EVER-WIDENING
CIRCLES
Wingspread Journal, Spring 1997
OPEN SPACE: COMMUNITY
FROM CHAOS
To be sustainable, we must first be a community.
Open Space helps create that community in unexpected
ways.
"You never know what's going to happen."
Harrison Owen is not describing the future of sustainable
development. He's summarizing the benefits of Open
Space, an innovative group process that transforms
meetings into powerful learning and doing tools. In
Open Space, people who share common interests or concerns
come together to use their own skills to organize
themselves to solve problems, facilitate change, and
innovate.
The process is deceptively simple, as the 40 women
and men from Sustainable Racine learned recently.
They gathered at Wingspread to evaluate ways in which
a productive visioning process for the community could
be structured. They soon discovered Open Space has
no structure, no agenda, and no planned content.
The process begins as participants sit in a large
circle and the "rules" are explained.
- Whoever
comes is the right people
- Whatever
happens is the only thing that could have
- Whenever
it starts is the right time
- When
it's over, it's over
Members of the group are asked to create their own
agenda and implement it. They do so by thinking of
an issue related to the meeting's theme that they
are passionate about, and are willing to take responsibility
for. Then, if and when they wish, they write their
issue on a piece of poster paper, take it to the center
of the circle, announce name and issue, then tack
the paper to the wall.
Soon a flurry of papers line the wall as individuals
stand up to announce their issues. When the activity
stops, the posted topics are arranged into time slots
for the rest of the session and a meeting location
assigned for each. Anyone interested in an issue signs
up and then shows up. Those who originate the issue
take notes of what goes on.
It may sound chaotic, but it is a process that produces
results. More than 400 members of the National Education
Association, for example, recently created 85 workshops
in less than an hour and then ran a two-day conference
themselves. The secret is that Open Space allows people
to take control of the process to do what they are
passionate about.
"When all is said and done," says Owen,
who began Open Space almost a decade ago, "people
really have the experience of open power. They are
in charge which is the reason the levels of spirit
and creativity are so high."
While Owen is the first to admit that Open Space
isn't right for every situation, it may be a useful
tool for communities as they develop vision plans
and sustainable strategies. It works best, he says,
when groups:
- Are
highly diverse: in interests, ethnic backgrounds,
or occupation;
- Face
complex or emotionally charged problems and issues;
- Have
a high potential for conflict;
- Have
a decision deadline of yesterday.
"Open Space seems to create an incredible sense
of community," says Owen. "The key is, it's
a safe space within which people can take authority
and responsibility for themselves. It is based on
the belief that all that is needed is already present
in the community."
Learn More About Open
Space
Open Space Technology: A User's Guide, by
Harrison Owen, Abbott Publishing, Potomac, Md., 1992.
A video demonstrating Open Space in action is available
from Harrison Owen at tel.: 301-469-9269.
Tales from Open Space, edited by Harrison
Owen, Abbott Publishing, 1995. Contact Abbott Publishing
at 7808 River Falls Drive, Potomac, Md., 20854.
"When My Eyes Opened in Open Space" in
Yes! A Journal of Positive Futures, No. B2.
|
