There are no Open Space certifications or trademarks. There is only the invitation to explore, try it out, and then share your learning with others. Harrison Owen shared his own stories and learning generously. Many of us have followed his lead. (This page is LONG, but it offers a LOT of resources in one place.)
You’ll find all kinds of stories here, about why, how, when and where Open Space works. Open Space runs on shared learning. Never stop telling the stories!
Stories Shared by Harrison Owen
- Books and Papers by Harrison Owen (most of them downloadable .pdf files)
- Morning Talks at Peace and High Performance over several years (on YouTube)
- Brief History of Open Space | OST: A Brief User’s Guide | Ongoing Open Space
- The Practice of Peace (this book now available for viewing and downloading)
- Wave Rider: Leadership for High Performance in a Self Organizing World (book)
- About Harrison Owen | Obituary | Memorial (google.doc)
Stories Shared by Friends Around the World
What is Open Space?
English | Svenska | Português | Français | Deutsch | Español | Magyar | Euskara
Dansk | Nederlands | Haitian Creole | Polski | Chinese | Estonian | Italiano | Türkçe
| | | | | | Україна
Talking About Open Space Meetings
- Working in Open Space: A Guided Tour | Open Space Patterns | Key Concepts Explained
- Elevator Speeches | Open Space Quotes from Participants, Clients and Facilitators
- Training Videos and Short Documentaries | Academic Research | Stories and Papers
- Examples/Organizations | Examples/Conferences | Events Archive | OSW.net
- Photos (10,000+) | YouTube Videos
Ongoing Open Space Practice in Organization
- Inviting Leadership – Michael Herman’s “Inviting Guide,” most frequently shared OS training materials, with original articulation of Inviting Organization and Inviting Leadership.
- Open Space Technology: A User’s Non-Guide – Michael Herman and Chris Corrigan edited two months of wide-ranging OSLIST conversations into this valuable companion to Harrison’s User’s Guide, addressing the Non-Doing in Open Space facilitation.
- The Tao of Holding Space – Chris Corrigan’s translation of the Tao Te Ching for Open Space facilitators.
- Initiating and Inviting Generative Change: Entry and Contracting for Emergent Outcomes In Results Driven Organizations – Tova Averbuch offers a compelling image of how the Dialogic OD practitioner, through their way of being in covenant relationships, co-creates a network that will enable large-scale, emergent, generative change.
- Creating a Level Playing Field for Collaboration (podcast) – Tonnie van der Zouwen hosts this series, inviting wise people to share their wisdom in stories of lived experience. Listen on Spotify
- The Change Handbook, 2d Edition – the most comprehensive guide available to methods of organization and community change. Designed for quick and easy access to information about high leverage change from today’s foremost practitioners. Peggy Holman, Tom Devane, Steven Cady and over 90 international contributors, (Berrett-Koehler, 2007).
- The Surprising Power of Liberating Structures: Simple Rules to Unleash A Culture of Innovation – 30+ Liberating Structures are novel, practical and no-nonsense methods to get everyone fully engaged, in groups of any size. Open Space included. Henri Lipmanowicz and Keith McCandless. See also the LS website.
- The New Parish Priest – Fr. Brian Bainbridge recounts the journey of a Catholic parish changing from “top-down” control to “self-organization.” Brian was an active pastor (making 500-700 “house visits” per year), an Open Space consultant and facilitator, in locations around the world, for organizations like the World Bank and A.T Kearney. He was the man who brought Open Space to Australia and the one person in the world most likely to attend the annual Open Space on Open Space practitioners’ conference. “I learned something important EVERY time I sat down to chat with Brian.” — Michael Herman
- Open Space on the Open Road: A Love Story – What Happens when Work Collides with Life in a Good Way? This is the tale of a workaholic fiercely dedicated to the idea that LIFE at WORK should be vibrant, inclusive, productive, and joyful. Suzanne Daigle tells her “before and after” stories and how she learned to open space wherever she goes.
- Living Peace: The Open Space of Our Lives – Raffi Aftandelian edited this collection of Open Space facilitators’ stories about how they practice Open Space in everyday living
On Open Space and Business Agility
- The Open Space Agility Handbook – OpenSpace Agility™ is a repeatable technique for getting a rapid, genuine and lasting Agile adoption or introduce any kind of change in any kind of organization. It works with what you are currently doing, and can be added at any time. It incorporates the power of invitation, iteration, Open Space, game mechanics, passage rites, storytelling and more…so that real and authentic change in your organization can actually take root. Daniel Mezick, Deborah Pontes, Harold Shinsato, Louise Kold-Taylor and Mark Sheffield.
- Inviting Leadership: Invitation-Based Change™ in the New World of Work – Daniel Mezick and Mark Sheffield’s guide to leveraging authentic invitations to engage people and generate the positive business outcomes that emerge from self-managed teams.
- Company-wide Agility with Beyond Budgeting, Open Space & Sociocracy: Survive & Thrive on Disruption – Jutta Eckstein and John Buck’s synthesize these approaches to address the challenges of doing business in a volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous world.
