be another group, oreven outside into the sunshine. No matter what, dont sit there feeling miserable. The law,as stated, may sound like rank hedonism, but even hedonism has its place, reminding us

that unhappy people are unlikely to be productive people.

Actually the Law of Two Feet goes rather beyond hedonistic pandering to personaldesires. One of the most profound impacts of the law is to make it exquisitely clearprecisely who is responsible for the quality of a participants learning. If any situation isnot learning rich, it is incumbent upon the individual participant to make it so. There is nopoint in blaming the conference committee, for none exists. Responsibility resides withthe individual.

One of the more surprising gifts of the Law of Two Feet is the apparent contribution toconflict resolution. I say "apparent" because I have no direct evidence connecting the Lawto the resolution of conflict, but it is true that intensely conflicted groups of people findeffective and amicable solutions in Open Space without benefit of formal conflictresolution procedure, or even any intermediary facilitators. Apparently they do it all bythemselves. By way of example consider 100+ Zulus, Haussa, Afrikaners, and Brits


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struggling to gain an understanding of each other as they worked to creat the New SouthAfrica. Or how about 225 federal bureaucrats, state and local bureaucrats, and NativeAmericans gathered to work out approaches to building roads on tribal lands. Sounds likeWounded Knee all over again, but in fact no blood was shed and the task was

accomplished. So what is going on?

Truthfully, I dont know, however I suspect it is the Law of Two Feet at work. Observably,participants intensely engage up to the point that they cant stand it any more, and thenexercise the Law of Two Feet. They will walk away, cool off, and come back for more.Apparently the common concern to achieve resolution keeps people together, and the lawallows them to separate when things become too hot to handle.

Coming back to the original question: Why does Open Space work? I dont think it hasmuch to do with the Four principles or The Law of Two Feet. In fact, The Principles andThe Law appear to function more descriptively than prescriptively . In other words, and asstrange as it may sound, both the principles and the law simply acknowledge what peopleare going to do anyhow. If there is any substantive contribution derived from eitherprinciples or law, it is merely to eliminate all the guilt. After all, people are going toexercise the law of two feet, mentally if not physically, but now they do not have to feelbadly about it. By the same token, meetings will start when they start, regardless of whatthe clock says so why feel badly about it. Just get on with the business. Truthfully, the

elimination of major pieces of guilt and blame can go a long way towards theenhancement of group function. But not far enough to explain the quantum jumps inproductivity typically experienced in Open Space. Something else is going on.

That "something else" is, I believe, self-organization. Ever since Meg Wheatleypublished Leadership and the New Science, excitement around self organization andcomplexity has been building. One of the oddest manifestations of this emergent interestis the number of people who have apparently dedicated themselves to the organization ofself-organization. I think there is something wrong with this picture. Either there is such athing as self organization in which case, why bother. Or there isnt and why bother.I have a growing, perhaps nagging, suspicion that there is no such thing as a non-self- organizing system , at least in the natural world, which would include us. Should this betrue, then much of what we are currently doing under the heading of "getting organized"is rather a waste of time, and the potential implications are fairly mind-boggling.


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Regardless of the accuracy of my nagging suspicion, I feel quite confident that thephenomenon of self-organization lies at the heart of Open Space.

One of the more significant players in the growing field of self-organizing systems, also

known as Complex Adaptive Systems, is Stuart Kaufmann. Kaufmann is a member of theSanta Fe Institute and a biologist by training and profession. He has set for himself themodest task of figuring how life may have emerged from a rich stew of molecules, wayback when. The details are contained in his 1995 book, At Home in the Universe (Oxford).Admittedly, he is a biologist, working with biological systems, and therefore somewhatremoved from the realm of human systems. I am by no means sufficiently expert to judgethe validity of his findings, although his colleagues seem to take him quite seriously. Inany event, scattered amongst some very esoteric biology and interesting mathematicsare what I take to be Kaufmanns understanding of the essential pre-conditions for self-organization. Nowhere does he state them exactly as I will, but I do think I have theflavor.

