One great aspect of working in Vancouver is the variety of groups and experiences offered. One of the groups I belong to is the British Columbia Organizational Development Network. This great group of OD Professionals is very open/excepting and all about creating exceptional experiences.
During a recent event, the speaker addressed the idea of "containers" and creating/holding space for others to have transformational events. This idea of containers is not a new one in the world of OD. There are many tools such as World Cafe that allow people to have meaningful conversations in a safe environment in order to share experiences and work on problem solving. Supporting these endeavors as a facilitator it is my job to ensure that I am asking questions that engage the audience and are based on the principles of Appreciative Inquiry.
Sessions such as this create the space for people to engage in the overall process of change. They are able to participate in making action plans for their organization and therefore have a stake in how these action plans play out over the long-term. This is one of the main issues with some change management process models - they don't engage enough of the organization and it is not sustainable.
It is more powerful to teach people the tools and guide them instead of giving them the answers.
During a recent event, the speaker addressed the idea of "containers" and creating/holding space for others to have transformational events. This idea of containers is not a new one in the world of OD. There are many tools such as World Cafe that allow people to have meaningful conversations in a safe environment in order to share experiences and work on problem solving. Supporting these endeavors as a facilitator it is my job to ensure that I am asking questions that engage the audience and are based on the principles of Appreciative Inquiry.
Sessions such as this create the space for people to engage in the overall process of change. They are able to participate in making action plans for their organization and therefore have a stake in how these action plans play out over the long-term. This is one of the main issues with some change management process models - they don't engage enough of the organization and it is not sustainable.
It is more powerful to teach people the tools and guide them instead of giving them the answers.
