Cases in Open Space Technology

By Anne I. Merkel, Ph.D., Senior Associate, The Ariela Group

One of the introductory lines used when I open an Open Space Technology meeting is “Expect to be surprised!” And, most all of my clients HAVE been surprised. Let me elaborate.

Taking a “different” technique into serious, important meetings of high decision-makers, with time and money constraints, regularly raises initial resistance from seasoned leaders. After all, they have expectations of how their time, energy, money is to best be utilized, so why waste it on a “new” technique?? They feel that they are paying a facilitator to get results, and I totally agree and am committed to do just that!

When asked directly about their fears I hear that many are afraid of losing valuable meeting time, mental energy, focus on subjects at hand, while learning the new technique. They soon find that the technique leads them into a natural flow which supports their own natural creativity, so, once I guide them through the initial “how to” steps, the rest is up to them.

The room set-up brings up questions of whether the meeting is going to turn into a “Kumbaya” gathering, as we place chairs, without tables, in a circle. I've had people state that they would not participate if they had to face the others in their organization across a circle. Standing up to that resistance I assure participants that they won't be sitting in that circle for very long, so the initial Opening Session becomes bearable. Then later when reports are shared and discussion of the whole group ensues, the barriers are usually broken down to such an extent that the original resisters find it comfortable to come back into the full group circle and share the excitement of the break-out sessions and the enthusiasm of the Closing Circle. (And, if any members really do wish to sing Kumbaya, then we are happy to comply there too!! J )

Most Open Space meetings are fun, creative, easy to attend, produce great results, and everyone leaves feeling empowered and refreshed, with answers to questions and issues, and detailed project plans. Sometimes, however, initial fears of something “unknown” or “different” can arise so fiercely that I've been confronted a few times with potential mutiny before we even get started. Usually at these times the initial meeting “owners” with whom I have planned the sessions, either have not done a good job of communicating to the participants about what to expect, or they have caved in to the pressure of skeptical, strong colleagues. It is at such times that I am grateful for my twenty plus years of working with clients in front of audiences. As an experienced facilitator I allow the decision-makers of an organization to feel free to participate rather than spending their energies running the meeting. I can manage any kind of audience, and actually enjoy the emotionally charged meetings that are focused on solving major organizational problems. Less experienced facilitators might not be able to “hold the space open” for the flow to occur, which might include the unearthing of issues that have been subdued for a long time. My own skills have been tested repeatedly, and I feel confident that the systems that I use support me to turn even the most awkward situation around to bear beneficial “fruits” in the long run.

Open Space Technology works… and it sustains itself. When it is facilitated skillfully it creates an environment that is comfortable because it is natural. It might support some uncomfortable issues to be brought forth, but it sets a state of openness that protects the people involved as the issue is discussed and resolved, or taken to the next level toward healing. Open Space supports health and balance, and supports people to be present and conscious. The nature of the technique itself ensures authenticity and the creativity to take even the stickiest business issues to the next level.

Once participants move into the flow of Open Space there is no looking backward, and all with whom I have utilized the technique have been quite satisfied with both the process and its results. Some top leaders, after the fact, have specifically commented on their pleasure with the efficient use of meeting time and resources, and immediate results coming out of the meeting. [See the Testimonials section in this website.]

Specific cases of Open Space Technology are listed here with some of their individual points of interest:

1- Top Military Garrison Commanders and Directors of all civilian support services representing approximately 800 base employees came together to create a plan for developing their leadership and employees at all levels base-wide. This focus had been on the table for two years without any resolution. Fifty top decision makers, both military and civilian came together for two half days of Open Space including a full afternoon and a long following morning.

In a planning meeting prior to the Open Space session the Garrison Commander warned me of skepticism before I began – in the issue of employee development and in the Open Space technique itself, and also pointed out several “old guard” career government employees who probably would not “play along” with the participatory process. (It is sometimes a case with seasoned employees who see their retirement looming in close proximity that they start to “check out” and no longer participate with the passion of days gone by. I've encountered this in several government employee audiences within the local, state, federal, military segments, as well as in other industries too.) There was also strong resistance to setting up the room in a circle of chairs. I noted the comments and we moved forward.

The two half-day segments afforded four break-out time frames where the fifty participants broke into small groups focused on sixteen topics of their choice. Following a convergence session which consolidated and prioritized topics, task forces, and their action plans, a year later four major committees have either implemented their projects, or the plans are on-going and groups are still meeting at least quarterly.

The meeting results astounded the Garrison Commander, and the Director who was projected to be most skeptical and also was expected to disrupt rather than participate in the project fit right in enthusiastically, and has actually brought me in for two subsequent meetings with his own Directorate employees.

The results of this Open Space meeting included:
• bonding of top management team of large diverse city-like organization
• cross-functional strategizing about shared problems
• discussion of previously mandated programs and decision to drop them
• creation of strategies that will support the entire organization and all players
• focus on economic and creative ways to solve problems and support personnel
• creation of task forces with volunteer “champions” and team members
• enthusiasm for the time spent together and the promise of success in projects
• focus on follow-through by committed people who created and “own” the plans

Since the Open Space meeting I have served this client in several other capacities using Open Space and Whole Person processes incorporated with training and team-building sessions.

2- Following major budget cuts a County Manager in a large municipality and his team of Directors came together for a half day of Open Space focusing on how to work as a team to offer more services to a growing constituency, using less money, personnel, other resources. What a challenge!!

