LESSON 17: OPEN SPACE TECHNOLOGY

OPEN SPACE TECHNOLOGY

Open space technology is often used when a large, complex operation needs to be thoroughly reorganized and reconceptualized. Open space technology also gives an opportunity to self-organize the organization into a new pattern. It was also discussed that when the organization is not sure where it stands, then open space can help the organization rethink of its current situation.

This method is not useful if the present and future state of the organization is already crystal clear. This means that the organization already knows where it wants to be in the future.

There are 4 key principles in which open space technology would become successful.

1. WHOEVER COMES IS THE RIGHT PEOPLE - get people who care to do something
2. WHATEVER HAPPENS IS THE ONLY THING THAT COULD HAVE - keeps people on the here and now
3. WHENEVER IT STARTS IS THE RIGHT TIME - alerts the people to pay attention to the clock
4. WHEN IT IS OVER, IT IS OVER - when it is done, move on to something more useful

I also learned about the law of two feet. This law means that anytime one is ready
to leave the session, he or she is free to do so. He/she is responsible for his/her actions when he/she leaves the session.

I discovered that this method is different from the others because it has no facilitator. Each and every participant of the organization can be a facilitator making the participants more flexible and free throughout the whole session.

LESSON 17: OPEN SPACE TECHNOLOGY

OPEN SPACE TECHNOLOGY

Open space technology is a facilitation method in which people can identify specific issues on a given topic, self-select into discussion groups, and work with the issue with people also concerned with that issue. It is a useful tool for any group of people who are really interested in exploring something that they all care deeply about. I learned that it is a fast, cheap and simple way to better and more productive meetings.

Open space technology was created by Harrison Owen in mid 1980s. He discovered that people attending his conferences loved the coffee breaks better than the formal presentations and plenary sessions.

The process includes 12 steps:

1. Complete the preparations
2. Welcome the participants
3. Create the space
4. State the theme
5. Describe the process
6. Name the 4 principles and the One Law
7. Invite people to write offerings and post them
8. Return to circle for final instructions
9. Invite people to sign up and enter the market place
10. Hold the space
11. Invite people to gather together for closure
12. Debrief with the client

The duration of this method depends on what the client wants to achieve, but it usually ranges from 1-3 days. The purpose of this method is for the members of the organization to get high learning, high play and high productivity but never pre-determined. I learned that it is a simple way of getting people and organizations moving.

LESSON 13: FAST CYCLE FULL-PARTICIPATION

The participants that are involved in the process are consultants, in-house representatives, and members of the organization. The FCFP chooses only the members of the organization to participate because it can be accomplished in a short amount of time and in order to have high levels of participation and commitment.

FAST CYCLE FULL-PARTICIPATION

There are different roles in the process:

• sponsor
• facilitator
• participants
• data integrator
• between-meeting communicator

The FCFP is used when an organization needs redesigning and when they need to work together collectively in the future. This method works well for organizations because it is grounded on 2 well-validated approaches to system change which is, sociotechnical systems theory and search conference.

FCFP is not used when the task is essentially about solving current problems versus creating a different future. Also, when there is pervasive ill will in the organization. Lastly, when there is no need for work system redesign.

I learned that the common mistakes in this method is not using the whole method. The organization only chooses less than the required 5 elements given in the method. It is important to follow all the 5 elements because it is related to one another and the process will not be successful if it is not followed.

The organization can sustain the results of the FCFP by bringing people together in large meetings to work on issues that will enable organizations to keep moving forward. They would have to talk about solutions to these problems/issues.

LESSON 13: FAST CYCLE FULL-PARTICIPATION

FAST CYCLE FULL-PARTICIPATION

Fast Cycle Full-Participation is a method used to improve the effectiveness of an organization by using its output metrics as basis. It also redesigns the work systems in order to improve and produce higher outcomes.

This method is created by Alan Scott Fitz and Gary R. Frank. They both guide clients through major systems change to create high-performance work systems.

The main difference between Fast Cycle Full-Participation with other methods is that it is about work system design, an adaptation of socio-technical systems analysis and design, instrumented, highly flexible and can yield depth quickly.

