The Open Space Sponsor has the most challenging and essential role in OpenSpace Agility.
Without an appropriate Sponsor, your implementation can and will face challenges.
For the OSA Sponsor to work well, it is essential that:
- A person with substantial formal authority is in the role.
- This person is willing to occupy the Sponsor role completely, by taking up all the tasks that come with it.
The Sponsor completes the following activities before during and after the event:
Before:
- Work with the Coach and Facilitator to bring people together to craft the Theme.
- Draft and issue the Invitation.
- Engage in storytelling about the event and the purpose of it.
During:
- Welcome all participants.
- Communicate the opportunities and threats that the organization is facing.
- Signal that the work of the meeting is extremely important.
- Introduce the Facilitator and then hand off administration of the event.
- Participate in the event.
After:
- Put the Proceedings into everyone’s hands, typically by sending an email with a link to the document.
- Call people together to examine and immediately act upon the Proceedings.
- Engage in storytelling that supports the ongoing aims of Agile adoption.
It is essential that the Sponsor and other formally authorized leaders continuously signal strong support for the entire process. The primary way to do that is to act, without delay, on the issues that the Proceedings identify.