Bottom Up Change Tool

Open Space Technology

Open Space is a method for organising a self-managed meeting or conference where the participants design their own programme or work sessions. In these sessions people discuss their concerns, explore issues and opportunities and find new ways forward.

Open Space Technology is the creation of Harrison Owen. Launched in 1985 at an International Composium on Organisation Transformation, it holds memories for me of my time as a VSO in the Solomon Islands, where over 100 tribesmen would meet in a circle and talk for days around an issue that had heart and meaning for them.

I observed a number of rules were in operation.

Every issue of concern to anyone was raised
All issues were discussed to the extent that anyone cared to do so
There was no written record but everyone knew what had been said
The issues were ranked according to the amount of talk time
Actions were agreed at the end of the session

It is one of a number of techniques known as Large Group Interactions. Other similar approaches include Future Search designed by Marvin Weisbord, Real Time Strategic Change developed by Dannemiller Tyson Associates and Participative Design introduced by Fred and Merrelyn Emery. Click on the highlifghts for more information.

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Open Space World

Open time, is a space where issues that individuals really feel strongly about can be raised and dealt with amongst similarly interested though not necessarily like-minded people, who naturally gather together and who want to be there and listen and contribute. This is usually the opposite of the formal programme.

Lesson: people are better at raising issues relevant to them than experts, in the time and place of their choosing.

The underlying principle of all these approaches is to bring about whole system change in real time into one room. It requires working with a critical mass of people that are a microcosm of the organisation or community in focus.

Step One - to uncover and combine people's dissatisfaction with things as they are now - this is what makes the change REAL

Step Two - Uncover and combine the yearnings people have for what they truly want things to be like in the future - this is the LEADERSHIP bit

Step Three - If real change is going to happen, a commitment must be made to implement the first steps of the change that is needed - this is the CHANGE which has to be about action in the moment. The change has begun.

All three steps make up the REAL CHANGE LEADERSHIP approach, vital if resistance to change is to be overcome. It requires a paradigm shift in people's thinking from mechanistic to organic models of change.

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