Open Space Canada News 2002

Published by the Open Space Institute of Canada                         Larry Peterson

www.openspacecanada.org

June 2002

Articles

Events

Resources

Membership

Articles In this Issue:

Banking for the Future: Cancer Research: Meg Salter
OS Accelerates a Change Implementation: Jean-Pierre Beaulieu
Wooo: Two good ones in two weeks: Chris Corrigan
Realizing the Promise of Public Education: Larry Peterson
Working with Open Space Technology: Halifax, June 24-27, 2002
Participation for Global Action & Change: Guelph, August 1-2, 2002
Introduction and Advanced Open Space Technology: 2003
A Sampling of Spaces Opened in Canada

Welcome to this edition of the OSI Canada Newsletter.  There are some great articles and some exciting public events coming up with the use of Open Space Technology.  Thanks to all that contributed.  Some of us are going to Australia November 8-11, 2003 for the next Open Space on Open Space, join us if you can and visit the www.openspaceworld.org site for details.

Larry

Articles

Banking for the future

By Meg Salter

Background

The Ontario Cancer Research Network is a not-for-profit corporation funded by the Government of Ontario, with a mandate to “support programs in research, infrastructure, information and communications that will enhance translational cancer research in Ontario.” One of these initiatives is the funding and facilitation of the collection, storage and distribution of tumour samples and associated data for research purposes – i.e. a Tumour Bank! An advisory group, working with the CEO, had developed a preliminary picture of the OCRN’s business and operating model, and wished to test it and some of its underlying assumptions with key stakeholders. The first step in moving forward was a facilitated workshop with these stakeholders to discuss the model, and to decide on one of three potential ways for assigning funds – total group collaboration, regional collaboration, or Request for Proposal.

Presenting Situation

The total stakeholder group numbered around 30 and was comprised of senior medical people and research scientists. They all had different perspectives. Some came from large institutions with existing tumour banking infrastructure who might perceive this initiative as a potential conflict. Others came from smaller, regional institutions and saw it as a critical resource they didn’t have. In other situations such as grant funding, many of these researchers might find themselves in competition. Most of the individuals were used to formal academic conference presentations or board-room style communications.  The goal of the sponsor/ CEO was to ensure that everyone understood what OCRN was all about, to get individual agendas out in the open, and to ensure that everyone had an equal opportunity to shape the decision on how to proceed.  As people were contributing their own time, it was felt the most that could be asked of them was 1½ days.

Design

The sponsor wanted to create the conditions for individuals and institutions to self organize around a larger purpose, and understood that Open Space would be a good way to do this. The question was; how to accomplish a big task in such a short time? The three conditions for creating the conditions for self-organization, as presented by Edwin Olson and Glenda Eoyang were used to guide the design of the workshop and to coach the sponsor on his role.

Establishing the Container – establishing size, scope and boundaries

The invitation letter from the sponsor/ CEO of OCRN was very clear on the purpose of the initiative and on the givens, e.g. the tumour bank would develop and audit quality standards on all members; the actual standards could be developed by members. Substantial background information was provided ahead of time, including a summary of the working group findings, a draft implementation plan, possible models for the tumour bank network, and potential pros and cons for institutions to consider in making their decision.

Significant Differences – bringing in differences that shape emergent patterns

Workshop participants were asked to complete a questionnaire outlining their current practices. The results were shared prior to the workshop, enabling people to understand the current situation without devoting several hours of valuable workshop time. Several guests from outside the province with innovative tumour banking approaches were invited to present at the beginning of the workshop, and to participate thereafter. Because they were from outside they province, they were not perceived as a threat by Ontario incumbents (health being a provincial jurisdiction). As it turned out, their ideas were the true “difference that makes a difference”.

Transforming Exchanges – establishing connections that shape personal or system transformations

The Open Space Technology process itself provides a method for exchanging ideas and building relationships in a way that is truly transforming. As readers of the OSI Newsletter, I don’t need to tell you more about that!