Although I normally do not offer a half day session for clients, this group had pressing needs and little time to spend, so we met during that limited time space, which still allowed for two time segments of concurrent sessions. The over twenty participants focused on six major topics of interest. I predicted to them with the little time allowed they would probably spend their sessions in fact-sharing discussions, and that actual action plans usually are born of longer meetings. This proved true, and still, the results of the meeting were very positive. They included:

• bonding of top management team around a painful, difficult issue
• communicating about shared frustrations and concerns
• direct questions & answers with budget director for greater clarity about situation
• commiseration of frustrations about wanting to offer more with less to give
• collaboration and pooling of resources to jointly offer services through several divisions
• identification of over-lap and how this could be dropped to save resources and still offer quality service
• enthusiasm for the OST process and interest in taking it to the next level to create an over-all county-wide strategic plan with separate division plans to help with planning for the future

With the greater sense of team, understanding of issues, and mutual support among County decision-makers the attitudes of participants were much more hopeful and positive following the meeting. Since that meeting I have utilized a strategic planning process with Whole Person and Open Space to kick off a County strategic plan initiative, and I look forward to future collaborations.

3- The Board and leadership of a regional financial institution came together for their annual planning retreat and we utilized Open Space during their one and a half day meeting.

I initiated a different approach to topic generation in this meeting, as a national association leader presented for the first two hours of the first half day and laid a great foundation for the brainstorming of issues. While more global issues were still “in the air” I urged people to brainstorm (individually) and write topics they had interest in pursuing on bright yellow paper – one topic to a sheet. We utilized a long open wall in the meeting room and as each topic was introduced it was placed on the wall. Next we converged the topics into groupings of related ideas. There were eighteen major groupings, some with up to ten variations on the single theme, totaling around fifty separate, including some related, topics.

The seeds were planted for the next day's sessions, and we all started out for a fancy dinner. Before leaving, though, a contingent of five came to me saying that they just couldn't go along with the idea of concurrent sessions because they each wanted to participate in ALL of the important meetings and also, they couldn't understand how so many different topics could be handled in one day of sessions. I assured them that Open Space could handle all of their misgivings, and we DID relax and enjoy the dinner! Later the Board Chair apologized for the attempted mutiny and said that he had scolded the others for questioning a facilitator's techniques before even getting started. I laughed and reflected back that maybe it was their own fear of not being able to accomplish what they had hoped using a “new” technique, and that I had full confidence in them. We laughed.

Getting a chance to “sleep on” a strategizing process always stirs up deeper levels of creativity, and this proved to be the case here. In the morning I guided the process of creating the action agenda for the day and the twenty participants finalized nine topics for the three time segments of concurrent sessions. In the introduction to Open Space I shared the “Law of Mobility” where people were invited to move between sessions to follow their own interest areas, and I also pointed out the Four Principles of Open Space which are:

1. Whoever comes (to a concurrent session) are the “right” people.
2. Whenever it starts is the “right” time.
3. Whatever happens is the only thing that can happen.
4. When it's over… it's over!!

I enjoyed overhearing several high level Board Member/managers repeating “Whoever shows up are the “right” people,” as they marveled at the efficient use of time by ALL concerned, and how each person who showed up for a break-out session REALLY had passion for the topic and WANTED to be there. The “nonbelievers” quickly became supporters of Open Space as the day progressed.

By the end of the day (and we were able to end early) every one of the fifty or so original topics had been covered, decisions had been made, a short Board Meeting was convened to vote on a decided-upon change that had urgency for action, follow-up committees were formed, a new agenda outline was created for the monthly Board meetings which would incorporate issues that were now deemed a higher priority, a marketing plan for a new product had been decided upon, and other on-going business was handled and prioritized to better follow the Board's strategic directives. The feedback was positive and everyone had a fun time in the process!!

4- Two non-profit organizations shared a mission and wanted to converge their visions, set some action plans around a joint venture project, apply for and get funding, and run new programs jointly between the two of them. I stepped forward to facilitate the blending of the two cultures, their visions, and then to “ground” the movement forward on the project plan.

We used several innovative processes including Open Space Technology, the Resonating Core concept, Whole Person processes, and a natural strategic planning model. From the beginning of the merging of cultures and visions there has been great excitement and passion. The tools that I have shared have guided this passion to creatively support the organizations to come together, identify the strengths that each organization as well as key individual players bring to the venture, help them to identify the practical application of strengths to design and implement a workable and practical program model that has since been written into several grant proposals, and has, to date, received funding to move ahead this year and run some programs.

The individuals involved in this venture are very special, and there was no resistance to any of the tools that I proposed using with them. They all are focused on health and balance within their own organizations and in themselves, and they were consciously looking for a facilitator that could guide them to the next level in their personal and project development. It was my pleasure working with these people who were so eager to be mentored and who enjoyed each aspect of the work we performed together because they understood how the foundation was built on New Paradigm, wholistic principles of individual and organizational wellness.

Natural law is easy and invigorating for all who participate in its flow, and this group, in just five months, are ready to move forward with their original dreams, hand-in-hand within a new partnership, with funding already offered, and staff already applying for the available positions within the new organization. I look forward to my continued association with these forward-looking people and their exciting new “brain child”!

I have many more cases I could share, and someday I will write about more breakthroughs I've encountered in using Open Space Technology. For now I believe that the cases listed here are prime examples of positive results as well as the fears involved with bringing an innovative process such as Open Space Technology to somewhat traditional organizations for the first time. My colleagues and I are pioneers in helping to create and maintain Open Space within organizations, and we hold strong passion for the “work” as we witness the positive benefits gained by individuals and organizations. We are interested in training others to help take this inside of organizations to release dependence on us. I am grateful for the parts that I play!!

For more information on Open Space Technology, please contact us at merakel@arielagroup.com .