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Open Space technology: Benefits and Barriers


Open space technology

Open space technology was founded by Harrison Owen in the 1985 out of a desire to “open the space” for people to self-organize around a purpose. It is a methodology that helps meetings, conferences, community summit events of individuals and groups, focussing on a specific, important purpose or task however at the onset no formal agenda is placed. The concept therefore, thrives on ambiguity and thus is challenging. It has 5 to 2000 players and may be organised for a day to up to three days.

Ideal conditions

 Open Space Technology works best when four conditions are present:

  1. High level of complexity, such that no single person or small group fully understands or can solve the issue.
  2. Diversity, in terms of the knowledge, skills, and abilities of people (from different backgrounds & experiences) required for a successful resolution.
  3. Real or potential conflict, which implies that people genuinely care about the issue.
  4. High level of urgency, meaning the time for decisions and action was "yesterday"
The group manages itself through a working agenda and breakout sessions based around the overall focus on the topic/themes of discussion to explore and come to some kind of decision. 
It is imperative to understand that despite open space being ambiguous at the beginning , the net results of meeting may surprise many as it emerges because with almost all stakeholders participating. All IMPORTANT issues are likely to be raised and discussed threadbare, issues raised will be addressed by those participants most qualified and capable in doing something about it. Compared to other large group interventions, Open Space has the potential to document all important ideas, questions, discussion, data, recommendations, conclusions, for further study and plans in as short a time as two or three days. In addition it provides the participant the freedom of mobility with its – LAW OF TWO FEET thereby neither wasting the time of the group nor the individual.

The FOUR GUIDING Principles

To keep in mind for Open Space that will help set the tone of the event are:

1. Whoever comes are the right people. Passion is more important than position on an Org. chart.
2. Whenever it starts is the right time. Spirit and creativity do not run on the clock.
3. Whatever happens is the only thing that could have. Dwelling or complaining about past events and missed opportunities is a waste of time; move on.
4. When it’s over, it’s over. When a conversation is finished, move on.

Benefits of using Open Space Technology
  • Breakthrough learning
  • Appropriate structure
  • Genuine community
  • Spirited performance
  • Playful involvement
  • High efficiency
  • High productivity
  • Shared leadership
  • Growth from within
  • Elimination of barriers to doing a job quickly with excellence and pride
The Barriers
Open Space session topics are determined by individuals who stand up in front of the entire group and announce their chosen topic. Generally, this is much easier for extroverts, who have few difficulties speaking to a group extemporaneously, than introverts who tend to shun such opportunities. The end result is that introverts are largely silent during the opening process, and the subsequent Open Space sessions are biased towards those proposed and often dominated by a comfortably-vocal minority. We know that introverts are capable in bringing much to the table yet their nature does not permit them, hence a need arise to find a solution to this issue in corporate sector where we do find a large percentage of introverts.

Conclusion
By having the freedom and capacity to think about issues differently and work differently, opportunities will emerge in different ways and at different times. Some issues will take shape and be ready to happen right away, others may percolate for even a year or two before taking shape. Still others may never take a concrete form but will impact the way groups begin to think and work together in many ways. The impact of Open Space is best measured with a long term approach that can take into account the on-going learning and activity generated by the Open Space




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