Open Space Technology

[Unconference-like, Open up agenda-setting authority to people Event management methods

Open Space Technology Introduction - Speaker Deck by @TAKAKING22

The Four Principles of OST

• Everyone who has come here is the right person for the job.
• Whatever happens, it is the only thing that should happen.
• Whenever it begins, it begins.
• Whenever it ends, it ends when it ends.

- I think that's good language. - The principle of "[[everyone who comes here is]] fit to speak" discourages the pattern of "I'm not fit to speak, so I'll shut up." - On the other hand, [[we don't force people who don't want to talk to talk]]. - From the host's point of view, I sometimes wonder if I should distribute equal opportunities to speak to the participants, but then I get excited and play catch-up with one person. - At times like this, I used to feel like a failure. - But the principle of "[[w]]hatever happens, it is the only thing that should happen" makes it "the only thing that should have happened." - So [[we affirm that it occurred anyway]]. - Not tight when it comes to time. - Even if the host was late for the scheduled start time, it had to happen. - Chatting starts while you're waiting, it had to happen. - You can end early if you run out of topics, and running out of topics was something that needed to happen. - Finishing early allows for longer breaks and chit-chat to occur from there, which is what should have happened.

Rules for [Voluntary Participation

• If you are in a session and feel you are not learning, contributing, or enjoying yourself, feel free to move on!

- This is a story that also relates to the later "butterfly" and "giraffe" stories - The rules say "move along." - In other words, when someone says, "I tried to attend a session because I thought it looked interesting, but it wasn't very interesting," the host is to blame others for not providing an interesting session, while the host is to blame others for not providing an interesting session. You are taking part of the responsibility. - It is the responsibility of the participants to move around to find places where they can "learn, contribute, and have fun." - This lowers the mental cost of the host very much. - Because the fact that "there are people there" is a vote of confidence that "those people can 'learn, contribute, and have fun'". - On the other hand, if this is not the case, the host may feel as if the "people there" are "customers who must be entertained," which increases the host's heartache.

Four Roles

• 
• It is not just the host and the participants! The interesting thing is that the language is clearly defined as
• Especially if it’s literally held in an open space, you can clearly distinguish between people sitting in chairs and people standing and walking around without sitting down.
  • Can naturally state, “I don’t want you to talk to me, I’m just listening.”
  • It’s part of the role, and you can’t be accused of “just listening and not participating in the discussion!” You can’t be blamed for that.
  • This is the main difference between Zoom’s breakout room and
    • Breakout rooms are forced into the role of “participant” when you join.
    • Even if you think you “just want to listen,” just by entering a room, you are considered a “participant” and are asked to talk and greet others.
      • If you don’t respond to them in a speedy and audible manner, you’ll create an awkward void in the room because of you.
  • It’s interesting that you separate the bees from the butterflies.
    • This means that the role is explicitly described as a role of wandering in from the middle of the group and leaving through the medium of a topic (= pollen) that was being discussed in the other group
    • On the other hand, he expresses that you don’t have to pollinate, you just have to listen.
      • Why? Because “the butterfly is staying” is signaling that “something interesting is being said there right now.
      • The role of conveying the message, “Here is a flower in bloom.
      • This signal attracts other butterflies and bees, some of whom turn into participants.

Giraffe anti-pattern.

• 
  • He again compares the “voluntary participation rule” to a giraffe.
  • Effect on participant focus
    • 

2023-07-11 Experience

• Experience of participating in one organized by ama_ch

  • ama_ch We had our first post-Corona HQ gathering in the Tokyo office today, with about 100 people at OST, and although the majority were first-time OST participants, many diverse topics came up and It was a lot of fun, and it’s great to see an organization where OST works so well. It was a lot of fun!

• About 100 participants
• Time frame of 30 minutes x 4

Thematize.

• Write it on an A4 piece of paper with a marker, explain it in front of everyone, and then put it on the wall.
  • There is a pre-made grid of 6 locations (+ 10 spare locations) x 4 time slots on the wall.
• The person who brought up the theme will be in the role of host for the occasion.
• I mistakenly thought that I was supposed to decide the theme for the first 30-minute slot, but I decided everything at the beginning.
  • I thought, “I shouldn’t host from the beginning because then my behavior would be tied up and I wouldn’t be able to observe the whole thing.”
  • I realized my mistake while I was presenting the many themes in order, so I slipped it in at the end and put it in the last time slot, “How to do OST online?” in the last time slot.
• There were easily 44 themes here.
  • I think it’s quite a lot.
  • https://twitter.com/ama_ch/status/1678392451248328706?s=46&t=gkSZtjGEtUZPO0JCzBxCBw
  • It’s going to be hard for management to read how many will come out.
  • It’s nice to get a lot out of it, but space is finite.
  • We had enough easel pads, sticky notes and pens to spread out the space, partly because we were doing it in our own office, but the part about not being able to read the amount needed in advance is troubling.
  • Well, the reality is that the physical constraints are indicated by the grid on the wall, and once it becomes apparent that it won’t fit there, there will be a discussion about “let’s stick this together” or something like that.
  • Didn’t it take a lot of time just to introduce the 44 themes?
    • It might be hard for the management to have time fluctuations.
    • As a listener, I don’t get the impression it was long.
      • Maybe it was because my thoughts were spinning, “Which session should I go hear?”

