Information Insights

In Open Space meetings, participants create and manage their own agenda of parallel working sessions around a central theme of strategic importance, such as: What is the strategy that all stakeholders can support and work together to create? The participants largely self-facilitate their own breakout groups, with constant assistance and support from the facilitators. With groups of five to 1,000 the common result is a powerful, effective connecting and strengthening of what’s already happening in the organization: planning and action, learning and doing, passion and responsibility, participation and performance.

Open Space works best when the work to be done is complex, the people and ideas involved are diverse, the passion for resolution (and potential for conflict) are high, and the time to get it done was yesterday. It’s been called passion bounded by responsibility, the energy of a good coffee break, intentional self-organization, spirit at work, chaos and creativity, evolution in organization, and a simple, powerful way to get people and organizations moving – when and where it’s needed most.

And, while Open Space at first glance presents an apparent lack of structure, it turns out that the Open Space meeting is actually very structured – but that structure is so perfectly fitted to the people and the work at hand, it goes unnoticed in its proper role of supporting (not blocking) best work. In fact, the stories and work plans woven in Open Space are generally more complex, robust and durable – and can move a great deal faster than expert- or management-driven designs.

We never know exactly what will happen when we open the space for people to do important work, but we can guarantee when any group gets into Open Space:

•  All of the issues that are MOST important to the participants will be raised.

•  All of the issues raised will be addressed by those participants most qualified and capable of getting something done on each of them.

In a time as short as one or two days, all of the most important ideas, discussion, data, recommendations, conclusions, questions for further study, and plans for immediate action will be documented in one comprehensive report – and in many cases the summary can be finished, printed and in the hands of participants when they leave.