Michael Herman and I ran an Open Space practice retreat here on Bowen Island a couple of weeks ago, and while he was here we made major progress in our thinking about the Open Space Practices. Here’s some of that thinking.
When Harrison Owen conceived of Open Space and ran the initial experiments in the 1980s he said that he hoped that Open Space would eventually become ubiquitous, that it would fade away and just become the way people do business. For a long time I thought that this meant Harrison hoped Open Space would become like brainstorming: used everywhere all the time without any thought to its origins or mechanics.
I’m now coming to realize that Open Space does indeed fade away, or at least fades into the background when my use of the process dissolves into practice. If anything, this long journey into articulating and understanding the four practices of Open Space has been an effort to understand what I’m learning about organizations, communities, leadership and passion in Open Space and applying that learning throughout my life and work.
Dissolving into practice. That is the essence of why this stuff matters. Some of the participants we had with us here on Bowen Island a couple of weeks ago reported coming to learn about the mechanics of Open Space and leaving with a deeper knowing of how space can be opened everywhere. That is what we are after: cultivating the practices of open space so that it can happen everywhere, at any time and in many different guises. For me, sometimes this takes the form of an Open Space Technology meeting, but there are something like 345 days a year when I am NOT in an Open Space meeting, and yet I’m still practicing.
Michael and I continue to look for ways to make this story accessible and practice-able as we deepen our exploration of these ideas. In the past we have talked about the four practices as Opening, Inviting, Holding and Grounding. This language still holds, and in fact a number of different words and concepts are useful, because these four words describe practice areas in which many distinct practices can be gathered.
After working through the fire of a workshop and some fantastic conversations, we have refined the ore a little more and we are now using the following descriptions:
We’re ploughing away on lots more writing and thinking about this. I reckon there’s a book in it at some point.
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Great post Chris. Wonderful writing and even more important content.
Comment by Gerry — May 5, 2006 #
Chris, you are really talking about a way of life – it is certainly a change I have noticed in my own life since OST began in earnest. I recall you saying at the December workshop last year that Open Space is about Opening to the world (or at least that’s what I heard you say!). With that in mind, I notice now how my life is different when I hold my own space open. Indeed, there is a book coming – I can hear the pages turning already!
Comment by Nancy — May 7, 2006 #
Chris,
When can I buy my autographed copy? : ))
Might you insert a leaf from a Bowen Island tree between pages 35 and 36 of this book?
-raffi
Comment by raffi — May 8, 2006 #
That sounds good Raffi…
And yes to opening to the world Nancy. It’s about appreciating ALL of it.
Comment by chris — May 8, 2006 #
[...] I am committed to writing more how to’s about aspects of the process Open Space Technology Methodology – particularly when running them in the Information Technology/Tech/Geek context. I found this post about what open space is about on a deeper level from practitioners who have been doing it for years. [...]
Pingback by Unconferences » Blog Archive » Open Space does not mean Voting — May 25, 2006 #
here is some of the dissolving. i was amazed to remember that we started this musing back in earliest 2005, february or march, as best i can tell. also amazed to see how much of the current language is reflected in the earliest articulations of the four practices. i have a new plan for the book, too, my friend. we talk again soon!
Comment by michael — May 26, 2006 #
[...] Chris Corrigan and I have been refining our thinking and language for open space leadership. We have it down to four inter-informing and inter-supporting practices: Appreciating, Inviting, Supporting and Making Good. [...]
Pingback by Making Good » Not the Four Practices — May 27, 2006 #