OpenSpace DEV:
Concept & open source license
OpenSpace DEV is a social technology that brings OpenSpace firmly into the realm of organizational development. Created by Silke Hermann and Niels Pflaeging, it builds upon OpenSpace Technology (invented in 1983 by by Harrison Owen) and incorporates 14 specific characteristics outlined in our 2025 research paper.
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OpenSpace DEV possesses its own open CC-BY-SA 4.0 source license (see below). By the terms of the license, you are free to use OpenSpace DEV in your work (also commercially), and you are obliged to consistently refer to the open source license when using the approach, its visuals or components.​ Referring to OpenSpace DEV in the correct manner is to your own advantage: Referring to OpenSpace DEV in a consistent way helps spreading the word about the OpenSpace DEV approach, and it identifies you as knowledgeable with peers and clients. It also contributes to making consistent and sound use of OpenSpace DEV more likely.
Another side-effect: Referring to the open source license should promote further advancement of OpenSpace– conceptually and practically!
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Disclaimers
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This work is derived from OpenSpace Technology, an open source, free social technology by Harrison Owen, published under the CC-BY-SA-4.0 license from Creative Commons and found here: osius.org/ost-reference-definition. This work is also derived from OpenSpace Beta, three open source, free social technology by Silke Hermann and Niels Pflaeging, published under the CC-BY-SA-4.0 license from Creative Commons, and found here: redforty2.com/openspacebeta.
Concept overview White paper
The OpenSpace DEV approach is an important element for Beta transformations, and for contemporary organizational development "together with all the willing". It offers a great way to achieve high engagement for change and transformation work, to authorize groups from 50 people to hundreds of thousands of people to work the system together. And it is a fabulous way to get organizational development work started (or even done), fast. You can download the OpenSpace DEV research paper by Silke Hermann and Niels Pflaeging (published by the BetaCodex Network) free of charge and free of registration. Share it and use it in your work - making the appropriate attributions (see license below)
On a related note: We also offer printed OpenSpace posters through our shop.
Open source license
Attribution ShareAlike – “CC-BY-SA”
This license lets you use, commercialize, remix, tweak, and build upon OpenSpace DEV.
In so doing, you agree to three simple things:
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credit the original authors, Niels Pflaeging and Silke Hermann (Red42),
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and provide our specified link to the source material, as listed below,
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and license your derivative creations to others under the identical terms.
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Specifically, you must provide and prominently display the following sentence and link with all derived works, and included as part of all related graphics you might develop: :
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“This work is derived from OpenSpace DEV, an open source, free social technology by Niels Pflaeging and Silke Hermann, published under the CC-BY-SA-4.0 license from Creative Commons, and found here: www.redforty2.com/openspacedev”
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