Early Childhood Community Development Centre

My Story of the first intentional conscious Open Space Organization—written from my perspective as CEO of a multi-service social service organization by Birgitt Williams

I wish to share a story with you. A story of the Open Space Organization as I have journeyed with it, which for almost a decade is a story that entwines with the story of my personal growth and evolution. It is also a story that runs at every step of the way from my intuition in a conscious relationship with my experience, knowledge and intention. It is a travel log, containing information to provide you with a map. When I took this journey, I did not have a map. I arrived at a number of destinations that I did not know I was heading for until I arrived. In every case, the destination was also a "wayshowing" spot, leading me further along the story. In other words, the story

continues to unfold. I am ready now to share the story to this point in time.

The story contains invitations to you to join me in the study and experience

of the Open Space Organization, an interconnected learning organization, hoping that

this sparks your interest. Although I have been involved with the Open Space

Organization since 1992, any work we do with Open Space Organizations is

still very much in a pioneering time.

This present story is in four parts.

In part one, I share with you a letter that I wrote to Harrison Owen, creator of Open Space Technology (see for information about Open Space Technology) in 1993. I have left the letter in its original form and apologize

for the grammatical errors and the run-on sentences.

During our training with Harrison Owen about Open Space Technology (OST) in 1992, we learned that OST was used for better meetings and required at least one full day to have a meeting that really worked. In my letter, I tell Harrison of the use I had been making of OST in leading an organization on an ongoing basis and suggest that the bigger importance of OST was way beyond just using it as a means of having a better meeting. At the time, I was CEO of a multi-service inner city social service.

Part two highlights the story of this social service from 1992 through 1995, three years during which we sustained the first intentional Open Space Organization. I share with you the learning we had until that point in time about the critical ingredients of the Open Space Organization. These are highlights. The full story would take a book.

Part three outlines the evolution of what I have called the Genuine Contact Program. For me, the critical ingredient within the Open Space Organization, the critical building block, is opening space for Genuine Contact to be made--with the self, with another, with the collective, and with Spirit that is present in all of the Genuine Contact. This was my "aha" in 1999, when together with my husband Ward, I explored and explored what Open Space was when we peeled back to the barest essences. From the "aha", the full set of workshops of Genuine Contact emerged, so that I could share with anyone who wanted to become involved with the Open Space Organization in the way that I have experienced and interpret it. It was important to me to share the full recipe of what I had found worked, not only during my time as CEO, but also in other organizations who have taken this journey with me over the last four years when I worked with them in my

current work as a consultant.

Part four outlines what for Ward and I is the next step in this journey of why we have organizations--to do with soul development and Spirit. It includes an invitation to join us in an organization that we are initiating called the International Alliance for Mentoring (IAM). The organization is an Open Space Organization, as we understand an Open Space Organization--an interconnected learning organization.

If you are interested in the Open Space Organization, we hope you enjoy the story and feel inspired by it. We would be delighted if you decide to take the training programs we offer using the Genuine Contact  program. And in turn, if you as a trained facilitator of the Genuine Contact  program took this program into organizations that are interested in developing as interconnected learning organizations.

Birgitt (Bolton) Williams

January 9th, 2001

Part One of My Story of the Open Space Organization

April 6th, 1993

Mr. Harrison Owen

7808 River Falls Drive

Potomac, Maryland

U.S.A. 20854

Dear Harrison,

I have been doing considerable thinking about “Open Space Technology” and its application on an ongoing basis, in the workplace, as a means of keeping Spirit alive. It is my belief and experience that “Open Space Technology” does all that you say it does at an “Open Space Event”.

I have used it in my own place of work and in other organizations (all non-profit) with which I am involved and the results are the same. But I have a growing awareness, and using my own organization as an on-going experiment, that “Open Space Technology” has applications as a means of keeping/enabling Spirit to be alive.

The use, of course, is a bit different because of some organizational reality which I refer to as “the givens” – the things which have to be in place. Just as you would say there are occasions when an “Open Space Event” should never be done, similarly, with the on-going work of an organization one can’t use “Open Space Technology” in any meeting that deals with “the givens”, but that leaves lots of room/scope for when “Open Space” can be used. And as I have experienced it – it works well – when we can use “Open Space Technology” within our regular business i.e., staff meetings, there are always comments about that being the best part of our meeting, and there is always a new burst of energy/life/ - Spirit that starts to escalate. Within the time-frame of a meeting, time for Open Space is reduced, but the results are the same and consistent.