The essential preconditions are: 1) A relatively safe nutrient environment . 2) High levels ofdiversity and complexity in terms of the elements to be self-organized. 3) Living at theedge of chaos , in a word nothing will happen if everything is sitting like a lump.4) Aninner drive towards improvement , hence if you are an atom it would be useful to gettogether with another atom to become a molecule. 5) Sparsity of connections This one is a

little hard to visualize and was a real surprise to me. Kaufmann is suggesting that self-organization will only occur if there are few prior connections between the elements,indeed he says no more than two. In retrospect, it seems to make sense. If everything ishardwired in advance how could it self organize?

Kaufmanns preconditions for self organization in no way prove that Open Space works.But there is no need for that as people all over the world, in thousands of situations,know that it works. Indeed the fact that it works seems to be the problem, eliciting thenatural question, why? It is in answer to that question that I find Kaufmanns observationsmost intriguing.

The intrigue derives in part from the similarity of what Kaufmann is saying and what Ihave said for almost a dozen years when asked what are the appropriate conditions forusing Open Space. My answer has been: Open Space is appropriate in any situationwhere there is a real business issue to be solved marked by High levels of complexity , in


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terms of the issues to be resolved, High levels of Diversity in terms of the people neededto solve it, High levels of conflict (potential or actual), and there is a Decision time of

yesterday . Given these conditions, Open space is not only appropriate, but always seemsto work.

Without going through a point by point comparison, I would like to believe that Kaufmannand I are looking at pretty much the same phenomenon, albeit in very different realms.And of course, that phenomenon is the process of self-organization. The one thing Imissed, but Kaufmann saw, is the necessity for sparsity of connections. I had noticed,however, that groups with a long standing history of association took to Open Space at amarginally slower rate than groups only recently come together. I suspect that thedifference may be traced to the sparsity of prior connection.

So if Kaufmann and I are looking at the same elephant, where do we go from here? Theanswer, I think, lies in a curious phrase which appears mantra-like throughoutKaufmanns work: "Order for Free." Given the reality of self-organization, the presence oforder is no mystery, nor the product of great struggle, it is only what one might expect. Inshort, order is for free!

Switching from the world of biological systems to the very different world of corporationsand other human systems, supposing that order is for free there too? If true, this would

mean that most, perhaps all of our current activities dedicated to system design, re-design and the like, were suspect, and quite possibly unneeded. Talk about paradigmshift and turning the world on its head!

Now back to Open Space. If it turns out that the global experience of thousands of peoplein an open space environment is something other than a massive aberration, it wouldseem that self-organization in the realm of human systems was an every day occurrence.It is in this light that I choose to view the significance of Open Space Technology. It is notabout having better meetings, although that certainly takes place. It is about experiencingthe mystery and power of self-organization to the end that we might learn to be at homein this rather strange, possibly new, universe (to borrow the title of Kaufmanns book).

And we have a lot to learn. But our learnings will not be of the sort we have experiencedin the past. No longer will it be necessary to learn the fundamentals of self-managed workgroups, empowered and distributed leadership, community building, and appreciation of


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diversity as a resource and not as a problem to be managed. All of these thingsapparently happen as natural acts in an Open Space environment. We might of course,learn to do them better, but when the essential conditions of self-organizations are met,all of the above just seems to happen, almost in spite of ourselves.

And there is a further learning, all about control. We have been taught forever it seems,that the essence of management is control, and if you are out of control, you are out of ajob. Not terribly long ago, the function of management was described as making the plan,managing to the plan, and meeting the plan. All of that adds up to control. It now turnsout that we can make any plan we want to, but managing to that plan is an act offrustration, and meeting that (original) plan is not only impossible, but probablyinadvisable. Worst of all (perhaps best of all) it turns out that the systems we aresupposed to control, to say nothing of the environment in which they exist, are so horriblycomplex as to defy comprehension. And what you cant comprehend is very difficult tocontrol.

The lesson from Open Space is a simple one. The only way to bring an Open Spacegathering to its knees is to attempt to control it. It may, therefore, turn out that the onething we always wanted (control) is not only unavailable, but unnecessary. After all, iforder is for free we could afford being out of control and love it. Emergent order appearsin Open Space when the conditions for self organization are met. Perhaps we can now

relax, and stop working so hard.


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THE REQUIREMENTS OF OPEN SPACE

Open Space Technology requires very few advance elements. There must be a clear andcompelling theme, an interested and committed group, time and a place, and a leader.

