At 09:40 PM 6/8/98 -0800, Simon Priest wrote:
>Please excuse my multiple postings. A friend (Director of T&D for a
>healthcare corporation) is looking for suggestions for building bridges
>between those who honor the picket line and those who cross it, once a
>strike is over and they all have to work together again.
>Thanks for taking the time to share.
I would heartily recommend a one-two day Open Space process. Each time we
have used it in parallel situations, the process has had positive effects
on the organization. It has served to begin the healing of scars
resulting from "conflict." It has given the people a place to stand and
be fully heard. The things that need to be said are given voice. The
points of view, and even passions, of others are heard.
The OS process builds community. It has been used in many situations
where the whole system needs to be together to resolve a tough issue. It
is used to build shared vision, create practical action plans, build
commitment for application of strategy or vision, and to implement
immediate action on issues that require the alignment of the entire
organization. (Of course OS needs to be eventually supported with other
ongoing learning.)
But even further, the process has a deep systemic design that brings out
the important topics and issues required for building a future that
includes collaboration between the two "factions." The process works
because it doesn't ask two points of view to be homogenized or
compromised. It works because both points of view -- indeed all points of
view -- are needed to build an organization that has richness, variety,
and sustainability. In this instance, collaboration is defined as working
together interdependently to bring out one another's strengths.
Open Space requires minimal preparation on the part of the organization.
A facility that can handle the entire organization, or large portions of
the organization is required. An invitation to attend is issued. The
facilitation and process design brings it all together. If desired, a
proven process that uses laptops to collect the conversations into a
single document ready for publication by the end of the process can be
employed.
Longer Open Space processes are recommended, yet the one-day event works
quite well. Two days provides more time for building the bridges. If you
haven't seen much about the Open Space process, it is quite simple on the
surface. The success comes from its design and the open facilitation.
The group is convened in an opening community session where the atmosphere
of safety and trust is established. People are then asked to
volunteer/host topics that need conversation in order for the organization
to move forward. Usually 30-40 topics are quickly put forward. There is
self-organization process whereby people decide when to host the topics
and how to arrange their day at some of the sessions. Usually there are
two morning time slots and two afternoon time slots with 10 or so
concurrent sessions in each of these time slots. There is a constant
mixing of people throughout the day with plenty of opportunity to voice
concerns and to fully hear one another. The day closes in a community
session and dialogue. People begin to deeply understand they need each
other to continue their journey together.
Open Space builds the bridge by building a different, or new, type of
bridge. OS connects the past, the present, and the preferred future of
each individual into a single unbroken continuum. The OS process
continues to weave these individual continuums together, forming a fabric
made up of each person's strand. This fabric becomes the fabric of
context that gives meaning to the joint exploration of shared future. OS
plants the seeds for the future so that the preferred future grows
brighter and richer with every passing day.
Warm regards,
John Dicus
--John Dicus | CornerStone Consulting Associates -- Bringing Systems To Life -- 2761 Stiegler Road, Valley City, OH 44280 800-773-8017 | 330-725-2728 (2729 fax) http://www.ourfuture.com | mailto:jdicus@ourfuture.com
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