Open space technology conferences have no formal structure, keynote speakers, or set times. Participants propose activities and discussions, and the conference evolves organically. The “law of two feet” allows participants to move to another session if they are not learning or contributing. It is used to address complex issues urgently.
Open space technology is an innovative form of conferencing that was discovered by organizational consultant Harrison Owen in the mid-1980s. An open space technology conference has no formal structure and lacks keynote speakers, organizational booths, and set times. Instead, participants sit in a large circle and propose activities, discussions and workshops that they would like to initiate. The conference can evolve organically based on everyone’s input, going over a day or several days depending on the agenda, and bringing together diverse people in groups from as few as five to more than 2,000.
Harrison Owen developed this type of lecture when he found that people attending his lectures preferred coffee breaks to any formal sessions conducted. Drawing on his experiences as an organizer of peace corps in Africa, he decided to create a kind of village market, where different groups of people could come together to address complex issues in chaotic but productive ways. While he initially called his idea of self-organizing open-plan meetings, it was reported in the media as open-plan technology, and this has become the standard for this type of conference. While it appears to have no real structure, in practice, it appears to have a more complex, dynamic, and robust format than any type of expert- or management-oriented conference.
The conference begins with all participants sitting in a circle with the facilitator giving short presentations and setting out the central theme to be explored. Those who want to initiate or discuss a particular topic, write it down on a large sheet of paper and announce it to the entire meeting. They then post that session on a bulletin board or wall, select a time and location for that particular seminar, and take it upon themselves to show up at the venue to push that specific session forward. The agenda for the entire conference has evolved over the first hour or so, and the facilitator simply has space for all participants to organize their own activities.
The one criterion for anyone proposing something at an open space technology conference is that they are passionate about this issue and proceed to do something constructive about it. The four key principles that guide any open space technology conference begin with the fact that whoever shows up is absolutely the right set of people because everyone involved in any given meeting really cares about the topic. The second principle states that whenever a session starts it is absolutely the right time to start, avoiding traditional formats. Thirdly, whatever happens is the only thing that could have happened, highlighting the need not to change old material. Finally, when it’s over, it really has to be over and the problem has to be left behind so everyone can move on to the next thing.
The one “law” that everyone tries to follow in an open source technology meeting, which was established by Owen, is the “law of mobility”, better known as the “law of two feet”. According to this law, if participants find themselves in situations where they are not learning or contributing, they are responsible for using their feet to move to another place. Participants have complete freedom to move from session to session and maximize learning and contribution accordingly. People who move like this are considered butterflies or bumblebees that pollinate groups, making interactions more varied and richer. Open space technology conferences are applied whenever complex issues need to be resolved urgently; embodies the dynamic spirit of a coffee break, where creativity and chaos go hand in hand.
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