Conference Schedule and Logistics

When does the program start?

• The gathering begins at 3:00 PM on Monday, December 11th

When does the program end?

• The gathering ends at 12:00 PM on Wednesday, December 13th.

Where will I stay?

• Scottsdale Conference Resort
• 7700 McCormick Parkway
• Scottsdale, Arizona 85258
• (480) 991 9000

Who will feed me?

• We will eat in the Resort Dining Room. Meals include Dinner on Monday, Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner on Tuesday, and Breakfast and Lunch on Wednesday.

Who pays for my trip?

• There is a nonrefundable $50.00 conference registration fee (if recevied before November 1, 2000 and $60.00 after November 1).
• All participants are responsible for the registration fee and their transportation to and from the hotel.
• The sponsors are able to support a limited number of participants by paying for the hotel and meals for the conference..
• Your invitation letter describes the expense reimbursement we are offering you and what you need to do make travel arrangements. Call us if you have questions.

What are the important deadlines?

• Complete and return your Information Survey and Registration Form by October 15^th.

How do I travel?

Air Transportation:

• Your air transportation to and from Phoenix are is your responsibility. We have arranged with .Northwest, Southwest and America West for conference rates. To get these please contact: Andrew Kan Travel Service, Inc. at (800) 748-0305 or akts@wspan.com.

Ground Transportation:

How do I get from the airport to the hotel?

• On Monday, December 11, you will be met at the baggage claim area of the Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport which is why we need your arrival and departure times. You will be driven to the Conference Resort, which is 25 minutes away. You will also be driven to the airport for your return flight on Wednesday, December 13. The van charge is $14 each way and is included in the hotel charge. If there is no one from the Resort available when you arrive at baggage claim, go to the Courtesy Phone Center (across from the Information Desk in the baggage claim area) pick up the phone and dial #39, the Scottsdale Conference Resort, and make arrangements with the staff to pick you up.

Will I need a rental car?

• No. We are unable to reimburse for car rental or alternate ground transportation.

How do I get around the Conference Center?

• It is very easy to get around the resort. All guestrooms, the Dining Room, the Meeting Rooms, the Lounge and the Pool are within walking distance/wheelchair accessible of one another.

What clothes should I bring?

• Bring casual attire for the entire conference. No formal dress is required. Expect beautiful weather in Scottsdale. Average temperatures in the month of December are: High - 66; Low – 38.

Who do I call when I’m stressed or nervous about this whole thing?

Bob Pillsbury Sherbrooke Consulting, Inc. 1500 22nd Street North Arlington, VA 22209 Tel: (703) 812-8774 Fax: (703) 812-8775 E-mail: Bob@sherbrookeconsutling.com

Shannon Brower Conference Organizer 2575 N. Shore Drive Harbor Springs, MI 49740 Tel: (231) 526-1047 Fax: (231) 526-0669 E-mail: sbrower@freeway.net

What do I need to do right now?

• Please complete the registration form on the next page and return it to us ASAP, but no later than October 15^th. You can:

mail it to us at 1500 22nd Street North; Arlington, VA 22209; or

fax it to (703) 812-8775; or

submit it from the web at http://www.RBANetwork.org.com/Conference/Registration;

Open Space Technology…

(excepted from an article, the author, title and publication are unknown. If anyone recognizes it, please let so know so we can make the correct attribution)

is a radically simple way to convene large groups of people to work on a topic that is important to them in a joint learning environment.

What is it?

Imagine this:

A large group of people gathers for three days to share perspectives, address critical issues, plan what action is needed and decide who will do it. This event takes place with no preset agenda, and a minimum of imposed structure. People show up, create their agenda in real time, organize themselves, and go where they can contribute. Now imagine those people leaving after three highly productive days, with all-important issues on the table, all voices heard, and people inspired and committed to take responsibility for solving problems they believe are important. Impossible, you say? This is the promise and the magic of an Open Space (OS) event.

Where does it come from?

Harrison Owen developed OS technology over fifteen years ago. Its evolution has been a collaborative project involving over 3000 practitioners on several continents. OS is being used frequently today because it provides answers to some perplexing questions like: How can we tap into a group’s energy and creativity? Is there a simpler, more productive, more respectful way of being together?

How does it work?

An OS event operates on a few radically simple rules. Its minimal structure borrows from familiar human forms: using a marketplace and bulletin boards for exchange, beginning and ending with a circle. One law and four principles provide the foundation.

• The Law of Two Feet.

People to take responsibility for what they truly care about, using their two feet to move to sessions where they can be contribute.

• The Four Principles

Whoever comes are the right people.
Whatever happens is the only thing that could have.
Whenever it starts is the right time.
When it’s over, it’s over.

• The Marketplace

When the marketplace opens at 3:00 PM Monday, December 11, 2000, everyone is invited to announce meetings on any topic about which they (1) care passionately and (2) are willing to convene a session. People post their topics on an agenda wall. Included are meeting times and locations of their choosing. The large group then disperses to self-selected meetings.

People are responsible for: (a) setting their own schedules; (b) showing up where they can either contribute or learn; and (c) producing and recording outcomes their own meetings.

• The Circle

Each day begins and ends in a circle – the fundamental geometry of human communication. (Whoever heard of a "square of friends"?) The message is that everyone is essential. There are no head tables, no speakers or audience – only a group of people related through a common interest, taking responsibility for what they care about. At the day’s end, the large circle reconvenes and becomes a learning exchange.

• What? A big meeting with no controls or structure?

On the contrary, OS technology does have control and structure, but the control comes from within each person and the structure emerges from the group in real time. OS provides people a rare, concrete expedience of what it’s like when order, structure and control are not imposed from above, but are allowed to emerge.

• What are its unique benefits?

By the end of an OS event, every important issue will be on the table and every voice will be heard. During the process, new connections are formed and knowledge enhanced. An OS event concludes with a set of specific learnings, issues, priorities, recommendations and people poised to take action. OS is high tech and high touch. Bring your laptop to use the website. The proceedings will reflect the learnings, the priorities, the recommendations and the actions of the gathering. They will be generated by you and your colleagues in real time.

Why are we using OS for this conference?

OS is most effective when four conditions are present:

1. There is complexity, diversity, conflict, and time pressure.

Working to improve the well-being of children, individuals, families and communities is complex, involves a diversity of perspectives, evokes conflicting values and approaches, and demands urgent and timely decisions and action.

1. Creative thinking and innovation are needed.

Results Based Accountability is not the way things are. It is the way you want them to be. Everyone invited to this conference is at the "bleeding edge" of change and is challenged daily to invent, create and innovate application of RBA to improve well being.

1. No one person or group knows the answer.

RBA is a plane that is being flown while under construction. Everyone invited knows some of the questions and some of the answers. No one knows it all…and to be honest, all of us together may not know it all…

1. The ongoing participation of a number of people is needed.

   The improvement of the well being of children, individuals, families and communities is the task of a lifetime. Learning about how to create results based accountability will need all of us and all our friends and colleagues if we truly to make a difference.

What else should I know about OS?

OS is a laboratory to explore the possibility that we can get order for free – without organizing anything, with no one being in charge. It is an opportunity to try out a very new way of working together.

What is Modified Open Space mean?

The design is still in progress, but we hope to have some workshops, meetings or presentations outside of the normal Open Space environment. The exact nature, titles, times, etc. are still to be determined. Use the comment section above to send any ideas you may have.

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