First session: External communications

• They overflowed and became individual rooms.
  • Maybe the separate rooms weren’t so good, because it makes it hard to do “chow”.
• There are easel pads at each location.
• The host started introducing himself, and we all went on to introduce ourselves.
• Contribute to the play by asking questions to elicit the issues the host feels and post them on a sticky note.
  • As the issues became clearer, each participant began to share his or her own experiences and examples, which was a nice touch.
• A fleshing out of the concept occurred.
  • The “hurdle feels high” is “the hurdle imposed by the company” and “the hurdle felt by the individual.”
  • Do we need rules?” are “rules that bind” and “rules that unbind”.
• Specific examples and findings from various departments were introduced and shared.
  • Specific examples of “this department is doing Y, not X” as opposed to the assumption that “it has to be X.”
  • Specific examples of “I did an A/B test and B was better” as opposed to the assumption that “it has to be A.”
  • Specific examples of “I’m doing Q” and “This one is doing R” in response to statements that assume “a channel called P”.
• Sticky notes on easel pads were peeled off and put on the walls in the main hall.

Second session: Conference participation

• The host was probably someone who was used to conference lectures and teaching, so he was familiar with it.
  • The host did most of the talking, so I started by contributing in the form of writing things down on sticky notes and sticking them up.
  • A sticky note from the third participant created a good chemical reaction.
    • I don’t fit in. I don’t have to fit in.”
  • Specific issues were verbalized and specific solutions to them were proposed.
    • I’m not a party to this, so I’ll be watching from the sidelines.

Third session: Building interdepartmental connections

• 15 minute break, good to see some chit-chat going on before the start of the event.
• Conversation between two and three parties regarding issues involving two departments
• Delve into the specifics of the host’s demand
  • It turns out that there are two types of demands, and as for one of them, it’s not between two departments.
• Ultimately, the problem is that the team has become smaller and I don’t get to know people outside the team as much because I don’t come to work anymore.
  • A solution was proposed: Automated Study Sessions.
  • The OST itself, which is being done now, is part of the solution.
  • It was shared that LT meetings were held in the past as a solution to similar problems
    • It became clear that none of the participants here knew why it was not being done now.
    • I figured my next action would be to check with someone who used to do LT meetings to see what’s going on.
  • Comparison of multiple solutions verbalized that there is a difference between “people who have something to say express it” (seeds-driven) and “people who have something to ask express it” (needs-driven).

Fourth session: How to do OST online

• The one where I’m the host.
  • Fireworks to think about I wrote the theme in the middle, but I didn’t know that sticky notes don’t stick to the top edge of the easel pad.
  • It’s afforded to write the title on top.
• First, participants were interviewed about what they thought of their participation in OST so far
  • I liked the fact that the themes were in parallel, which made me think about which one to listen to.
    • Unlike listening to a one-way presentation, it requires decision-making and active participation in making your own choices, which is why you “use your head.
  • It was verbalized that it is good to have a “distinction between participants and butterflies” compared to Zoom.
• An example of doing OST online was shared.
  • Use Miro or Discord.
  • Ease of gallery walk is an issue.
    • Hard to do with Zoom.
  • A case study that tried [Gather.town
    • The language was verbalized that “the pleasure of trying something new” is not the same as “the pleasure of continuing to do it.”
    • Even if you get tired of continuous operation and stop, you can still hold it as an event.
• Shared awareness of issues and needs-driven stories from Session 3.
  • I was told that OST can be very need-driven and exciting.
  • In an LT meeting, the roles of “speaker” and “listener” are taken.
    • Preparation costs the “speaker.”
    • The “talker” becomes the source of information.
    • Burden is concentrated on the “speaker”.
  • Write an “I’m having trouble with this, help me” type theme in the OST.
    • People who might be able to help get together and provide information.
      • This would lessen the burden of preparation on the host and create an incentive to submit themes since the host is the primary beneficiary.
    • In this case, session 1 is just that.
      • Hosts had “issues” and not “solutions”.
      • Participants from various departments shared case studies from their respective departments.
    • Session 2 was in the middle of the process as well.
      • While the host was talking about various issues, a participant who was listening expressed that he felt these issues and shifted to the mode of exchanging opinions to solve them.

The whole thing was saved for a four-hour slot and finished with plenty of time to spare.

• Since the above summary is quite abbreviated and this amount of time, I’d say it was a very productive time!

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