Detailed advance agendas, plans, and materials are not only un-needed, they are usuallycounterproductive. This brief User's Guide has proven effective in getting most newleaders and groups off and running. While there are many additional things that can belearned about operating in Open Space, this will get you started. Some material has beenincluded here which also appears in the book in order to present a relatively completepicture.

THE THEME -- Creation of a powerful theme statement is critical, for it will be the centralmechanism for focusing discussion and inspiring participation. The theme statement,however, cannot be a lengthy, dry, recitation of goals and objectives. It must have thecapacity to inspire participation by being specific enough to indicate the direction, whilepossessing sufficient openness to allow for the imagination of the group to take over.There is no pat formulation for doing this, for what inspires one group will totally turn offanother. One way of thinking about the theme statement is as the opening paragraph of atruly exciting story. The reader should have enough detail to know where the tale isheaded and what some of the possible adventures are likely to be. But "telling all" in thebeginning will make it quite unlikely that the reader will proceed. After all, who would

read a story they already know?

THE GROUP -- The group must be interested and committed. Failing that, Open SpaceTechnology will not work. The key ingredients for deep creative learning are real freedomand real responsibility. Freedom allows for exploration and experimentation, whileresponsibility insures that both will be pursued with rigor. Interest and commitment arethe prerequisites for the responsible use of freedom. There is no way that we know of toforce people to be interested and committed. That must be a precondition.

One way of insuring both commitment and interest is to make participation in the OpenSpace event completely voluntary. The people who come should be there because theywant to be there. It is also imperative that all participants know what they are getting intobefore they arrive. Obviously they can't know the details of discussions that have yet totake place. But they can and should be made aware of the general outlines. Open Space


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is not for everybody, and involuntary, non-informed participation is not only acontradiction in terms, it can become very destructive.

This raises the obvious question of what to do with those people whom you want to

involve, but who, for whatever reason, do not share your desire. There are twopossibilities. The first is to schedule two sessions, and trust that the first one will be sorewarding that positive word of mouth testimony will draw in the recalcitrant. Thealternative is to respect the wishes of those involved. In the final analysis it remains truethat genuine learning only takes place on the basis of interest and commitment, andthere is absolutely no way to force any of that.

The size of the group is not absolutely critical. However, there does seem to be a lowerlimit of about 20. Less than 20 participants, and you tend to lose the necessary diversitywhich brings genuine interchange. At the upward end of the scale, groups of 400 workvery well, and there is no reason to believe that number could not be increased.

SPACE -- The space required is critical, but need not be elaborate or elegant. Comfort ismore important. You will need a room large enough to hold the entire group, with spaceto spare in which the participants may easily move about. Tables or desks are not onlyunnecessary, but will probably get in the way. Movable chairs, on the other hand, areessential.

The initial setup is a circle with a large, blank wall somewhere in the room. The wall mustbe free from windows, doors, drapes, and with a surface that permits taping paper withmasking tape. The wall should also be long enough so that the total group may standbefore it, and never be more than three to four deep. The center of the circle is empty, forafter all we are talking about Open Space.

If the room is very large, additional break-out areas may not be required, but they arealways helpful. Best of all is the sort of environment in which there is an abundance ofcommon space. If you are going to use a conference center or hotel, find one with plentyof conversation nooks, lobbies, and open grounds, where people may meet and workundisturbed, and without disturbing others.TIME -- The time required depends on the specificity of result you require. Even a largegroup can achieve high levels of interaction combined with a real sense of havingexplored the issues in a matter of eight hours. However, if you want to go deeper than


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that, reaching firm conclusions and recommendations (as would be the case for strategicplanning or product design), the time required may stretch to two or three days.

More important than the length of time is the integrity of the time. Open Space

Technology will not work if it is interrupted. This means that "drop-ins" should bediscouraged. Those who come must be there at the beginning, and stay for the duration ifat all possible. By the same token, once the process begins, it cannot be interrupted byother events or presentations. These might come before or afterwards, but never in themiddle.