There are 3 steps in the process:

1. PRODUCING SYSTEMS - it takes items from the environment and converts them into products and services that are desired by the environment
2. ORGANIZATION'S CORE PROCESS - the success of the organization will depend on this
3. DESIGN THE CORE PROCESS - let every other design support fully the core process

There are also 5 meetings:

1. Meeting 1 - Organizational Search
2. Meeting 2 - External Expectations
3. Meeting 3 - Technical Work System
   

LESSON 9: FUTURE SEARCH

EXAMPLE OF FUTURE SEARCH CONFERENCE

I found a site which presented examples of future search conference used to catalyze change in health care. Here is the first example:

Building a Healthy Ocean County, New Jersey, November 1993:

"One health care facility cannot change the health status of the whole community alone," says CMC�s Debra Levinson. "We wanted a different way of involving the community at large to help make decisions." The original sponsors pulled together a 22-member planning group that included representatives of government agencies (such as the Board of Social Service and local school systems), politicians, members of the media, clergy, and business people, as well as the other three hospitals in the area. In the end, 72 people spent three days together with a facilitator from the National League of Cities.

The result: The whole group met for a reunion conference in November of 1994, over 150 people are involved in seven cross-sectoral work groups - and the planning committee continues to meet and help coordinate activities. "We had the fear that no one would want to come," says Levinson. "We wound up having people hear about it on the day of the conference, and demand to know why they weren't invited."

Another example for future search in health care is:

The Work Setting and the Community: Sisters of Mercy Health System - St. Louis, December 1994:

As one step in a major change initiative aimed at renewing an eight-state, 15-institution system, Sisters of Mercy in St. Louis brought together not only system executives, physicians, and board members, but also such stakeholders as government leaders and heads of educational institutions from the areas they served. It was a great success, according to Diane Carter who helped facilitate it, and some parts happened much faster than many such conferences, because success because it was not an isolated event: "The people who came were much better informed, because of the larger process. They understood what was changing. About 20 of the participants had already been involved in community forums or on our task force looking at work issues. They already knew where they were stuck - which came out pretty clearly in the 'prouds and sorries' part."


These are some of the examples for future search conference that were not mentioned in the group report. This would help me and others better understand the purpose and process of future search conference.

To check out other examples of future search conferences, check out this website:
http://www.well.com/~bbear/weisbord_examples.html

LESSON 9: FUTURE SEARCH

FUTURE SEARCH

Future search is a large scale group planning meeting that brings a "whole system" into the room to work on a task-focused agenda. In a future search, people have a chance to take ownership of their past, present, and future; confirm their mutual values, and commit to action plans grounded in reality.

It is created by Marvin Weisbord and Sandra Janoff. They are co-directing the Future Search Network, formerly known as SearchNet, an international non-profit dedicated to community service and learning.

The purpose of Future Search is to make a community healthier and get people into common ground.

There are 8 steps in the process of Future Search:

1. The Past - key events in their lives (these data are important because it create symbols)
   
2. Mind Map - create maps of trends affecting us right now
   
3. Beginning the search for common ground - interpret the mind maps
   
4. Proud and Sorry - be in touch with what you are proud of and sorry about
   
5. Getting into reality - share what they have learned
6. Creating a vision - create an ideal future for the community (scenarios)
   
7. Getting down to it - rearrange the lists and bring common themes together
   
8. Action - report action plans from their group and diverse groups

The type of participants needed for the Future Search should be diverse to have a global perspective. The bigger the group, the more small groups formed, the harder it is to have a dialogue. Typical duration for this process is 16 hours. There are five tasks to complete, each lasting around three to four hours.

Future Search is for diverse groups and should be used when an organization wants to get commitment from stakeholders and to generate energy for action. The participants should be cooperative to have a successful Future Search conference.

LESSON 5: APPRECIATIVE INQUIRY

THE APPRECIATIVE INQUIRY PROCESS

There are four processes in AI:

1. DISCOVERY - "What gives life?"
2. DREAM - "What might be?"
3. DESIGN - "What should be the ideal?"
4. DESTINY - "How to empower, learn, and adjust/improvise?"

