Jack Martin Leith on how to do rapid innovation using Open Space Technology:
We hear a lot of talk these days about Open Innovation (American academic Henry Chesbrough wrote the book), but not very much about Open Space Innovation. I’m not talking about new developments in the field of Open Space Technology – I’ll leave that for another day – but rather using Open Space Technology to accelerate the process of new product development and other forms of innovation.Jeffrey Hyman and I did just that for a global food manufacturer a few years ago, and it worked so well that we seriously considered forming a company to commercialise the process. Fate had other plans for us, and Jeffrey became the founder and chairman of the Food & Drink Innovation Network. Now that the statute of limitations is no longer in force, I am able to show you the mirrors, hidden levers and trapdoor so that you can work the magic for yourself.
What follows from there is a very cool post detailing the whole process. A must read.
Here is a great description of Open Space as used at the Agile Open Northwest Conference.
This is a simple, inviting description of the process. Well done ANW folks!
Back in June of last year I facilitated a one day Open Space event for a group in Vancouver called the United Community Services Coop. The event was called “Leading Change” and was itself an outcome from a 2005 Open Space event with the same group. Both these events were loking at issues of emerging leadership in the not-for-profit sector (or the “for-benefit” sector, as I am starting to call it). One of the strong desired outcomes was a strong network of practitioners in the field.
The other day, Justin Ho, one of the sponsors, emailed participants to report on and invite people to some further follow up events:
We did a lot of work post-event and put a lot of thought together on how an Emerging Leaders Network could work. I am personally still very excited and committed to this idea and have had some really good conversations with a number of you already about it. Some good strides have been made, but as with many things being done off the side of one’s desk, it’s been a bit hard to spend some focused time on it lately!
But with all that in mind, a few of us have been talking and have decided to do an impromptu coffee on Tuesday, March 11th in Downtown Vancouver. Well, given that it’s a bit far away in the calendar, maybe it’s more ad hoc than impromptu. Either way, a few of us will be meeting at the Co-op office at 3:30pm (250-1166 Alberni Street, Vancouver) and then just find a coffee shop nearby to connect, share ideas, and talk a bit about the Emerging Leaders Network.
If you are in Downtown or will be on the 11th and would like to join us, let me know.
Oh and in case you haven’t seen it in your email inbox lately, the Co-op launched an eCampaign that came out of the Leading Change initiative called Passion For Work Week. It was last week and we have a few campaign posters online at http://www.leading-change.ca Hopefully some of you had your organization take part.
I’m sure Justin wouldn’t mind hearing from you if you are an emerging leader in this field either in British Columbia or elsewhere.
If you would like a flavour of what happens at workshops on the Art of Hosting, here are some links to give you a sense of things.
- Audio from the Art of Hosting workshop in southern Indiana last fall. These files were made by Jeneal King, one of the participants who took an active role in harvesting the event. Lots to listen to here. Best I think to download and listen off line. Update: No longer up as of August 12, 2008.
- Ravi Tangri in Nova Scotia has been making a number of videos about Art of Hosting teachings on the chaordic stepping stones, harvesting, world cafe and the art of calling. Browse ArtOfHostingTV.net for more.
- A video from my mate Thomas Ufer of the meta harvest from a recent Art of Hosting workshop in Brazil. This path that he is walking on has notable quotes from the whole three days. Participants walked the path, reflecting on ther experience and then contributed a further thought on the meaning of the experience. THis is a really creative way of find higher and higher levels of collective meaning making.
- Andy Himes made a short video of a number of us playing with candles and music at last week’s gathering on Whidbey Island. In the evenings there is often creative play and chilling out that we get into. When the weather is nice we often build a fire outside and sit around telling stories of hosting. On Whidbey we did it inside.
This just gives you a sense of the diversity of the experience. If you are interested in attending an Art of Hosting workshop contact me, or check in at the website to see if there is one coming up near where you live.
Regina, Saskatchewan
I love it here…big open prairie sky meets wide expanse of earth. And over it all, the air is chilled, so cold that I actually succumbed to the spit test. I spat on the sidewalk and immediately poked at my saliva with my boot. It had instantly turned to ice powder. The thermometer in my ride’s car said -41. By this afternoon it had warmed up to -28, which is the current temperature. If the warming trend continues, it’s supposed to be a balmy -14 by tomorrow afternoon. That is a 27 degree difference: the difference between a freezing fall day and a too hot summer afternoon.
I can’t imagine how people survived out here in the old days. Getting to the fire, as Chistina Baldwin says, is indeed a life and death situation.
In a training workshop today with some lovely community leaders and tomorrow we run a day long Open Space for the community. Exploring hosting and getting ready to harvest leadership for community change.