About Open Space Technology
Open Space Technology (OST) is an approach to conduct meetings and conferences on difficult issues with a large number of participants (from 20 up to 2.000). Contrary to the conventional conference methods, Open Space doesn´t have a defined agenda at the beginning.
The OST method is based on the self-organisation. Therefore, the participants are supposed to create their own agenda during the first part of the Open Space event, which usually lasts one to one and a half hours.
The first Open Space conference was organised in 1983 by Harrison Owen, the founder of the method and author of Open Space Technology. A User´s Guide. The guide explains all the steps of an OS event in a simple way. He calls some very important conditions for conduction OS: the real business issue, which is very complex; diversity of people who take part in OS meeting; passion of participants and responsibility, which are only then possible, if people care about the issue; urgency – the decision must be made very soon. Only if these conditions are fulfilled, the OS is the right technology to be used.
The Open Space meeting goes on in the following way: At the beginning all participants are sitting in a circle and being welcomed by the sponsor (organizer of the OST event). Afterwards the facilitator explains what Open Space is and how it works and introduces the main principles of it. The role of the facilitator contains some challenges. The facilitator has not only to be neutral, as in other methods, but invisible and at the same time present. He or she should create and hold an Open Space, but not influence or intervene in the course of event. The facilitator just helps the participants in self-organization creating the frame for it.
This frame consists of the basic principles and one law, which are explained at the beginning by the facilitator. There are four principles in OST:
1) Whoever comes is the right people.
2) Whenever it starts is the right time.
3) Whatever happens is the only thing that could have.
4) When it's over, it's over. When it's not over, it's not over.
These principles give enough open space to feel free bring their ideas and discuss some issues as long as it´s needed.
The key law of the OST is a law of two feet. It means, that if anybody doesn´t feel learning or contributing to one discussion, she/he have her/his both feet to go to the other discussion round which is more useful. In short, everybody is responsible for her-/himself. The law of two feet creates bumblebees and butterflies. Bumblebees use the law of two feet, going from one meeting to the other, collecting different ideas and contributing this diversity in discussions. The other kind of participants is butterfly. They are not really involved in discussions, but nevertheless make a big contribution: Enjoying their time in the coffee-break room or somewhere in the terrace, they can get other people in informal conversations which are not less productive and effective as the discussion in the session groups.
Beside the principles and the law the facilitator has to warn the participants to be prepared to be surprised. In other words, everybody has to be open to new acknowledgments during the Open Space event.
After the introduction the group is going to set their agenda together. It works in the following way: Everybody can bring up their issues – some questions or topics which they are concerned about and would like to share and discuss them with the other people. There are no limitations for issues and everybody is allowed to put as many topics as they have. All proposals are put on the bulletin board which is created for agenda. There are some time possibilities and breakout spaces where the issues can be discussed. The amount of the both depends on the size of the group. As usual, it´s recommended to have no more than four time appointments per day.
When this part is completed, the participants get some time (one and a half hour) to look at all issues and decide, in which discussions they will take part. This part is called market place. It means that participants can also bargain with the proposals. Some of them can be combined if they have common points or the time can be replaced, if the person responsible for this issue wants to take part in the other discussion which takes place at the same time.
Then the first sessions start. At the end of every discussion the one, who put the issue on the agenda, takes responsibility to write down the most important points in the report sheet. These report sheets are the base for the action planning – the last part of the OS event. All discussed points and ideas are supposed to be implemented in definite small projects. These projects are proposed by participants during action planning. Everybody is welcomed to support one or another project. Beside the main goals of the project and supporters of it one thing more is an important part of the action planning – the first step which must be documented very precisely: Who and when is going to do this first step.
After action planning the OS event ends with a closing round, in which everybody can express their feeling about OS and share some reflections.
Ideally every participant leaves the Open Space full of motivation to begin the implementation of the proposed projects.
In this way some very complicated problems can be solved by the power of self-organization.