To have energy/life/Spirit, alive and well in an organization that is chronically underfunded, has minimal staff in relation to the workload, has terrible hours and low wages, and is the bottom end of the social safety net in our community, and at a time of serious recession/depression, is an amazing phenomenon.

Every individual who works within our organization has energy/life/Spirit/capacity for leadership (as they do in other organizations). But with us, there is an ongoing expression of the above percolating everywhere. Incidentally, this makes my own job as senior staff almost unnecessary, while at the same time challenging me at my own outer limits as I’ve never been challenged before.

I suspect that the long-term changes/effects from “Open Space Events” are limited – far more limited than they need to be. I suspect this is so because on a longer-term basi the normal behaviour for blocking change (because of an individual’s fears or desires), the dynamism/operating style/analytical ability of the senior staff persons, support for the senior staff person in maintaining the energy necessary to be the enabler or holder of time/space for the organization.

All of these would not be as critical in an “Open Space Event as they are in the on-going work of an organization. Now, I’m not saying that the lasting change hasn’t happened because people do come away knowing that a different way is possible. I’m even sure that the follow-up to the natural organization that takes place at an “Open Space Event” can continue for many months. But, what then? So – that’s what I’m posing here – I think that “what then” can be a continuation of what began in the “Open Space Event” – but in my opinion it just doesn’t happen – it takes work and on-going support.

At my place of work, chaos is embraced, change is an everyday part of life to be celebrated, we are always positioning ourselves to be ready for new opportunities when they arise, thus, when they arise, we are able to mobilize quickly to take advantage of them, in anticipating the new with eagerness we are collectively ready for the adjustments that need to be made to incorporate the change – we are an alive being.

Everyone is interested in learning more and more and the net effect of expending so much energy in learning is that more and better work is getting done, we are talking/communicating more, and the most unlikely pairings of people are talking about something of common interest to them. When critical issues of one sort or another arise, the person or unit (we are organized by service units), gives notice of the issue to others and an invitation is extended that whoever can and wants to join the discussion should come – this has been an incredible way to prolem solve and to build ownership by everyone to all segments of the organization (we used to be very rigid and only know about/care about what was happening in our own area of work).

I should state that although the best use of the first and major OST event should be at the point of chaos in the life of an organization (in keeping with the griefwork cycle), it is my believe that we do not need to keep doing the death and birth thing, but can instead maintain the organization in chaos. Maybe chaos is maintained because the death and birth things is now happening so fast in so many different places that it all runs in together giving us the fertile field of chaos at all times. OSY provides the jump-off point for this to happen. I don’t believe or any longer experience that order and chaos alternate for life to progress.

Rather than looking at this as some kind of cycle (something we can neatly diagram or chart), we need to look at it more like a hologram where formal hierarchical structure coexists and co-supports with the informal interactive structure. In this context, life progresses because order (expressed in the “givens” of an organization) and chaos (all that can be interactive and creative within our ever changing internal and external environment) are present simultaneously.

So….here is what I believe the key ingredients are to sustaining the new and ever renewing after an OST event.

Storytelling – intentionally, we have built in time on an on-going basis for storytelling. Telling of client stories, stories of our work in relation to our Vision Statement, historical stories, present stories, future stories – this enables expressions of individuality, imagination, the promotion of myth.
Permission – OST provided the jump off point and during the event risk-taking can be and was high. But then in getting “back to work” risk-taking felt scary for some as expressed by people starting to apologize for their ideas. What worked is what I call being truthful about boundaries, giving information about chaos, OST, interactive learning organization, and giving permission that what did not come out as a “given” was completely open to whatever. When this was realized, fear decreased, creativity and risk-taking increased, Spirit was enabled, and wonderful stuff happened/is happening. I’m setting the boundaries as determined by “the givens”. It should be clear that I refer to things like the laws of the land, the terms of the contracts we are involved in as an organization, Board Policy.

Although our organizational chart and our operational procedures are set down, I do not consider them a “given” – if the group agrees – and anyone can initiate the discussion about any of this with a view to letting go of the old and making it better.

3. The “chief” – I agree that the leadership happens everywhere, but it is essential that

we do not minimize the very critical role that the chief leader plays. In looking at the

key ingredients of the tribal village (circle, marketplace, community board…) most

villages have a “well” around which most of the good ideas are brainstormed even if

they have previously been discussed in small common-interest groups and a chief

by whose very presence they have a reassurance that despite the chaos, they have

an anchoring point, a central point to concentrate on, to believe they are drawing

energy from (I would like to discuss this point with you).