The Workshop

Next Steps and Lessons Learned

The establishment of an Ontario wide tumour bank is still a work in progress. It is hoped that in such a specialized area, working with the key recommenders at the grass roots level will create the necessary momentum and drive for change. The sense by most is that it is an idea whose time has come, and it could leverage the relatively co-operative Canadian infrastructure for scientific research into real breakthroughs.

Lessons learned:

·        Open Space Technology is nothing if not flexible! It is important for the facilitator to strike the appropriate balance between ritual and adapting to the language and norms of the group.

·        Thinking of organizations and change as complex adaptive systems, you can use approaches congruent with Open Space to set the conditions for self-organization. Traditional activities such as pre-reading and short questionnaires can be consciously used to enhance the activity that will occur in Open Space.

·        “Problems are never solved at the same level at which they are created.” An idea and organizing concept bigger than any one player created a commodious enough space for all to feel they could enter.

Meg Salter

MegaSpace Consulting

www.megaspaceconsulting.com

meg.salter@sympatico.ca

416/486-6660

Case Study: OS accelerates a change implementation
(A follow-up)

by Jean-Pierre Beaulieu jp_beaulieu@videotron.ca

In a previous story, see last year June bulletin, I presented the initial part of this case. I now want to present an update of the events and outcomes a year later. I want to outline some aspects of the change strategy used to keep the ball rolling after the OS event.

Client: The Engineering division of a large multinational Co. that operates several plants in Québec.

The goal of the Open Space : To accelerate the implementation of a significant organizational change doubled by an as important change in the way of  conducting business with external partners. By getting a commitment by all partners to support the change and make it work.

The main objective for this major organisational change and shift in the business relations with external partners was essentially to get more value for every dollar spent from the Engineering budget.

In December 2000, 150 people representing all key internal and external stakeholders got together for a 1.5 day OS meeting. During that meeting they discussed some 30 issues, agreed on 7 priorities and launch as many action teams. As important if not more, was the fact that throughout the meeting one could feel the tension, the resistance, the suspicion slowly dropping. By the end, the readiness to embark on that change project was visible, noticeably through the «alliances» that had emerged between different internal/external partners. A strong confirmation that people will get involved in a change project rather than resisting or opposing it if they feel they can influence it.

Getting the action team to work: Shortly after the OS, management met with all the team leaders to review their respective mandate, identify any convergence between two or more mandates, set specific objectives and deadlines.

Consulting meeting with the Engineering Staff: In June 2001, the Engineering personnel from all plants were invited to a half-day meeting. During that meeting, each taskforce leader presented his team mandate. Participants were then invited to comment and give feedback in terms of issues and opportunities related to each project.

Working in mixed teams, the employees had the opportunity to influence the agenda of the action team hence increasing their own interest and involvement vis-à-vis the work to be done.

Progress review meeting: In October, again all team leaders met with Management to present a progress report on their mandate. They reviewed what had been covered, the obstacles encountered, the issues still to be dealt with. That meeting was instrumental in redirecting some efforts and also in reenergizing some teams. It visibly demonstrated management’s interest and support on top of the fact that a member of the management team had been acting as «sponsor» for each team since their formation.

Celebrating the good work: In January 2002, twelve months after the initial OS meeting more than 225 people, coming from all seven plants involved and also including several external partners, gathered for a one-day meeting. All participants from the December 2000 meeting were invited plus all other Engineering employees who had not been invited to the first meeting. (Given its impact, management’s only regret about that meeting was not to have invited all staff but only representatives from each functional group and plant).

Participants were presented with the final report and recommendations from each work team as well as with management’s decision and commitment related to each report/recommendation. Again, working in mixed groups, participants had the opportunity to comment on the work accomplished, identify opportunities, constraints and obstacles facing implementation and suggest how best to deal with them.

This was a «full day» of work. People were enthused by all the good work done and pleased by the Management commitment to move forward. There was a great sense of accomplishment. Many participants expressed their satisfaction with all the progress made over the 12 month period. No doubt that the Management team’s credibility was greatly reinforced with all stakeholders. Management expressed its satisfaction for all the support, commitment and contribution from everyone, especially the work team members.

