Open Space
Open Space is a big idea. I hope that there will be lots of contributions to this page so that we can explore the meaning of Open Space fully. The concept is closely related to Open Source and other value systems that encourage transparency, honesty and full disclosure. Open Space is about voluntary coming together to share our diversity of talents in a free environment of collaboration. It is a space where we work together to create a positive result that none on their own could ever achieve.
Open Space is a venue to resolve problems and to understand other perspectives so that we defuse conflicts and bring about cooperation. It has the power to build peace in the world, in our communities and relationships. This aspect has been referred to as Open Space Technology which is based upon orginal works by Harrison Owen and is now a large community of practitioners.
Harrison convened the First International Symposium on Organization Transformation, and is the originator of Open Space Technology. He is the author of Spirit: Transformation and Development in Organizations, Leadership Is, Riding the Tiger, Open Space Technology: A Users Guide (Second Edition. Berrett-Koehler), The Millennium Organization, Tales From Open Space (editor), Expanding Our Now: The Story of Open Space Technology (Berrett-Koehler), The Spirit of Leadership (Berrett-Koehler) and The Power of Spirit: How Organizations Transform (Berrett- Koehler).
Another group that has an interesting perspective on Open Space is N55
Further resources at:
http://www.emacswiki.org/cgi-bin/community/OpenSpace
http://www.openspaceworld.com/brief_history.htm