Friday, January 28, 2005

Change Manager

Context

1. Name of Interviewer/Facilitator: Larry Peterson


2. Date of Interview: 01/28/05


3. Role of Person Interviewed: Change Management Lead


4. Country Where Event Held: Canada


5. Sector/Business: Government: Provincial


6. How Many OST Events Has the Interviewee's Organization/Unit had? 16


7. Theme of This OST Event: Enhancing Integration Action Plans


8. Key organisational challenges, issues, drivers for this Event?

● Supporting regional planning initiatives that are largely self-organizing (and that came from an OST event)
● Shift to regional health planning when there are cross-region issues to address

9. Date of Event: 01/12/05


10. Number of participants: 175


11. How long was the event? 1 day


12. Planning Process with the Client
a. Number of Planning Meetings?
3


b. Length of Planning Process (weeks or months)? 3 weeks


c. Number of people involved in the planning of the event? 6

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 1


Interview responses

1. How would you describe your experience of Open Space Technology?
-Creative
-Engaging
-Self-directive
-Leveling: Equal playing field with all voices included
-Liberating
-Free Flowing


2. Describe the impact of OST on:
a.The people who attended

-Profound: Hard to believe that something so unstructured can produce results
-Daunting: People have to take responsibility for acting
-Taps into creativity that may not have been experienced
-People need to do something about what they discussed

b.On organizational results
-Process enables results to happen
-Surprising/Astounding
-Difficult to image that something you do not structure can give these results
-It does yield results
-Process and results are defined by the people who have claimed ownership
-Results much more sustainable
-Greater buy in, affiliation, results
- Risk Taking – Courageous step for government


3. How was it different from your experience of other approaches?
-Depends on your objective
-If you want something internalized, where people claim full ownership you use it.
-Best breakthroughs occur in this environment
-A process that realizes that people do not come in as a blank slate, they bring wisdom and knowledge
-It appreciates what people come in with
-Output includes a wealth of diversity, ideas and mutual wisdom
-It is not “banking” of ideas with experts


4. Given your experience, in what circumstances would you recommend the use of OS to others?
-If want clear compliance and understanding then do not use OST, there you need to be linear and didactic
-Don’t use in a highly controlled or regulated environment
-Useful in other fields: designing, conceptualizing, creativity – e.g “What colour should the Smartie be?”
-Must be willing to go with the results that come up


Monday, January 24, 2005

HR Director

Context

1. Name of Interviewer/Facilitator: Larry Peterson


2. Date of Interview: September 17, 2004


3. Role of Person Interviewed: Director of Human Resources

4. Country Where Event Held: Canada


5. Sector/Business: NGO formed by Government


6. How Many OST Events Has the Interviewee's Organization/Unit had? 1


7. Theme of This OST Event: “xxxx” Works for Us


8. Key organisational challenges, issues, drivers for this Event?
● New CEO and some new Executive Team members
● Some board partners ready to shut it down due to poor performance.
● Silos and bureaucracy take too much time to achieve results
● Two “head office” cultures

9. Date of Event: July 2004


10. Number of participants: 60


11. How long was the event? 1.5 Days


12. Planning Process with the Client
a. Number of Planning Meetings?
4


b. Length of Planning Process (weeks or months)? 4 weeks


c. Number of people involved in the planning of the event? 3 plus phone interviews


13. Follow-up with regard to this event
a. Was the follow-up planned before the event took place?
No


b. Number of Follow-up Meetings 3


Interview responses

1. How would you describe your experience of Open Space Technology?
-Freeing to allow people to put up topics
-No Limits, people could pursue those things that were near and dear, for which individuals have a passion
-Some didn’t jump in and put up topics. (They needed more lead in.)
-Allowed those who didn’t pick a topic to participate in a variety of discussions
-Could move from one discussion to another and be a catalyst

2. Describe the impact of OST on:
a.The people who attended


For a lot of people it was empowering

b.On organizational results

Different topics had different impacts

One topic that stayed with the organization was clarifying the difference between a matrix organization and silos. More and more people understand that difference. Others are better able to explain why the change is needed.