The overall assessment was that the initial Open Space meeting was the key success factor. It triggered a significant shift in attitude from overt opposition or passive resistance to a shared willingness to make this important organisational change happen. It was done; it was done successfully in 12 months.

Jean-Pierre Beaulieu

J.P.Beaulieu Conseil en gestion inc.

May 2002.

Wooooo.  Two good ones in two weeks.

By Chris Corrigan as posted on the OS Listserve

Last week I was up in Fairbanks, Alaska with Michael Herman and Judi Richardson and a bunch of others from this list, like Julie Smith, Dan and Heidi Chay and Dave Athons, and we did a good one there on peacekeeping.

And then yesterday I was in the dry central plateau of British Columbia and we did a good one there too.  This one brought together First Nations and non-Aboriginal people in a rural regional visioning exercise.

The region I was working in is called The Cariboo.  It got the unusual spelling from the friend of a judge who was once posted there during the gold rush: "You're going to the Cariboo-hoo-hoo"  It was, and still is to some extent, regarded as a backwater, populated with frontier minded loggers, miners and ranchers, the kind of people who are always unfairly tarred as "plaid-shirted rednecks."  Pickup trucks, guns and big machinery forms the currency of conversation a lot of the time.  Most folks from the urban south of British Columbia perceive the Cariboo as a place rife with confrontation and exclusion.

But that profile of the Cariboo is a dangerously generalized thumbnail sketch of the region.  What lies beneath it, and what gives rise to the fierce pride that Cariboo residents are famous for is that fact that people love that region with their entire spirits.  Like Fairbanks, people consciously choose to live in The Cariboo, choose to put up with uncertain economic opportunity, harsh weather (cold in winter hot in summer) and ever increasing conflict over the land base.

To throw a wrench into the mix, the First Nations people of The Cariboo, called Secepemc te Qelmixw, or the Northern Shuswap, have never settled a treaty, and this big piece of unfinished business is hanging over the whole region like a bad smell.  It puts uncertainty over the land and resources, creates confusion about rights and the local economy and fosters conflict between First Nations and settlers.  Passion everywhere you look.

My client is the British Columbia Treaty Commission (BCTC), an independent organization that oversees the implementation of the treaty making process in this province.  Recently, the BCTC decided to create a regional visioning process which would provide funds and in kind services to regions who wish to explore their futures and how treaty making might play a role in those futures.

A group of Cariboo residents, including folks from local government, the local Tribal Council as well as logging, mining and ranching interests decided to take the BCTC up on its offer of supporting regional visioning and quite on their own arrived at the notion that OST would be a useful process for beginning the dialogue and creating an agenda for further action.

When we gathered yesterday there were 60 people in a room, about half from the First Nations in the region and the other half from the towns and outlying areas.  I was really nervous about the opening, because people in the Cariboo are blessed with both retiring shyness and an inherent suspicion of anything too new or unusual.  Our theme was "Building healthy individuals, enterprises and communities together in the Cariboo."

I opened space and 28 topics were quickly posted.  They included things ranging from building a baseball field to encourage non-Aboriginal kids and parents to visit the reserves, to creating a joint history and a community storytelling project, to engaging in tourism partnerships. Some discussion groups were more abstract and served as useful awareness sessions, even if nothing concrete came out of them.

What was missing was discussions about activities on the land base like logging and mining and ranching, which are the three most controversial areas.  This happened for two reasons.  First, these issues are just not at the stage where joint action can happen yet as they are mired in land use planning processes and controversial economic and political machinations.  Second, the positive forward looking theme helped people self-select for areas of activity that were able to start NOW, and so the resource sector folks didn't show up, and that was fine.  OST allowed the group to focus on what was do-able, to build networks and ideas together and propose action.

