Design

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"The process is wonderful, but it isn't the process itself that creates the magic. We can certainly use Open Space Technology with almost any question, but the questions have to be real, deep, timely and complicated if we want to get real, deep, timely and sophisticated engagement" - Chris Corrigan -

An intervention should be designed in accordance with the objective and principles of LSI. The table below explains what this means:

Point of attention	Consequence for design
Making use of a broad spectrum of qualities	Space for both cognitive, creative and intuitive angles of incidence; change of approaches and working methods; room for physical action
Sensemaking	Attention to the use of language; what meaning does a certain word or expression have in this particular society, organisation or community?
Sensemaking	Working with a design team in order to learn cultural customs and usages, language
Promoting “personal responsibility”	Promoting the responsibility of the participants means creating a setting that inhibits dependencies: working in a circle; no long speeches or monologues; dialogue
Promoting “personal responsibility”	sufficient time for each person to contribute: working with table groups or small groups
Involving the whole system	Defining the system by looking inwards from the outside: what are the boundaries of an organisation or community? What are the purposes of the organisation or community?
Large Group Intervention	The working conditions for large group meetings must be optimal; sufficiently large working room; break out spaces; logistics. For very large groups a specific logistics team may be needed.
Large Group Intervention	pay special attention to the atmosphere in the room and the location
Linking with the present situation	Adjust the tempo to the tempo of the organisation
	Do not promise more than is possible
	Formulate powerful questions that go to the heart of the matter
Commitment of management and sponsors	Taking care of interaction with management and actual management practice
Commitment of management and sponsors	Sponsor (mostly) opens and closes a Large Group Intervention

Important questions are: “What is the system”, and “Who is to be involved”? Other questions that may help clarify these questions, together with client and/or preparation team, are:

What is really the issue?
Who has information?
Who are the stakeholders?
On whom does the success of the intervention depend?
Who depends on the organisation or community?
On whom does the organisation or community depend?
Together with whom do we want to take decisions?

The Vista Group in England gives some great overviews that can help you in designing and organising a Large Group Intervention:

Mike Pedler gives a nice example of a change architecture of whole system change in an Health Care system.