Open Space Technology

“Here is a radical management idea: Take your best people, sit them in a circle, give them a problem, and let them solve it” (Owen, 1997). This appears to be a simple concept. It is. It is also called “Open Space Technology” (OST?). What is Open Space Technology? Why am I talking about Open Space Technology?

What is Open Space Technology?

The straight definition of OST is an environment that facilitates open human communication based on passion and responsibility. The fundamentals of OST require four basic components:

  1. A circle shape for participants to sit face to face removing all inhibitions of rank, enhance involvement, and connection.
  2. Open human communication to facilitate discussions, interactions, ideating, and idea sharing. This allows the shy folks to get out of their shells and contribute. Everyone has the responsibility to get involved.
  3. A bulletin board that provides a basic backdrop to place the ideas and topics on which the participants are interested
  4. A marketplace, which is a format to allow the participants to write down their topics, bring them to the group, and select the ones they like. Then they place the ideas on the bulletin board for others to see.

Why am I talking about Open Space Technology?

The PMI Portland Chapter is on a healthy trajectory with 1870 members and more than 150 volunteers.  The Chapter is holding this year’s Annual Conference at the Oregon Convention Center for the first time, on August 26 and 27. The first day (8/26) fits the traditional model of 5 educational tracks of strategy, leadership, technical, Agile, and business analysis.

On the second day (8/27), the format will change to a completely new model that is new to our Chapter meeting. It will not be the instructor style led model. Rather, it will be a circle that allows participants to voice topics that they care about. After all “the best way to get something done well is to give it to somebody who cares enough to do it” (Harrison Owen, 1997).

PMI Handout BACK with bleed

Has the Chapter ever used this model before?

The Chapter recently used the OST during the last strategy meeting. Why did they use OST for this exercise?

This model was new to the board. Some board members were a little skeptical on the logistics. In summary, OST demonstrated to the Chapter the theme of this Annual Conference “Many paths, One Destination”. Here is how:

Last June, the Chapter held a strategy meeting using the SWOT analysis method to answer six basic questions as suggested by Whitehead (2011):

  1. What is the External Environment?
  2. What is the Internal Situation?
  3. How might the Situation Evolve?
  4. What is the Primary Issue?
  5. What are the Options?
  6. Which Option is best?

Six months later it was time to evaluate the progress against the various projects that stemmed from the strategy session.

At the direction of Jean Richardson, the team got on board for an OST follow up session. 

Because the team arrived without an agenda, the real agenda came from members in the room. The real agenda came from what the participants used for the bulletin board. In addition, the team broke out into spaces at each corner of the room.

At the end of the session, after everyone participated in exchanging issues, ideas, break-out sessions, breaks, and so forth, the team came up with similar ideas and action plans from the previous strategy event. There were new action plans of course. However, the strategy was the same.

Lastly, you may ask what the strategy of the PMI Portland Chapter is.  This is a great question and a topic for another day.

Sources:

Owen, H. (2008) Open Space Technology: A User’s Guide. Berrett-Koehler Publishers.

Whitehead, J. (2011) What you need to know about strategy. Capstone.

A Brief Users' Guide to Open Space Technology. Ref:http://www.openspaceworld.com/users_guide.htm

Open Space Technology A user's guide, second edition:https://www.amazon.com/Open-Space-Technology-Users-Guide/dp/1576750248?ie=UTF8&*Version*=1&*entries*=0

About the Author

godard jimmy 2015Jimmy Godard, MBA, PMP, is President Elect of the PMI Portland Chapter.