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THE BASIC STRUCTURE

Although it is true that an Open Space event has no pre-determined agenda, it must havean overall structure or framework. This framework is not intended to tell people what to

do and when. Rather, it creates a supportive environment in which the participants cansolve those issues for themselves. Minimal elements of this framework include: Opening,Agenda Setting, Open Space, and Conclusion. These elements will suffice for eventslasting up to a day. Longer events will require the addition of Morning Announcements,Evening News, and probably a Celebration.

A standard Open Space Design, using all these elements appears below. If the event youanticipate lasts longer than the time indicated, simply replicate the middle day. If shorter,you will find that an Opening, Open Space, and Conclusion will suffice. Generallyspeaking, the minimum time required is five hours, but that is cutting it rather close.

OPENING -- We have found that a very informal opening works well, especially if thegroup involved is an intact work group. An evening meal and a time for catch-upconversation will effectively set the stage. Should the group not have any priorassociation, the simple device of having all the participants introduce themselves bygiving their names and telling a short story from their lives to illustrate who they are willusually do the job. Detailed and involved "icebreaking" exercises do not seem to work

very well, and more to the point, set the wrong tone. After all, we want Open Space.AGENDA SETTING -- This is the time for the group to figure out what it wants to do. Thedetails for this procedure are given below.

OPEN SPACE -- is exactly what the words imply, open space and time for the group to doits business. There is literally nothing here at the start.

ANNOUNCEMENTS -- A short period every morning for the group to catch up on what it isdoing, where, when, and how. Nothing elaborate, no speeches, just the facts, nothing butthe facts.

EVENING NEWS -- This is usually a time for reflection and occasionally fun. Not to beconfused with a formal report-out session, the approach is "What's the story?" -- withparticipants voluntarily providing the tale.


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CELEBRATION -- If your Open Space event is like all the ones we have seen, particularlymulti-day affairs, by the last night it will time to celebrate, otherwise known as having aparty. Even in "serious" undertakings like preparation of the corporate strategic plan,when it is over, it is over, and people will enjoy celebrating that fact. We suggest doing

the celebration in the spirit and manner of the rest of the event. All of which means don'tplan it in advance. It may be worthwhile to have some taped music if your people areinclined to dance, but other than that you will undoubtedly find that the talent you need isalready available in the folks you have. Use it. Skits, songs, humorous reviews of what hashappened, will amply fill the evening, and add to the learning experience.

CLOSING -- We try to keep the closing simple and serious. Simple in that there are noformal presentations and speeches. But serious, for this is the time for announcingcommitments, next steps, and observations about what the event has meant. The closingevent is best conducted in a circle with no "head table." Start anywhere, and go aroundthe circle allowing each participant, who wants to , the opportunity to say what was ofsignificance and what they propose to do. But do make it clear that nobody has to sayanything. In very large groups, hearing from everybody is obviously impossible, but twoor three folks may be asked to volunteer.

FORMAL REPORTS -- The formal report-out session has apparently become a fixture ofconference life. However, we find it to be boring and generally non-productive. There is

never enough time for each group to say all they wanted to, and if sufficient time isallocated, the majority of conference participants are uninterested at any given time. Asan alternative, we recommend using a simple word processing system, a computerconferencing system, or both.

In a recent conference 200 participants created 65 task force reports (a total of 200pages) which were available as the participants left the conference. Mechanically, all thatis required is a bank of computers (low-powered laptops will do) and a request to eachgroup organizer to enter the results of their deliberations into the system. They can eithertype it in themselves, or for the "non-typables," a small group of secretaries will do thejob. We print out each report as it is entered and hang it on the wall, providing anongoing, real-time record of the discussions. The obvious advantage here is thatparticipants find out what is happening, as it is happening, rather than waiting until theend when it is too late. Of course, having the proceedings at the end of conference, ratherthan six months later, is a pleasant and positive surprise.


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MEALS -- You will notice that meals are not listed on the agenda, nor are there any coffeebreaks. The reason is quite simple: once the conference starts to operate in small groups,there is usually never a time when something of substance is not going on. And in accord

with the Third Principle, it will take place in its own time. All of this creates a small, butnot insoluble, problem for such things as meals and coffee-breaks. Our solution has beento have coffee and other refreshments available in the main meeting room, so peoplepartake when they are ready. No need for the whole group to get into lockstep, and stopan important discussion just because it is coffee-break time. Likewise with meals. Wesuggest buffets, open and available over a several hour period, so people can eat whenthey want to. There are two exceptions to the flexible meal/coffee-break schedule: anopening dinner if there is one, and dinner on the last night.

