Open Space – At a Glance
| What are the key benefits of using Open Space in organizations? | Open Space boosts engagement, creativity, and self-organization, enables efficient problem-solving and scalable participation, and drives tangible results while fostering a learning-oriented, agile organizational culture. |
| What are the seven steps for conducting an Open Space event? | Conducting an Open Space event involves preparation, welcoming participants, opening the marketplace, holding group sessions, documenting results, reflecting in a closing circle, and defining follow-up actions to ensure commitment and momentum. |
| What challenges can arise in Open Space, and how can organizations address them? | Open Space can face challenges like participant hesitation, topic overlap, time constraints, implementation gaps, resistance to change, or lack of diversity, which organizations can overcome through clear communication, active facilitation, structured follow-ups, and sharing success stories. |
| How does Open Space support organizations during digital transformation? | Open Space engages participants directly in change processes, fosters learning and distributed leadership, strengthens collaboration, and enables co-creation of sustainable solutions to navigate complexity. |
Benefits of Open Space in Organizations
Open Space meetings boost engagement, collaboration, creativity, and problem-solving, while supporting agile, learning-oriented cultures and effective innovation management.
- Flexibility and engagement: By allowing participants to shape the agenda, open space increases motivation, ownership, and active participation.
- Self-organization: People naturally self organize into groups, creating an adaptive and interactive space for collaboration.
- Broad applicability: The method can be applied across contexts, from business strategy and leadership development to team alignment and community building.
- Creativity and innovation: Open dialogue stimulates free thinking, helping teams create new ideas and explore fresh opportunities.
- Efficient problem solving: Diverse perspectives help address complex challenges more effectively and sustainably.
- Scalability: Open space works well for large meetings and distributed organizations, enabling many people to actively attend and contribute.
- Results orientation: Despite its openness, the method remains clearly aimed at outcomes, decisions, and concrete action.
Overall, the open space format strengthens engagement, improves communication, and supports an agile, learning-oriented organizational culture. The law of two feet emphasizes personal responsibility: individuals should always be in the space where they can learn the most and make the strongest contribution, driving both collaboration and effective innovation management.
Seven Steps for Conducting an Open Space Event
Open Space events follow a structured seven-step process: preparation, welcome, topic marketplace, group sessions, documentation, closing circle, and outlook with commitments.
1. Preparation
An organizer defines the aim, selects the site, and sets the schedule. The event is announced, and participants are invited with clear details emphasizing openness and contribution.
2. Welcome and introduction
The facilitator introduces the principles, explains the practice, and creates a safe space for participation.
3. Opening the marketplace
Participants present their topics, explain their relevance, and post them publicly so others can join.
4. Group work sessions
Parallel sessions take place, where groups explore ideas, share experiences, and develop solutions.
5. Documentation
Results are captured using analog or digital tools, written on paper or collaborative platforms such as Google Docs, and later shared.
6. Closing circle
All participants reconvene to reflect, exchange insights, and discuss the following actions for the business agenda.
7. Outlook and commitment
The event concludes with agreed actions, responsibilities, and follow-up plans to maintain momentum.
Challenges and Solutions in Open Space
Open Space fosters creative, self-organized discussions but can face challenges such as participant hesitation, topic overlap, time constraints, implementation gaps, resistance to change, or lack of diversity, which can be addressed through clear communication, active facilitation, and targeted follow-ups.
- Motivation: Some participants may hesitate to engage. Clear communication, supportive facilitation, and a welcoming community help increase involvement.
- Topic overlap: Similar topics may emerge. Facilitators can help merge groups to maintain focus and efficiency.
- Time management: Limited time requires structure. Clear schedule guidance and regular check-ins support progress.
- Implementation gaps: Ideas may not be realized. A concrete action plan and follow-ups support execution.
- Resistance to change: Some teams may find the method difficult. Sharing success stories and emphasizing gradual change helps build trust.
- Lack of diversity: Active facilitation ensures that voices from different teams, roles, or even student perspectives are heard.
Tip: To stay ahead of emerging topics and anticipate challenges in your Open Space sessions, tools like Trendradar provide a shortcut to professional trend insights, helping you navigate and analyze developments effortlessly and make your discussions even more relevant and forward-looking.
