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On-Boarding New Board Members

Mission of OSI-US

The Open Space Institute(US) holds space for Open Space. Open Space Institute(US) serves by:

  • Providing access to resources on Open Space,
  • Connecting individuals and groups to inform, inspire, mentor, and sustain each other in opening and holding space, AND
  • Being an inclusive learning community.

Board Member Introduction

  • To help the board and the new member make the commitment, the board asks that the new potential member attends three consecutive board meetings before being voted on.
  • In addition to simple introduction at the first board meeting, our current “process” for getting to know one another is pretty informal - relying on voluntary off-line interactions.
  • The annual WOSonOS convenings and concurrent board meetings are good ways for us to meet fact-to-face and learn to appreciate each person’s wonderful qualities.

Board Member Responsibilities

  • Board members are joined through recommendations and invitation.
  • Board membership is voluntary.
  • There are no pre-defined roles and responsibilities for board members.
  • It is expected that board members embrace the OSI-US mission through active participation of monthly meetings as well as supporting various board initiatives/projects

Monthly meetings

  • Schedule: 3rdTuesday of each month via video conference calls (Zoom).
  • Agenda - primarily driven by what’s in the “bin” and any ad-hoc topics brought up by any member.

Meeting Format

  • Moment of Silence
    • Acknowledge who is here and who is not
    • Allow whatever images or intent may surface in my mind
    • Listen to what’s going on inside me – getting in touch with own body and mind
    • Think about why I am here; what issues I have
    • Come to the present and be mindful
    • Breathe deep breath
  • Check-in
    • Share what’s going on in my life, significant happenings that may shape my state of being
  • The Bin (Trello)
    • The "bin" is a Trello visual taskboard which requires a separate login. New board members will need to be invited by another board member.

Resources

“Bin Gardening”

One of the roles during board meetings is "Bin Gardener". The person is responsible for going through the bin items, and helping the board look at and sort through the work at hand, move things to done, or move them out when they're no longer alive. There is a "Parked Indefinitely" area for items that are not alive. The "Bin Gardener" should also trim items off that list if they stop adding value. There is an "Archived" list for work that has been completed, and no longer needs to be seen on the list. It is best if all the lists can be kept visible on a reasonable sized computer screen without the need to scroll.

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