The whole point is that the pacing and timing of the conference must be determined bythe needs of the group and its learning process, and not by the requirements of thekitchen.


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LEADERSHIP

The leadership of an Open Space event is at once absurdly simple and very tricky. Thesimplicity derives from the fact that the group itself will, and must, generate its own

leadership. The tricky part comes in letting that happen. The demands placed upon theinitial group leader are therefore limited and critical. Dealing with the limited aspects ofgroup leadership is easiest and may therefore be done first. The functions here are to settime, place, and theme. Time and place are simply a question of where and when, both ofwhich have been discussed above. Setting the theme involves creating the written themestatement describing where the group is starting, and where it hopes to go in generalterms.

Now we come to the tricky part. Leadership in Open Space requires a style that somemay find uncomfortable and counter-intuitive. This is especially true for those who equateleadership with control. There is no question that when we know exactly what we aredoing, and where we want to go (as is presumably the case, for example, in amanufacturing process), tight controls are essential. In fact, control is the very heart ofgood management. We get into trouble, however, when we understand leadership simplyas advanced management, and therefore, if the manager controls, the leader mustcontrol absolutely. Sensitive leaders today, in a world marked by progressively expandingOpen Space, know all too well that most of what they have to deal with is beyond their

control, and maybe out of control.

Leadership defined as control can only fail. But that is not the only definition. Gandhidescribed the leader as one who intuits which way the parade is moving, and then racesto reach the head of it. The function of leadership is to provide a focal point for direction,and not to mandate and control a minute-by-minute plan of action. The details must beleft to the troops, which means amongst other things, the troops must be trusted. In nocase can any leader possibly solve all problems or direct all actions. Leadership in OpenSpace requires that one set the direction, define and honor the space, and let go.

There are Four Principles and One Law which serve as guides to the leader and allparticipants. The principles are: Whoever comes is the right people. Whatever happens isthe only thing that could have. Whenever it starts is the right time. When it is over, it isover.


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The first principle reminds everyone of the obvious fact that those present are the onlyones there. Whatever gets done will get done with them, or not at all. There is little point,therefore in worrying about all those who should have come, might have come, but didn'tcome. It is essential to concentrate on those who are there. The experience is that, in

some strange way, the group present is always the right group.

In more practical terms, it has been discovered that if the group is deeply involved in theissue at hand and excited by the possibilities, that involvement and excitement arecontagious, and others will soon join in. Even if the technical expertise present is not ofthe highest order, a committed group will find the needed expertise. However, if all thetime is spent in telling each other that the group is neither right nor competent, it isalways the case that the group will live down to it expectations.

None of this is to suggest that effort should not be made before the gathering to be surethat invitations are extended to critical people. Or indeed that those critical people shouldnot be specially urged to attend. However, when the gathering starts, it is unarguablytrue: those who came are the ones who came. Whatever gets done will be done by them,or not at all. They will be the right people.

The second principle is yet another statement of the obvious. Given the theme (job) athand and the people in attendance, whatever happens is the only thing that could have.

Change the people, time, place, or theme, and something different will result. It is, ofcourse possible that the result of the gathering could be a miserable failure, butexperience shows that such a negative result is usually the product of negativeexpectations. Expect the worst, and you will very often get it.

Expectations are in fact critical. Be prepared to be surprised -- positively. Those whocome to an Open Space event with a precise and detailed list of intended outcomes willbe frustrated. More than that, they will inevitably miss the positive and useful things thatoccur. Never before, and never again will the assembled group gather in that time andplace. No one could possibly predict the synergism of effect that will take place whenthose particular people assemble. Some of what happens will be non-useful. But it is thespecial function of the leader to raise the expectations of the group, and heighten theirsensitivity to the opportunities at hand, whatever they may be.


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Here is the most difficult and important point about leadership in Open Space. The leadermust truly trust the group to find its own way . Attempts on the part of the leader toimpose specific outcomes or agenda will totally abort the process. Any person who is notfully prepared to let go of their own detailed agenda should not lead.