It became clear that the process was exactly what was required for the region.  Several people remarked that they had been waiting for years to talk to each other like this, instead of in angry and positional public meetings that only served to polarize issues and people.  People also responded positively to the notion that relationships get built between people and not between groups, and that vision resides in everyone, and not in a statement.  It was remarked in the closing that people wanted much more of this, and so the follow up plan may include OST sessions along the lines of "Inviting Action on ..." , where we gather with planning tools such as day books and contact lists and craft meetings, activities, projects and events.  Folks are interested in regional visioning only if it translates into action now and seizing the opportunities that are before them.  They are not hung up on the process of articulating a vision, but rather want to jump directly to the stage of moving on.

Knowing this region well, and seeing my nervousness about their skepticism overcome with this event gives me a great deal of confidence that I can use this process in other places.  For those of you thinking of using OST for regional visioning, especially in rural regions, I think my experience shows that it can work well in a crucible, where even high degrees of conservatism, skepticism and shyness can be overcome by the passion people feel for their lands and futures.

Chris

CHRIS CORRIGAN

Consultation - Facilitation

Open Space Technology

http://www.chriscorrigan.com

chris@chriscorrigan.com

Realizing the Promise of Public Education

By Larry Peterson

In early June, I facilitated an Open Space for 320 participants from across Ontario with some able assistance from Judy Gast and Audrey Coward.  For the past 10 years Public Education has been under substantial threat in Ontario, like in many places.  What was touted as one of the best systems in the world has been cut to the bone and teachers have been taken on buy a government with a strong leaning toward private education.  During that time the Teacher’s Federations have fought among themselves and the umbrella Ontario Teachers’ Federation (OTF) has had to substantially downsize.

There has been a poisoned, confrontational climate among the stakeholders.  In early focus groups, OTF saw that teachers were usually liked by parents, but federations were not.  Many had real concerns about the quality and effectiveness of public education for their children in addition to concerns for the costs.  To begin to address this, the Ontario Teachers Federation initiated a series of 2.5 hour community forums in 1999.  I was asked to design them and to train teacher-facilitators to use a process of small group discussions where teachers listened.  The 38 communities that have held the forums across the province recruited a diversity of participants to the dialogue – and dialogue was the focus.  Those local forums have generated conversations and networking in those communities that have led to both new learning and new initiatives. To find out more about those Community Forums go to www.talkschools.on.ca .

The Provincial Forum was seen as a way to take the community dialogues to provincial level.  The participants were from across Ontario: parents, teachers, administrators, trustees, provincial activists, federation politicians, food banks, healthy schools, small business people, aboriginal education leaders, a few Ministry of Education folks, black activists and many others.  A real diversity of people and opinions was achieved by some excellent organizing.

The sponsors believed that some high profile presenters would give the event more political credibility and stir the pot for the following discussions in Open Space.  A former Premier, an academic and the Minister of Education all gave short presentations that first morning.  The last presenter was a clergyman who had attended the first Community Forum and extolled its impact and the virtues of engaging the diversity of the community in the conversation on public education.

I usually recommend against “experts” presenting right before Opening the Space.  Lunch in between helps.  In this case, the desire of participants to move forward on Public Education issues was still strong at the Opening.  Even though we had some sound problems in the room, participants jumped up to be sure their topics were on the agenda.

At the end of the first afternoon in Open Space, we held “Evening News”.  People were already enthusiastic about what they had experienced and learned.  I asked for both what was working and then what people wished for given that we had a day left.  I find those “appreciative” questions a marvelous way to surface stories and to engage people in thinking about what topics they might want to pursue the next day.  I asked people to pay attention to their dreams.

At Morning News, there were some dreams to be shared.  One about saving a baby became a topic “Oh Baby” about the loss of student enthusiasm for education.  Many other topics were posted that took the discussions to some clearer, deeper and more strategic levels.  The day concluded with another Evening News to mark the transition to convergence with again many energized and excited statements about the learning and about Open Space.  There was also a speaker at dinner, which was of some concern to me, but many believed she made a positive contribution.  (She had originally been scheduled for the first morning.)

