122 THE CREATIVE INVESTMENT TEAM
Logic and good sense appeal to them. Intuition and radical inno-
vations make them nervous. Internally, STJ organizations are likely
to be organized functionally and to provide people with clear
expectations and role responsibilities. In big organizations, this
tendency can produce a collection of somewhat isolated domains
between which communication is difficult.STJ organizations like schedules and control and thrive on order.
Imagine, then, what an NFP process would look like: a coffee break.
Huh? Yes, an extended coffee break. People would mingle, munch
on snacks, talk freely, and shift from one conversation to another
as the spirit moved them. Well, that was the inspiration for Owen’s
Open Space process. He noticed that the most valuable part of big
conferences was the coffee break between sessions:In 1983, I had occasion to organize an international conference
for 250 participants. It took me a full year of labor. By the time
I had finished with all the details, frustrations, and egos (mine
and others’) that go with such an event, I resolved never to do
such a thing again. This resolution was confirmed at the conclu-
sion of the conference, when it was agreed by one and all (in-
cluding myself) that although the total event had been outstand-
ing, the truly useful part had been the coffee breaks [Owen, Open
Space Technology: A User’s Guide, Berrett-Koehler 1997].So, Owen asked himself, how can we construct an eight-hour
coffee break? And the answer was Open Space. The process is so
simple and natural that those of us who have complicated our lives
almost beyond redemption can’t, at first, grasp it. In Open Space,
you simply let people follow their passions. You let them talk about
issues that really matter to them. You also follow Owen’s guideline
that “if it isn’t fun, it isn’t working.”
What is the process?
It begins with an invitation to all concerned parties (stakehold-
ers) to attend the meeting. It is strictly voluntary. This is the first
important departure from STJ meetings, which are usually manda-14-25 ware 122 1/19/01, 1:13 PM