The third principle will seem essentially wrong to those whose lives have been dictated bythe clock, which is basically all of us. The conventional wisdom says that if you want toget something done, you must start on time. The conventional wisdom is right so long asyou know what you are going to do, and how. On the other hand, when creativity, and reallearning are involved, the clock can be more of a detriment than an assist. Things willstart when they are ready, and whenever they start is the right time. In fact, when thecreative learning moment arrives, it seems to create its own time, or put another way,clocks don't seem to matter much anymore. The Open Space environment provides thenutrient setting for creative activity, and those who would lead in that environment mustkeep their eye on the creative process and forget about the clock. When "it" happens, itwill happen in its own time, and scheduling a breakthrough for 10 am is not only anexercise in futility, it is consummately destructive of Open Space.

Open Space Events do, of course, occur in time, which means that there must be a timeof beginning and a time for closure. But everything in the middle must be allowed to runits own course.

The final principle, "When it is over, it is over," again states the obvious, but it is a pointwe may forget. Deep learning and creativity both have their own internal life cycle. Theymay take more or less time, but when they come to completion, they are over.Occasionally this means that we have to spend more time than we had planned, but moreoften than not, the reverse is true. The creative moment has a nasty habit of occurringvery quickly, and just because the session or meeting was scheduled to take two hours isno reason to sit around and waste time after the moment has passed. When it is over, itis over.

Finally we come to the One Law of Open Space. It is a law only in the sense that allparticipants must observe it or the process will not work. We call it the Law of Two Feet.Briefly stated, this law says that every individual has two feet, and must be prepared touse them. Responsibility for a successful outcome in any Open Space Event resides withexactly one person -- each participant. Individuals can make a difference and must make


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a difference. If that is not true in a given situation, they, and they alone, must takeresponsibility to use their two feet, and move to a new place where they can make adifference. This departure need not be made in anger or hostility, but only after honoringthe people involved and the space they occupy. By word or gesture, indicate that you

have nothing further to contribute, wish them well, and go and do something useful.


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WHEN NOT TO USE OPEN SPACE TECHNOLOGY

As there are individuals who should not lead in Open Space, there are also situations inwhich Open Space Technology is not appropriate, and in fact may be counter-productive.

Open Space Technology is effective when real learning, innovation, and departure fromthe norm are required. When you aren't quite sure where you are, and less than clearabout where you are headed, and require the best thinking and support from all thosewho wish to be involved, Open Space Technology will provide the means.

On the other hand, if the present state, and future position are crystal clear, along with allthe intervening steps, Open Space Technology is not only a waste of time, it will be veryfrustrating. Using a very mundane example, if the task at hand is the implementation of aknown technology, such as a word processing program, or an established officeprocedure, inviting people to be creative and inventive is quite beside the point. Theysimply have to learn the skills and methods required. There is no mystery. Just do it.


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CREATING OPEN SPACE -- Introducing The Event

With the preamble out of the way, it is time to get on with the event. What follows is awalkthough of the format we have used. But please do not treat it as an unchangeable

script. The needs of your group and your own style will ultimately determine the bestway.

If this is a "first time" for you as a leader, we strongly suggest that you take a practice runthrough. Start by becoming completely familiar with the walkthough material providedbelow. Imagine that you are actually leading a group, and read through the script. Do thisuntil you don't need the script, and then go one step further. Forget the script's wordsand use your own. At that point, you are probably ready for a real group, but don't makeyour first effort "the critical one." Find some friends and colleagues who are willingguinea pigs. They should have fun, and so should you. As a matter of fact, having fun isthe key indicator that you are ready to take on a group for real. If it isn't fun, don't do it.Maybe you should never do it, or maybe you just need more practice. But HAVE FUN.

Assume that your group is now assembled in a circle, with a large blank wall behindthem. You walk into the center and begin:

Our theme for this gathering is _________. In the next __days, we

are going to develop our best thoughts around the issues andopportunities associated with our theme.

As we start, I want you to notice the blank wall. That is ouragenda. Just out of curiosity, how many times have you ever beento a meeting where the agenda was a completely blank wall?

