Open Space Technology is, at the very least, a new way to hold better meetings. The normative experience is that groups, large and small (from five to one thousand members), self-organize to effectively deal with hugely complex issues in a very short time.

Harrison Owen, H.H. Owen & Company
and originator of Open Space Technology
Potomac, Maryland, USA
http://www.openspaceworld.com

Open Space Technology has been called meeting methodology, organization transformation, intentional self-organization and surfing the chaos. Since its discovery 20 years ago, it has enabled all kinds of people, in every kind of organization and community, to create inspired meetings and events - and post phenomenal business results. It has also become clear that opening space, as an intentional leadership practice, can create inspired organizations, where ordinary people work together to create extraordinary results with regularity.

Michael Herman, Michael Herman Associates
Chicago, Illinois, USA
http://www.globalchicago.net/wiki/wiki.cgi?MichaelHermanAssociates

It is a philosophy, practice and process that enables groups of any size to come together around complex, important issues and accomplish something meaningful.

Peggy Holman, The Open Circle Company
Seattle, Washington, USA
http://www.opencirclecompany.com

When I got my training in working with not-for-profit organizations' leaders I began to pay more attention to the process of 'exchange of information'. Especially in a post-authoritarian country. Yes, we do exchange our information, but not always in an effective form. It turned out that we find the interesting method of Open Space Technology as one of the inspiring methods for meeting people, which gives the possibility to all participants to tell their points of view, to discuss the most stirring questions and share opinions and experience in the most enthusiastic way. And more -- you can find partners for your ideas and projects at the same time, and solve the problems which were probably not solved for many years. And what is most important: to make a strategic plan for your future activities with this group of associates. By communicating with the 'right' people, you can discover your hidden potential and feel yourself as a person whose opinion is very important for the decision making of this team -- for moving further into a better future.

Dr. Elena Marchuk, Regional Development Center "Ceres"
Novosibirsk, Siberia, Russia
marco@mail.nsk.ru

For organizations, Open Space is the best orienting practice I have ever seen. It combines a rich collection of other orienting practices like storytelling, silence, way-finding and inquiry to bring together a collective consciousness about where the organization is at. After a big juicy Open Space, suddenly the ground seems a little firmer, navigation seems to get easier and the maps make sense. Or sometimes you discover that the map you have been using (maybe it's a "strategic plan") has been the wrong one all along. It's all good, as Father Brian [Bainbridge] would say.

Chris Corrigan
Bowen Island, British Columbia, Canada
http://www.chriscorrigan.com