More people realized that they have expertise that could be helpful in a variety of areas of the organization and that it is not just the formal leaders who have impact.


3. How was it different from your experience of other approaches?

Not the same agenda setting process and the restrictions that come with it.

Since people are not restricted by the agenda, it is like a leap of faith

Saw what was hot in the organization and how things were related

Different people got involved in different ways
- Some excelled in the openness
- Others stayed in neutral
- Some withdrew but then got engaged later in the day

Lack of structure
- Didn’t get a sense of the big picture until the end of the day
- In other approaches I know when we are on track
- It would have been good to have another half-day to pull it all together


4. Given your experience, in what circumstances would you recommend the use of OS to others?

Could be used on pretty well anything under the right conditions

More effective with a strong group, not with the quite and passive. Needs to be some juice to get it going

Need sufficient diversity, too many of one type would not work

When you want to know what’s at the top of mind, bees in the bonnet

Not sure if that it would work if people are totally new to each other or to the organization


Government ADM

Context

1. Name of Interviewer/Facilitator:

Larry Peterson

2. Date of Interview:

January 10, 2005

3. Role of Person Interviewed:

Assistant Deputy Minister, Health Integration Lead

4. Country Where Event Held:

Canada

5. Sector/Business:
Government: Provincial

6. How Many OST Events Has the Interviewee's Organization/Unit had?
14 in last Month

7. Theme of This OST Event:


Opportunities for Health Integration in a “Region”

8. Key organisational challenges, issues, drivers for this Event?
-Establishing a new regionalized health structure and approach
-Engaging communities in planning through self-organization
-Fostering client centered integration of health care services

9. Date of Event:

14 events between November 19 and December 10, 2004

10. Number of participants:

Combined: 3,800 different people. Largest 480

11. How long was the event?
1 day for each event

12. Planning Process with the Client
a. Number of Planning Meetings?
6


b. Length of Planning Process (weeks or months)? 3 Weeks


c. Number of people involved in the planning of the event? 14


13. Follow-up with regard to this event
a. Was the follow-up planned before the event took place?
No


b. Number of Follow-up Meetings

3 planning and a 2 day event

Interview responses

1. How would you describe your experience of Open Space Technology?
-Saw initial disbelief that it would be self-directed by the participants, and then it was
-Respect for individuals and their expertise, their leadership and contribution was valued
-Ability to present and discuss issues in a non-threatening, non-territorial way
-Truncated – not enough time to go beyond the box


2. Describe the impact of OST on:
a.The people who attended

-They now believe the regionalization will happen
-They now believe that there is and will be community involvement
-They now believe their reports will have value in the future and will affect policy
-There is recognition of government’s commitment to this initiative
-They see the dedication of the team and commitment indicated by ADM participation in the whole day
b.On organizational results
-Given that there were almost 4000 participants in total, there has been a ripple effect throughout the community
-Reaffirmed that this regionalization initiative will happen
-Groups coming out of events have self-organized, drawn others into the process and are doing the work needed to move forward
-People are eager now to compare stories and experiences
-Some groups have already developed a newsletter
-The whole change process has gotten legs.
-Now recognizing that there are variations and differences
-Sense of ownership is developing
-Hospital associations are now concerned that their issues are not dominant, that there is initiative across the whole system
-Client or individual focus has taken hold, It has started to flip the focus or culture of the system.



3. How was it different from your experience of other approaches?

-Control and focus is in the hands of participants
-It encourages people, permits them, to go where they want to go
-Have to trust that they are educated, competent professionals

4. Given your experience, in what circumstances would you recommend the use of OS to others?

-In any situation where you truly want participants input in decision making.
-I used some of the principles in a recent staff meeting
-The principles are adaptable in many situations
-When you want to understand what people are really thinking
-When you are looking for solutions