Needless to say, control style leadership doesn’t play this role. Stories of most tribal

Chiefs, medicine men, etc., usually reflect that they pay a high personal price in

fulfilling their role – if they are any good at all. It takes a lot more personal energy to

enable things than to control/-conduct things. This is true of my personal experience-

being “present” and being “true” over the long haul is very difficult. For me to achieve

and sustain this I must be very intentional about building in for me what nurtures my

Spirit. My life experiences and learning and my faith commitment have taught me

How to do this. I believe that for an Organization to sustain Spirit, supporting the

“chief” to sustain his/her Spirit is the most essential ingredient.

Spirit – needed to articulate what is meant. Became part of the organization’s life to

talk about Spirit with some common understanding of what it means. This has been interesting for us. When we first talked about Spirit, because we are a church based organization, people thought we were going “churchy” on them which really offended some. We needed to work through this, and, it in fact is many of those who thought they wanted nothing to do with Spirit (as in Holy Spirit by their definition) who embrace Spirit the most. It was also interesting for me that my friends in Quebec don’t have a direct translation for Spirit of an organization so we came up with a list of words which, when translated, mean vitality, pursuit of an ideal, dynamism (human energy), the creation of opportunity to express fears/desires, inspiration—to be inspired. Each has its own nuance thus each setting a different framework for theory.

Chaos – again we needed to articulate it before we could celebrate it and use it.

Needed to recognize the difference between chaos and disorganization. Needed to explore whether there was a difference between individual chaos and organizational chaos. In individual chaos, a person seeks meaning for their life. It was agreed that in the organization, it was the meaning as identified that keeps driving the organization through productive use of the chaos and that this meaning is fostered by critical people in the organization (keepers of the vision).

6. Language – we found that different people in the organization, because of the type of

job or level in the hierarchy, made many assumptions/mis-communications because

we didn’t take the time to teach each other our “language”. Most notable were

differences in the language of senior staff because it kept referring to the global

picture, supervisory staff who dealt with goals, objectives and meeting them, and

front-line staff who talked about what faced them minute-by-minute. We all still are

passionate about different things based on our role but we’ve tried to teach each

other our language.

We recognized that decisions need to happen at faster speeds if we are to be

responsive, adaptable – so we need to understand each other.

Framing/Setting the Context - when using “Open Space” in an on-going business

context, recognize that the time/space context is forever shifting for the whole

organization to say nothing of the component parts. All of this must be as intentional

as that which you do when you are setting the context for an OST event. I know this

is essential. I know I’m doing it with intent, because it is this which drains me – but I

can’t yet state how its done.

Different Personalities – it is my assumption that all personalities can participate in

an OST event and have input and be affected by it. However, within an organization,

when working with the same people, differing personalities can greatly affect the life/Spirit of the organization.

Even though people might be excited after an OST event, some will enable the

organization to move forward while others will attempt to stop it from doing so (even in the guise of being helpful – the good intention stuff). This is effected greatly by how different personality types handle fears and desires i.e., desire for power. It is my belief and experience that an understanding of personality types, through any of the current studies like Myers-Briggs or Enneagram (which I prefer), is essential. It is essential for the leader to understand the different types especially his/her own because it can greatly affect how he/she operates in an enabling role instead of seeing someone else as a blocker (enemy). It is also useful for all persons in an organization to have some understanding and celebrating of different personality types. This diffuses “blocking” and helps people maximize their own potential.

Appropriate Structure – it is true that form follows function, but I have found that in

organizations where people focus on concensus decision making, shared power, putting all their energies into “process” – the organizations eventually are filled with conflict and dysfunction. It is not politically correct to say this, but I rather suspect it is because these organizations are not built on truth – some members are hungry for power and control, but won’t say so, others have their “secret agenda” in their breast pocket, but won’t clearly put it on the table. In an organization, most power is with the senior staff person, even in that this person has power to hire and fire – so the senior staff person must claim their power (women have a hard time doing this) and use it wisely and well. For me, this translated into acknowledging that we do and must have a hierarchical structure for some purposes – formal responsibility, accountability, authority, formal communication, which, at the same time, having/growing appropriate structure for the actual work of the organization to take place. Both support the other, enable the other, and both are essential and interface with each other.