I learned that these processes are important in AI because it allows and engages you to change. The first process, Discovery means appreciating life itself, discovering the best of what it is. This involves a diligent search for what is the best in the organization and what people appreciate the most in themselves and also inside the organization. It is when the members of the organization feel most alive deep inside. This also includes identifying what works well in the organization. The second process, Dreaming talks about after knowing what is best, these possibilities should be turned into reality. In an organization, there are different possibilities that are already there, just waiting to pop into becoming a reality. Third, Design means that the organization should plan and prioritize processes that work well in the organization. The dream will be design in order to make that dream possible and turn into a reality. Lastly, Destiny talks about the implementation and execution of the proposed design.

LESSON 5: APPRECIATIVE INQUIRY

APPRECIATIVE INQUIRY

Appreciative Inquiry assumes that every living system has hidden and under utilized, rich core of strengths (POSITIVE CORE) which, when removed and tapped, provides a sustainable source of positive energy for both. It is the art of practice and asking questions that strengthen a system's capacity in positive ways.

MAIN TOOLS OF APPRECIATIVE INQUIRY

• asking the right questions
• narrating positive stories (qualitative data)

PRINCIPLES OF APPRECIATIVE INQUIRY

1. CONSTRUCTIONIST - knowledge and organizational destiny are interwoven
   
2. SIMULTANEITY - implicit in the first questions asked
   
3. ANTICIPATORY - deep change occurs first in the images of the future
   
4. POSITIVE - the more the question, the greater and longer-lasting the change
5. WHOLENESS - quantum change that is sought

I learned that the basic premise in AI is to find out what works in the organization and figure out ways to do more of it or improve it. It is the art and practice of asking questions that strengthen a system's capacity in positive ways. In short, AI deals about positivity in the organization. The main points in AI are asking the right questions because it would help the organization succeed in particular areas because they have already tried and tested them before. This way, it builds up their confidence that there is an ability to succeed in the future.

For the principles of AI, constructionist means that we live in a world our questions create. The world we live in is based on the things/questions we ask ourselves and the people around us. Next, simultaneity talks about the seeds of change, which are the things that people think and talk about, what people discover and learn, and inform dialogue and inspire images of the future. Here, we visualize stories and information out of the things that we discuss and construct. Next, anticipatory is when deep change occurs first in our images of the future. We anticipate what will happen in the future in our mind. Next, positive means that the more questions there are, the greater and longer-lasting the change will be. Lastly, wholeness which means that all the members in the organization will be involved.

LESSON 1: THE NATURE OF PLANNED CHANGE

THE GENERAL MODEL OF PLANNED CHANGE


1. ENTERING AND CONTRACTING

• entering an organization involves gathering initial data to understand the problems facing the organization
• problems and opportunities are discussed with the different members of the organization to develop a contract or agreement
• the contract contains: future change activities, resources that will be committed to the process and how the OD practitioner and members would be involved in the process

2. DIAGNOSING

• focuses on understanding organizational problems (causes and consequences)
• one of the most important activities in organizational development (OD)
• includes choosing: appropriate model for understanding the organization and gathering, analyzing, and feed back information to members of the organization about their problems

3. PLANNING AND IMPLEMENTING CHANGE

• There are four major types of OD interventions:

1. HUMAN PROCESS INTERVENTIONS - individual, group, and total system levels
2. MODIFY ORGANIZATION'S STRUCTURE AND TECHNOLOGY
   
3. HUMAN RESOURCE INTERVENTIONS - seek improvement in member performance and wellness
   
4. STRATEGIC INTERVENTIONS - managing the organization's relationship to the external environment and internal structure

• organizational members and OD practitioners join together in planning and implementing OD interventions

• they will create interventions to achieve the organization's vision and make action plans to implement them

4. EVALUATING AND INSTITUTIONALIZING CHANGE

• involves evaluating the effects of the intervention and managing the institutionalization of successful change programs
• feedback information about the OD interventions would determine if the change should be continued, modified or suspended
• reinforcement through feedback, rewards, and training