If you are wondering how you ever got into all this, or even more,how you will ever get out, you should know that while Open SpaceTechnology is a new approach, it is not untried. Groups all overthe world, some as large as 400, regularly create their ownagendas for multi-day meetings in less than one hour. They thenproceed to self-manage the whole affair. While this is not acontest, there is no reason for you to do less well than those whohave gone before you.


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It is worthwhile to pause a moment here. Let them look at the blank wall and reallyunderstand that there is no agenda except as they make it. Some people will beginning tofeel rather nervous, and others will be demonstrably so, but nervousness (anxiety) at this

point is a plus, for it represents available energy or spirit just waiting to happen. The artis to wait long enough for it to build, but not so long that people will question what theyare doing, or worse yet begin a discussion about the whole process. If that sort ofdiscussion begins, you will have lost the moment. So pause for a moment, and then moveon.

"To get `from here to there' we will use two very simplemechanisms -- the Community Bulletin Board, and the VillageMarket Place. In a few moments, I will ask you to identify any issueor opportunity you see around our theme, give it a short title andwrite that down on the paper provided. Then stand up in front ofthe group, say what your issue is, and post the paper on the wall.Make sure that you have some real passion for this issue, and thatit is not just a good idea for somebody else to do. For you will beexpected to take personal responsibility for the discussion. Thatmeans saying where and when the group will meet, convening thegroup, and entering the results of your discussion into our

computer system (if you are using a system). You may offer asmany issues as you like, and if at the end of the day, you do notsee your issue on the wall, there is exactly one person to complainto. Yourself.

Once all the issues are up, we will then open the Village MarketPlace, and everybody will be invited to come to the wall and signup for as few or as many of the groups as they desire. From thereon out, you are in charge. Even though Open Space is truly open, there are some principles

and one law that we need to keep in mind. The Four Principles are.. . [see above]. And the Law is what we call the Law of Two Feet.Everybody has them. . . . [see above].


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We find it helpful to write the Four Principles and One Law out on a large piece of paperwhich may be hung on the wall for future reference.

Keeping the Four Principles in mind, along with the One Law, it is

now time to get to work. Along that line, there is one question tostart. W h a t a r e th e is s u e s a n d o p p o r t u n i t i e s a r o u n d o u r t h e m e f o rw h i c h y o u h a v e r e a l p a s s i o n a n d w i l l t a k e g e n u i n e r e s p o n s i b i l i t y ?

And when you have identified an issue or area, give it a short title,write it down on the paper provided and sign it . Leave some roomat the bottom for others to sign.

If you have a relatively large group (25 and up) it is helpful to have paper available in apile in the center of the circle. A basket of magic markers will also help. The paper shouldbe large enough so that when taped to the wall it may be easily read by the group from adistance of about 10 feet.

As soon as you are ready, stand up where you are, read out yourtitle, and tape it to the wall. Don't wait to be asked. Go when youare ready.

Keep on going until everybody with a subject they want to work on has posted it on thewall. There will be a certain amount of noise and confusion, which is positive and good,but keep it down a little bit so people can hear. Most important, don't let the people startto discuss any of the items at this point. There will be plenty of time for that.

When it seems that all the items have been posted on the wall, ask if there are any more,and direct the group's attention to the wall. If your group is like all others we have workedwith, the wall should now be covered with things to do. You might say something like:

For those of you who wondered whether we would have somethingdo, you might take a look at our wall. You might also note that wehave generated the items for our agenda in less than ____ minutes.

Our next act is to figure out who is going to do what, when, andwhere. To move that business, I would ask that every person who


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has an item on the wall go up and write down the time and placewhere your group will meet.

Make sure your name is on the paper. For example, your group

will meet from 10 to 12 o'clock in conference room C, or maybeout by the swimming pool. Space is on a first come, first servedbasis.

Prior to this part of the program, the leader should post a list of available meeting places.Of course if you are the only group meeting in a conference center, the space problem issimplified, and the groups can meet anywhere they feel comfortable.

Don't worry about conflicts. We'll work all that out in a moment.Once you have selected a time, move your paper to the appropriatepart of the wall. If you want to meet early, put it on the left side. Forthe end of the meeting, put it on the right. Those who want to gatherin the middle, put it in the middle.