- The Open XP Solution – Dr. Sandra Walsh on using Open Space to bridge communications gaps between business and technology domains in companies
- Fluid Scaling Technology (FaST): A way for people to self-organize around work – that scales (full book forthcoming) – Open Space-based ultra-lightweight scaling, adaptivity and emergence, through minimal structures and fluid teaming. Quinton Quartel, with Diana Larsen and others.
Stories and Resources for Facilitators
Significant Online Collections
- Michael Herman’s Resources Page and Practice Notes – variations and guides, collected articles, sample invitations, opening script, stories, training notes, ongoing open space
- Diane Gibeault (English/French) – articles, resources (English and French)
- Thomas Herrmann – resources and a good collection of videos
- Paul Levy’s Open Space Realm – information, resources and inspiration for open space, emergent change and transformation
- Devoted & Disgruntled – Phelim McDermott and a talented cast
- OS Agility™ | Inviting-Based Change | Open Leadership Network – Daniel Mezick
- Chris Corrigan.com – practice notes in blog, stories and resources page
- PeggyHolman.com – OST toolbox, papers and other resources
Online Open Space Platforms
- QiqoChat.com – OS-informed platform for online community development
- VillageCo.org – strengthening neighborhoods, workplaces and families with OS-informed model for micro-community formation and development
- OpenSpace-Online® – Gabriela Ender’s pioneering platform for OS online, since 1999!
Other Miscellaneous Resources
- Three Opening Briefings – recordings of three different live openings
- Opening and Closing an OST Event An outline of doing an opening and closing from Peggy Holman.
- Inviting Agility and What to Do After Open Space | Ongoing Open Space
- Two Page Open Space Primer – The basics of doing an open space in brief. If you’ve attended an open space, this provides a quick reference to help lead one yourself from Anne Stadler.
- Open Space Technology Notes – a detailed description of doing open space –Rick Lindman
- Talking About Open Space – a document for talking about Open Space with Australian examples –Alan Stewart.
- Choosing Open Space Technology Things to consider if you are contemplating an Open Space Meeting or if you are contemplating transforming your organization to operate as an Ongoing Open Space Organization from Birgitt Williams.
- Open Space Checklist Here is a detailed list of everything from masking tape to microphones that you need before, during and after an Open Space event. Also included are some notes for talking to potential sponsors and writing an invitation from Peggy Holman
- Meeting Room Capacity Spreadsheet – a spreadsheet that calculates the number of people that a meeting room will hold in one or more circles, via Koos de Heer
- LeanCoffee – a small-group, short-meeting approach that drives a bit like Open Space
Training and Coaching
The following people and websites offer more information about Open Space training and practice, coaching and mentoring. Mostly listed by primary/home country, but many work across borders and/or around the world.
North America
- http://www.genuinecontact.net – worldwide training group for Genuine Contact(TM) Program, including Working with Open Space Technology
- http://www.chriscorrigan.com – Chris Corrigan, training and practice workshops, Alaska and Canada, Vancouver-based
- http://www.dianegibeault.com – Diane Gibeault, training in French and English worldwide, based in Ottawa, Ontario Canada
- http://www.michaelherman.com – Michael Herman, one-on-one facilitator coaching
- Daniel Mezick –
- http://www.dalarinternational.com – Birgitt Williams and the team at Dalar offer Working with Open Space Technology in a participative online environment accessible for participants around the world.
Europe
- UK, see openspaceworldMAP.org, especially Phelim McDermott, Paul Levy and Romy Shovelton
- mailto:agneta@skaparlust.nu – Agneta Falk, Sweden
- mailto:gm@openspace.dk – Gerard Muller, Denmark, Holland and elsewhere in Europe.
- mailto:thomas@openspaceconsulting.com – Thomas Herrmann, Sweden
- mailto:events@merlien.org – Merlien Institute, The Netherlands
- http://www.formapart.fr – Hervé Louf and Nancy Bragard (training) – France
- mailto:mmpanne@boscop.de – Michael M Pannwitz , Germany and elsewhere around the world
- mailto:AnnaCaroline@TruthCircles.com Anna Caroline Türk, Berlin, Germany
- mailto:Holger.scholz@kommunikationslotsen.de – Holger Scholz, Germany
- mailto:holger@change-facilitation.org – Holger Nauheimer – Germany and elsewhere around the world
- mailto:artsilva@mail.eunet.pt – Art Silva – Portugal
- mailto:xge@deluz.it – Gerardo de Luzenberger – Italia
- mailto:gala_tsar_kova@mail.ru – Galina Tsarkova – Russia and elsewhere in the world
- mailto:cursus_pma@inbox.ru – Mikhail Pronin – Russia and elsewhere in the world
Australia and New Zealand
- mailto:Viv@thereef.com.au – Viv McWaters, Melbourne
- mailto:andrew@babelfishgroup.com – Andrew Rixon, Melbourne
- mailto:mckeaguebrendan@gmail.com – Brendan McKeague, Perth
- mailto:hp@paradise.net.nz – Helen Patterson, Christchurch, New Zealand
Asia
- mailto:icataiw@ms69.hinet.net – GailWest, Taiwan
- mailto:mark@leadershipninc.com.cn – Mark Pixley, Hong Kong & China
- http://www.yawarbaig.com/ – Yawar Baig, President Yawar Baig & Associates,India