VP Housing
Context
1. Name of Interviewer/Facilitator: Larry Peterson
2. Date of Interview: March 17, 2005
3. Role of Person Interviewed: VP/COO Event Sponsor
4. Country Where Event Held: Canada
5. Sector/Business: Non-Profit: Housing
6. How Many OST Events Has the Interviewee's Organization/Unit had? 7
7. Theme of This OST Event: Building Community: Working Together Across Community Housing Units
8. Key organisational challenges, issues, drivers for this Event?
-Implementing a new structure for housing management and planning that involves tenant participation
-Engaging tenants in leadership of cross organization issue/theme based working groups
-Increase ownership of new approach and role of tenants of both tenants and staff
9. Date of Event: October 18-19, 2003
10. Number of participants: 350
11. How long was the event? 1.5
12. Planning Process with the Client
a. Number of Planning Meetings? 7
b. Length of Planning Process (weeks or months)? 3 months
c. Number of people involved in the planning of the event? 20
13. Follow-up with regard to this event
a. Was the follow-up planned before the event took place? Yes
b. Number of Follow-up Meetings 3 with consultant, then a follow-up Open Space
Interview responses
1. How would you describe your experience of Open Space Technology?
-Democratic engagement
-Power sharing
-Equality among participants
A way of acting out the invitation to participate
-Space for activity and for participation
-Energy release, including good will and trust
-Populist
-It literally happens in the workplaces and neighborhood that people get involved
2. Describe the impact of OST on:
a.The people who attended
-Staff felt a little confused or disoriented at first, when they saw that opening up allowed new power to be created
-Then staff listened more and some still tried to manipulate
-Staff actually had to live getting people involved
-Tenants quickly saw real power sharing; they got committed and trusted the process
b.On organizational results
-A Short term ice breaker
-Still trying to get long term benefits, the organization has to change to get them
-Emotional breakthrough
-Concepts developed around community, shared planning, problem solving
-Skilled up a few tenants
-Lost of learning
-Tenant committees established, engaged, will continue
-More willingness to participate
3. How was it different from your experience of other approaches?
-We developed anti-racism study circles. They led to real continuity for a leadership group that had a big impact on the organization. The goal was changed persons and that happened
-OS focused more on the whole organization and we frittered away some of the benefits
-OS is not a project that’s delivered but an educational process
4. Given your experience, in what circumstances would you recommend the use of OS to others?
-Very useful at the opening of a new initiative
-When there is an organizational change or a major shift in strategy or culture that is required.
1. Name of Interviewer/Facilitator: Larry Peterson
2. Date of Interview: March 17, 2005
3. Role of Person Interviewed: VP/COO Event Sponsor
4. Country Where Event Held: Canada
5. Sector/Business: Non-Profit: Housing
6. How Many OST Events Has the Interviewee's Organization/Unit had? 7
7. Theme of This OST Event: Building Community: Working Together Across Community Housing Units
8. Key organisational challenges, issues, drivers for this Event?
-Implementing a new structure for housing management and planning that involves tenant participation
-Engaging tenants in leadership of cross organization issue/theme based working groups
-Increase ownership of new approach and role of tenants of both tenants and staff
9. Date of Event: October 18-19, 2003
10. Number of participants: 350
11. How long was the event? 1.5
12. Planning Process with the Client
a. Number of Planning Meetings? 7
b. Length of Planning Process (weeks or months)? 3 months
c. Number of people involved in the planning of the event? 20
13. Follow-up with regard to this event
a. Was the follow-up planned before the event took place? Yes
b. Number of Follow-up Meetings 3 with consultant, then a follow-up Open Space
Interview responses
1. How would you describe your experience of Open Space Technology?
-Democratic engagement
-Power sharing
-Equality among participants
A way of acting out the invitation to participate
-Space for activity and for participation
-Energy release, including good will and trust
-Populist
-It literally happens in the workplaces and neighborhood that people get involved
2. Describe the impact of OST on:
a.The people who attended
-Staff felt a little confused or disoriented at first, when they saw that opening up allowed new power to be created
-Then staff listened more and some still tried to manipulate
-Staff actually had to live getting people involved
-Tenants quickly saw real power sharing; they got committed and trusted the process
b.On organizational results
-A Short term ice breaker
-Still trying to get long term benefits, the organization has to change to get them
-Emotional breakthrough
-Concepts developed around community, shared planning, problem solving
-Skilled up a few tenants
-Lost of learning
-Tenant committees established, engaged, will continue
-More willingness to participate
3. How was it different from your experience of other approaches?
-We developed anti-racism study circles. They led to real continuity for a leadership group that had a big impact on the organization. The goal was changed persons and that happened
-OS focused more on the whole organization and we frittered away some of the benefits
-OS is not a project that’s delivered but an educational process
4. Given your experience, in what circumstances would you recommend the use of OS to others?
-Very useful at the opening of a new initiative
-When there is an organizational change or a major shift in strategy or culture that is required.
posted by Tonnie van der Zouwen at 9:09 AM
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