For meetings lasting longer than one day, it is helpful to divide the wall with tape into asmany sections as there are days. You might also post Morning Announcements with atime at the beginning of each day, and Evening News just before supper. Additional time

demarcations are not needed, and tend to get in the way.

While they are doing that, all the rest of you might also stand upand take a look at the various offerings. When you find one thatinterests you, where you could learn or contribute, sign your nameon the bottom. Sign up for as many as you like, and don't worryabout conflicts. We'll take care of them in a minute. It may seem alittle chaotic, but it turns out that chaos is the way the fields of themind are plowed so that new ideas can grow.

At this point, things are likely to get pretty noisy, and some might say chaotic. Leadersused to having things happen in relative silence, and in strict order may get very nervous.It is all right to be nervous, but don't try to straighten things out. THE GROUP WILL TAKECARE OF ITSELF. A little chaos at this point is a good and necessary thing. First of all,everybody probably needs a stretch and some conversation. But most of all the rising


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noise level is a positive indication that the group is getting to work, and good things arehappening.

Let the group bubble along for a few minutes, but before long some people will start to

experience conflicts. They want to go to two different groups which are supposed to meetat the same time. Or two different groups are scheduled to meet in the same place at thesame time. When you sense this happening, or even if you don't, stand up and get thegroup's attention. You may have to raise your voice, but noise won't hurt.

Some of you may be finding a few conflicts, but it should be easyto work out. It is called negotiation. If you want to go to twogroups meeting at the same time, find the group leaders and see ifyou can get them to merge their sessions or change their times. Ofcourse, if they won't do that, you will just have to make a choice,but that is the way life is.

From here on out -- you are on your own. As soon as your group isready to go to work, go to it . We'll see you all back here at ______[Evening News, Closing Session, whatever].

We find it very useful at this point for the leader to actually leave the room, if only for a

cup of coffee. It really makes the point, as little else could, that each individual and thetotal group are now responsible for what happens.

From here on out, the role of the leader will be infinitely less visible, but very important.There are, of course, several specific things to be done, such as convening the MorningAnnouncements, Evening News, and the Closing Session. The leader should also makearrangement for the collection of the conference out-put if a record of formal decisionsand deliberations is required. This may be as simple as having flip-charts transcribed, oreven better, insuring that the computer conferencing system is up, accessible, and used.

One most important function on the leader's to do list is to take care of the room and thewall where the created agenda lies. We find ourselves spending a lot of time in that room,sometimes doing little more than picking up coffee cups, or re-taping agenda items thathave come unglued. This may seem trivial and non-useful, but at the symbolic level it is apowerful statement of the leader's concern for the common space. On a more practical


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level, it usually turns out that the initial meeting room plays the role of "Mission Control."It is the place where everybody, sooner or latter, drops by to see what's happening orwhere to go next. Simply by being there, it is possible to keep tabs on how everything iscoming along.

The major function of the leader, however, is not to do certain, specific things, but ratherto sustain the atmosphere of Open Space. In most cases this involves little more thanwalking about and seeing how things are going. When difficulty is encountered, it isimportant not to take charge, but rather to throw responsibility back on those who needto hold it. For example, it is not unlikely that one or two of the participants will findthemselves slightly lost, and come to the leader expecting to be told what to do. Anappropriate response would be a question -- "What would you like to do?" followed upwith the assurance that there is nothing wrong with doing nothing. It may just be thatsome individuals' unique contribution will be made by sitting under a tree and thinking allby themselves. The result of that thinking may show up in a later session, at the EveningNews, or six weeks later in a company meeting. Open Space requires real freedom, andreal responsibility.

Sometimes it happens that overly zealous participants feel that their ideas are soimportant or powerful that everybody in a particular group (or even in the wholeconference) should pay attention and listen. This one has to be nipped in the bud --

carefully. The way out is not to directly challenge the person, but rather to remind theassembled group of the Law of Two Feet. If everybody truly wants to listen, they shoulddo that. But if that is not their desire, they have two feet which they should use. There isno need to argue and shout, just thank the group and leave. Egomaniacs quickly get thepicture when everybody leaves.

Documents

A User's Guide To Open Space Technology