Open space technology

Open space technology (OST) is a method for organizing and running a meeting or multi-day conference where participants are invited to focus on a specific, important task or purpose.

[1] The approach was originated by Harrison Owen, an Episcopal priest whose academic background and training centered on the nature and function of myth, ritual, and culture.

So when he did it again, open space was his way of making the whole of the conference one big coffee break, albeit with a central theme (purpose, story, question, or "myth") that would guide the group's self-organization.

[3] In the 1980s, Owen was considered by many large corporations to be one of several new-age consultants whose methods might encourage employee participation and interest in company problems.

The details of the daily speaking schedule are, to a lesser or greater degree, created and organized by attending participants and speakers "on the day of."

Given the potentially chaotic nature of open-space meetings, when the event begins, the organizer-sponsor gives their best shot at focusing on the theme, ground rules, values, and energies of the conference.

The ideal event facilitator is "fully present and invisible," "holding a space" for participants to self-organize rather than micro-managing activity and conversations.

[11]) Some meeting organizers use open space techniques and other methods to avoid what they see as "shortcomings" of OST, such as an atmosphere that is potentially unfriendly for introverts.