The Role of Facilitation in Open Space Workshops
Moderation and facilitation play a crucial role in the Open Space method, as they are responsible for ensuring the smooth flow of the event and creating a positive and productive atmosphere. Here are the key aspects of their role:
Welcome and Introduction
Moderators explain the framework of the Open Space method and create a supportive environment for participants. They emphasize the importance of openness, self-organization, and active engagement.
Facilitating Topic Identification
Moderators help participants identify relevant and meaningful topics. They can assist in clarifying topics and ensure they reflect the interests and concerns of the group.
Opening the Marketplace
Moderators guide the presentation round in the “marketplace,” where participants introduce their topics. They ensure presentations remain brief and concise, while encouraging participants to sign up for topics of interest.
Flexible Time Management
Moderators monitor time during small group discussions and ensure it is used efficiently. They can set time limits and encourage groups to reconvene at agreed-upon times to share their results.
Supporting Group Discussions
Facilitators foster open and respectful communication within small groups. They ensure all participants are heard and, if needed, ask questions or provide clarifications to deepen the discussion.
Documenting Results
Moderators ensure that the outcomes of the small groups are clearly documented. This can be done by the participants themselves or by assigned “recorders.”
Closing Circle and Outlook
Moderators lead the closing circle, where participants share their experiences and discuss potential next steps. They can also highlight how the ideas generated can be implemented in practice.
Flexible Intervention
Moderators are prepared to respond flexibly to unexpected developments and make adjustments as needed to meet the goals of the Open Space event.
Open Space Technology and Digital Transformation
In the context of digital transformation, open space technology is frequently used to involve people directly in change processes. The method supports learning, distributed leadership, and collective sense-making, enabling organizations to explore new directions, strengthen collaboration, and co-create sustainable solutions.
By integrating technology management practices, companies can ensure that digital tools, platforms, and data are effectively coordinated to support these open space initiatives and drive informed decision-making. Through its open space, shared ownership, and focus on contribution, open space remains a powerful approach for navigating complexity and change.
Tip: Use the Foresight Strategy Cockpit to continuously collect, analyze, and share trends, risks, scenarios, and weak signals, supporting Open Space Technology and digital transformation for informed decisions and effective innovation management.
Frequently asked questions and answers
Open space is a participatory approach that creates a shared space where participants can self organize, share stories, and drive learning through focused conversations. It supports open space technology, enabling groups, teams, and organizations to explore topics, address issues, and create meaningful action. The meaning of open space lies in offering a living process for own learning, collaboration, and collective progress over a day or longer.
An open space is commonly called open space technology, a practice introduced by Harrison Owen and rooted in its history of community-driven conference design. It is described in a user’s guide, shaped by clear principles, and often aimed at transformation, leadership, and shared direction. This organized yet distributed approach brings participants, artists, students, and business leaders into one community.
Open Space meetings are gatherings where participants set the agenda, join sessions, and contribute using simple tools or digital materials. Guided by a coordinator and the law of two feet, attendees explore ideas, share insights, and define next steps, creating focused sessions that build momentum, foster collaboration, and turn dialogue into actionable outcomes for the organization.
Open Space enables own learning by letting participants choose the sessions that match their interests and needs. It encourages active engagement, discussion, and sharing of experiences, so people learn from each other. The method also prompts reflection and application, helping participants turn insights into practical action.
The Agile Alliance promotes principles like self-organization, collaboration, and continuous learning, which align closely with Open Space Technology. Its resources, case studies, and community guidance help organizations design effective Open Space events. By combining Agile practices with Open Space, teams can accelerate idea generation, improve alignment, and implement change more efficiently.
Sources
- Aconda – Dialog- und Zukunftsprozess: Open Space Technology, URL: http://www.agonda.de/open-space/open-space.html, letzter Zugriff: 24.08.2016
- Harrison, Owen (2001): Die Erweiterung des Möglichen – Die Entdeckung von Open Space, Stuttgart, Klett‐Cotta Verlag
- Harrison, Owen (2001): Open Space Technology – Ein Leitfaden für die Praxis, Stuttgart, Klett‐Cotta Verlag
- Open Space World (2012): Was ist denn open space?, URL: http://www.openspaceworld.org/german/index.html, letzter Zugriff: 30.08.2016
- Reich, Kersten (2007): Methodenpool, URL: http://methodenpool.uni-koeln.de/, letzter Zugriff: 30.08.2016
- WiPro – Innovativ mit Methode: World Cafe , URL: http://www.innovationsmethoden.info/methoden/world-cafe, letzter Zugriff: 24.08.2016
