open space

Welcome to anyone with an interest for Open Space!

• Practitioners wishing to share ideas and experience
• Potential users wanting to learn more about this collaborative group work approach
• People just curious about this different way of working as a group

This gathering is very informal…

People come and go as they wish and talk about whatever is on the top of their minds regarding Open Space. You can have drinks, and dinner also, stay for a while or just drop by and say hello. No agenda is set, no speakers are invited, always lots of energy. The invitation usually contains a question to serve as a theme to start conversations. Our first one will be: What makes Open Space so engaging and productive?

Networking, collaboration, generating ideas and connections…

Bring your curiosity, your passion, your whole baggage of experience and your smile! You can also bring stuff for others to look at (videos, pictures, books of proceedings from recent open spaces or anything else). We’ll talk about Open Space, and also about other methodologies or interesting books or conferences, or sometimes even about what is happening in the news!

Open Space “stammtisch” worldwide!

This kind of gathering happens all over the world. It started in Germany and was named "stammtisch" – a German word for the "regulars’ table" in a pub or restaurant, literally reserved for the same guests at the same time every day or every week. There is usually a sign on the table saying "Stammtisch". So our invitation will also be sent to the international OSList, so that visitors from other countries passing through New York and are real "Open Space Stammtisch addicts" can join us.

For more information, or to be specifically included in the invitation list, call Alissa Schwartz at 917-828-5008  or e-mail at as2272@columbia.edu.

Please see our Upcoming Events for information regarding future meetings of the Open Space Special Interest Group! summaries of past discussions are below.