Open Space Technology

Are any of our regular readers familiar with “Open Space Technology”?

I just stumbled onto that link and the initiative today, while working a sideline but important (?) initiative of my own in my ongoing Blogshares virtual corporate war.  I stumbled onto it via another interesting site, Siona.com, who described Open Space by quoting Sustainable Sonoma County,

Open Space Technology is a method for conducting meetings based on principles and values that enable innovation, problem solving, creativity, teamwork and rapid change.

In Open Space, participants self-organize based on what is important to them, and as a result, are committed to implementing the changes they envision. Open Space may also be used as a tool for ongoing organizational learning.

In Open Space meetings and events, participants create and manage their own agenda of parallel working sessions around a central theme or question of strategic importance. With groups of 5 to 1000—working in conferences ranging from one to seven days, or in regular weekly meetings—the result is a powerful, effective connecting and strengthening of what is happening in the organization: planning and action, learning and doing, passion and responsibility, participation and performance.

From Sustainable Sonoma County

— and then going on to describe a self-organizing meeting, which might include a facilitator who would describe the type of meeting to the participants:

A chime rings; someone stands. This is the facilitator. She begins to speak.

“I know you might be confused, or curious about what’s going to happen,” she says, “But don’t worry. By the end of the Open Space meeting, this mass of people will have enthusiastically organized themselves into dedicated committees. Everything that needed to be addressed will have been addressed. The necessary task forces will have been created. Not only will the group be positioned to again move forward, it will be enthusiastically inspired to do so.“

I was hooked into finding this page at Siona.com by reading, first, the introduction:

I facilitate people in connecting to themselves, the organizations of which they’re a part, and to the communities in which they live. I’m committed to the dream of a saner and more abundant world —starting from within.

My professional philosophy is based on the premise that prosperity and peace— both personal and collective—are brought about by the cultivation of responsibility and love.

There is an unfortunate lack of attention paid to the value of radical responsibility. Nearly all of us desire change, be it in our lives, in our relationships, in our business practices, or in our financial positions. In order for any change to occur, though, it is necessary to take responsibility for making that change, and taking responsibility involves first accepting, fully, the situation as it is.

Such acceptance is rarely easy.

It’s necessary, though, and while it may not be easy, it’s certainly possible. And the results are transformative.

Siona van Dijk’s bio, here, is interesting:

I’m obsessed with systems thinking, the evolution of community, open space technology, organizational development, and the brilliant beauty of individual subjectivities. Presence capitvates me; I take solace, and delight, in the insane intensity of immediate experience. I’m enthralled by complexity and I’m fascinated by people.

My theme for this year is engagement.

I’m  Zaadz’s Synchronicity Coordinator; I work in the area of business development, community building, media relations, and corporate communications. And best of all, I write. Consider me the resident speaker of our shared vision—and future. (Yes, that ‘our’ includes you.) My weekends are often consumed with my organizational development, community building, and facilitation work, which you can learn about at my web site. And I love conducting “unconferences;” if you’re looking for an unusual experience to make your next gathering more memorable, drop me a note.

— and more on Open Space Technology can be found at Wikipedia:

While the mechanics of Open Space provide a simple means to self-organize, it is the underlying principles that make it effective both for meetings and as a guidepost for individual and collective effectiveness. The Law of Two Feet (also known as the Law of Mobility in settings where participants don’t necessarily have the use of both feet) — a foot of passion and a foot of responsibility — expresses the core idea of taking responsibility for what you love. In practical terms, the law says that if you’re neither contributing nor getting value where you are, use your two feet (or available form of mobility) and go somewhere where you can. It is also a reminder to stand up for your passion. From the law, flow four principles:

* Whoever comes are the right people
* Whatever happens is the only thing that could have
* Whenever it starts is the right time
* When it’s over, it’s over

The organizing theme of an Open Space meeting is that people who care about the subject will come together. The initial meeting notice takes the form of an invitation, thus the people who have attended have chosen to be there and are willing to contribute. The objectives for the meeting and the time available affect design decisions such as whether action planning is included in the Open Space or not.

I wonder how these ideas might be applied to the subject of 5GW, particularly the operationalization of fifth-generation warfare.  (Not to mention: in creating resilient societies…!)