The convergence process in the morning was twofold.  The 69 reports had been printed overnight and people were given copies with convergence instructions as they arrived for breakfast at 7:30.  The sponsors did want some indication of the top priorities for the attention of Provincial organizations.  The meeting was convened at 9:00 and the TASC Ranking software was used to allow all to state their top 10 for provincial attention.  The results were projected on the wall by 10:15

Individuals then used a guide to identify their personal goals and next steps.  They were encouraged to network with those at the event with whom they might work with to accomplish their goals.  Personal networking, truly chaotic with no posting of topics and I think it worked well.  A couple of folks used the mike to say that a parents group would meet in one part of the room or that a community would be meeting in another.  Press releases were requested from the OTF and they were distributed to those who wanted them.  In the closing, a number talked about the concrete next steps that they had planned.

There was some attrition by the closing on Saturday morning, as expected, but those who stayed told of life affirming and changing experiences: healing conversations between parents and teachers, between those working from different perspectives, between local union leaders and business people.  One woman was moved by her Community Forum a couple of years ago to run for trustee, and won.  She described how she was moved by the Open Space to stand up for her community in ways she could not have imagined.  Students loved it.

For most it was their first experience of Open Space.  I do believe that the participatory approach used in the Community Forums did help to establish the value and develop some skills for real dialogue.  A recent change in Provincial leadership that gives more hope for positive developments in education was also a factor in the high energy and openness. 

More community forums are planned in areas that have not held them or to take the conversations to a new level where they have been held.  The next Provincial Forum in Open Space will be held in a year with a hope to double the size and it will be right before Provincial Elections.

Larry Peterson

Associates in Transformation

Toronto, ON, Canada

416.653.4829

larry@spiritedorg.com  

www.spiritedorg.com 

A Sampling of Spaces Opened in Canada

Open Space can be used for a wide variety of applications. Meg Salter and Larry Peterson have kindly shared with us a sampling of the different kinds of Open Space Technology events they have facilitated since the last Newsletter:

MegaSpace Consulting, Meg Salter

Larry Peterson

Upcoming Events

The following events are not endorsed by OSCI but are listed here for informational purposes only.

"WORKING WITH"  OPEN SPACE TECHNOLOGY
June 24,25,26,27, 2002  Halifax, Nova Scotia

Judi Richardson

For more information contact  Michael Spencer, Telephone (902) 497-4404 or
e-mail thespencergroup@ns.sympatico.ca

For more information see www.openspacecanada.org/events.htm

Participation for Global Action & Change
Connecting practitioners, communities, networks, and organizations

Open Space: August 1-2, 2002 - Guelph ON Canada

Diane Gibeault

e-mail: pdforum@pdforum.org   www: http://www.pdforum.org

For more information see www.openspacecanada.org/events.htm

Introduction to Open Space Technology:

February 19-21, 2003: Toronto

Larry Peterson, Audrey Coward

Contact: larry@spiritedorg.com

Advanced Open Space Technology

April 9-10, 11-12, 2003: Toronto

Phase II & III: Transformation & Leadership

Harrison Owen, Larry Peterson, Audrey Coward

Contact: larry@spiritedorg.com

Resources: Open Space Books

Harrison Owen’s Books are available from Resources Connection. Information is available via their website http://www.resourcesconnect.com/ or call 1-800-295-0957.

Expanding Our Now and Open Space Technology are available from Berrett-Koehler Publishers. Their distributor in Canada in McGraw-Hill Ryerson at 905-430-5000

Resources: Open Space Websites

Open Space Institute of Canada www.openspacecanada.org/
Our home on the web. Newsletters, articles and information about Open Space Events held in Canada.

World Wide Open Space www.openspaceworld.org/
This site is an open invitation to connect with the people and practices, insights and experiences that are showing up in worldwide open space. Site includes information on Open Space Institutes around the world.

Harrison Owen www.openspaceworld.com/
Harrison Owen, Maryland, U.S.A. Creator of Open Space Technology and experienced international consultant

Joining OSI Canada