Practicing Open Space – Our First Ten Years
How Open Space transformed the way of doing business in the German Agency "YOUTH for Europe"
Harrison Owen, Hans-Georg Wicke
It is no longer a secret that Open Space events are pure joy.
Set up in a jiffy, these events turn the traditional way of working and leading upside down. And in regard to productivity and action orientation there is nothing better under the sun. How do we know? Well, we have worked with Open Space Technology for decades now and seen the effects.
Thanks to Hans-Georg Wicke and the National Agency Youth in Germany, we now have a detailed report on what happens if you go beyond one solitary, stand-alone Open Space event. He describes the sustained transformation of working and living in the organization as Open Space Technology is used over a decade, several times a year, invading every nook and cranny of the Agency.
As dictated structure, external control and traditional leading are reduced, selforganisation can more freely unfold, bringing into play the vast resources of everyone involved in the Agency. Without consulting firms that cost a lot of money and have no lasting effect, organizations evolve resilient structures and processes that equip them to navigate in a sea of constant change. And they do this on their own.
We invite you to read this slim report if you are searching for a truly productive workplace in which everyone happily invests in cooperation and joint leadership… in hospitals, IT-businesses, foundations, unions, industrial production plants, NGOs… in any business and organization.
And: Be Prepared to be Surprised.
Dass open space Veranstaltungen ein reines Vergnügen sind, ohne Energie raubende Vorbereitungszeiten auskommen, herkömmliches Arbeiten und Leiten auf den Kopf stellen und im Hinblick auf Produktivität und Handlungsorientierung alles in den Schatten stellen, steht nach jahrzehntelanger Praxis inzwischen außer Frage.
Hier allerdings – dank Hans.Georg Wicke und der deutschen Agentur „Jugend für Europa“ samt etlicher Teilgruppen – liegt ein Erfahrungsbericht darüber vor.