I learned that there are 4 steps in the general model of change, namely: entering and contracting, diagnosing, planning and implementing change, and evaluating and institutionalizing change. Each of these steps are essential in the ODI process. The intervention would not be complete without following all the steps and change can't occur if one step is not done. First, entering the organization means gathering sufficient information about the organization and the problem. If data is already gathered, the signing of the contract will take place to make sure that the organization agrees to this change. The second step is diagnosing which is the most vital step because the OD practitioner will evaluate how the organization's system functions. From there, the OD practitioner will be able to create change plans in line with the organization's operation. Implementing the change would entail different types of intervention as mentioned above. The last step in this model is evaluation and institutionalization which involves evaluating the change that occurred and if it showed visible change effects in the organization.

LESSON 1: THE NATURE OF PLANNED CHANGE

THEORIES OF PLANNED CHANGE

Theories or frameworks of planned change focus on activities that must take place inside the organization to have successful organizational change. There are two theories of changing: Lewin's Change Model and the Action Research Model.

LEWIN'S CHANGE MODEL

• Lewin's model is composed of a particular set of behaviors at any moment which results to two group of forces:

1. those striving to maintain the status quo
2. those pushing for change

• There are three steps in the change process:

1. UNFREEZING - reducing forces that maintain the organization's behavior at its present level
   
2. MOVEMENT - shifts the behavior of the organization, department, or individual to a new level
   
3. REFREEZING - stabilizes the organization at a new state of equilibrium

ACTION RESEARCH MODEL The Action Research Model is aimed at helping the organization implement planned change as well as develop more general knowledge which can be applied to other settings.

• There are eight steps in this model:

1. PROBLEM IDENTIFICATION - key executive senses that there are problems that can be solved with the help of an OD practitioner
   
2. CONSULT WITH OD PRACTITIONER - the client and OD practitioner assess the problem together
   
3. GATHERING OF DATA AND INITIAL DIAGNOSIS - gathering appropriate information and analyzing it to determine the underlying causes of the organizational problem
   
4. CLIENT GROUP FEEDBACK - the client and OD practitioner will determine the strengths and weaknesses of the organization with the data gathered
   
5. JOINT PROBLEM DIAGNOSIS - the client and the OD practitioner discusses the feedback and explore if they want to work on the problems
   
6. JOINT PLANNING OF CHANGE ACTIONS - the OD practitioner and the client both agree on further actions to be taken
7. ENGAGEMENT IN CHANGE ACTIONS - actual change from one organizational state to another
   
8. POST ACTION DATA GATHERING AND EVALUATION - data should be gathered after the process to determine the effects to the organization

There are two theories of planned change discussed in class, namely, Lewin's Change Model and The Action Research Model. These models are ways in which an organization will go through to achieve successful organizational change. The two models have different approaches.

First, Lewin's Change Model has three steps: unfreezing, movement, and refreezing. Unfreezing talks about the way things are right now. In other words, it asks the question: "What is working well in the organization?" in terms of procedures and instructions. This is also the stage wherein the organization establishes the need for change inside the organization. Second, movement is the act of cutting or translating the restraining forces (unfreezing) into driving forces (refreezing). This also sets a new behavior through cognitive restructuring, which means changing mindsets of the members of the organization. Lastly, refreezing asks the question: "What is not working well in the organization?" also in terms of procedures and instructions. At this last step, the integration of new behavior into social and organizational relationships occur. I learned that there is a way on how an organization can tweak things to be able to turn the negative forces into positive forces for the organization.

The next model is the Action Research Model. There are 8 steps in this model as shown above. First, the members of the organization should identify the problem inside the organization. After identification, the members of the organization should approach and consult an OD practitioner to be able to know what kind of change they need in the organization. Next, the OD practitioner would gather enough data and information about the problem and its underlying causes. The OD practitioner and the organizational members would then talk about the information gathered and evaluate these. After evaluation, both parties would agree if they would like to continue and solve the problem through OD intervention. If both parties agree, then planning and engaging in the change actions will be the next two steps. After that, feedback and evaluation will be done to check if the change is effective. I learned that it is not easy having ODIs because there are steps involved in the process.