What
is a Conscious Open Space Organization?
The Conscious Open Space Organization (COSO) is
an organization that is highly successful in getting its work
done, maintaining high staff morale, fulfilling its purpose, achieving
its vision, and creating emergent conditions and actions for new
visions and their achievement. The COSO gets its business done
in an effective and efficient way, achieving maximum benefit from
the intellectual and intuitive knowledge of the individuals involved
and of the collective. No two COSO's look alike. There is no model
to follow to develop as a COSO because all organizations are organic
and cannot fit into someone else's template.
There are
however, key focal points that are attended to, a holistic framework
to operate within, principled leadership, and a different way
of managing. Use is made of a variety of tools and techniques
that may already be part of the skills and resources of the organization
including participatory meeting methodologies such as Open Space
Technology, Whole Person Process Facilitation, Cross Cultural
Conflict Resolution, Appreciative Inquiry, Future Search and World
Café as well as support such as Holistic
Leadership Development, and other resources like the OpenSpace-Online®
Real-Time Conference System for conducting on-line Open Space
Technology meetings. Within the COSO, a comprehensive blended
approach within a holistic framework enables the organization
to choose what is right for it in every situation, relying on
skills, knowledge and capacity developed "in-house"
and leading its own ongoing change from within.
All people
within a COSO have the opportunity to achieve mastery of their
work, both the regular tasks/work and individual/collective performance
challenges. This mastery includes accessing intellectual and intuitive
knowledge and the wisdom for applying it. The people have an environment
that supports their individual health and balance, resulting in
less sick time off and better employee retention.
The COSO
is an organization that is alive, aware and chooses to nurture
and strengthen its life for optimal performance. It allows the
creation of the space needed for optimal accessing of its potential,
possibilities, creativity, innovations, imagination, inspiration,
insights, solutions, resolution, commitment, and focused action.
It works from its strengths. It identifies and removes barriers.
It sustains health and balance for the benefit of the organization
and the people within it. If you have ever participated in an
Open Space Technology meeting, it is easier to imagine the COSO
because it mirrors the same high performance that is experienced
during an Open Space Technology meeting, but on a daily basis
rather than just at an event.
Additional Information:
How
does an Organization Develop as a COSO?
Stories
and Articles about the COSO
