OpenSpaceTechnology

What Is Open Space?

Open Space Technology (OST) is one way to enable all kinds of people, in any kind of organization, to create inspired meetings and events. Over the last 15 years, it has also become clear that opening space, as an intentional leadership practice, can create inspired organizations, where ordinary people work together to create extraordinary results with regularity.

In Open Space meetings, events and organizations, participants create and manage their own agenda of parallel working sessions around a central theme of strategic importance, such as: What is the strategy, group, organization or community that all stakeholders can support and work together to create?

With groups of 5 to 1000 – working in one-day workshops, three-day conferences, or the regular weekly staff meeting – the common result is a powerful, effective connecting and strengthening of what's already happening in the organization: planning and action, learning and doing, passion and responsibility, participation and performance.

From OpenSpaceTechnology/ExecutiveSummary (by MichaelHerman)

How To Do Open Space

1. Invitation - tell the story of an issue or opportunity that matters, the big idea and purpose, and ask people to come help.

2. Invtitation List - send the invitation to anyone and everyone who might help or be interested. as them to send it to others.

3. Space/Time Logistics - get a meeting room, some markers, paper and tape. find one near restaurants if your meeting lasts through lunch. when the invited people show up at the date and time and place you pick, read the invitation, point to the markers and paper. ask them what they love, why they came, and ask them to take responsibility for writing it, convening it, and documenting it.

4. Leave Footprints - capture the story, the outcomes, the notes from the conversations. if you're hosting a follow-up to an RCC issue, then post your invitation and notes right here in this wiki. keep the work and the conversation going.

repeat as necessary until astronomical profits, the cure for cancer, world peace and personal rapture are accomplished and documented. in the meantime, feel free to contact MichaelHerman for more about how to practice OST.

See also

MichaelHerman's OST wiki archive - extensive collection of OST explanations and resources

http://www.communitywiki.org/en/OpenSpace

http://www.usemod.com/cgi-bin/mb.pl?OpenSpaceTechnology