Harrison Owen Sr (1935–2024) was an author and organisational consultant best known as the originator of Open Space Technology, a facilitation approach for large-group, self-organising meetings and multi-day gatherings - openspaceworld.org 
- worldbusiness.org
YOUTUBE 2zo2qQNdp5U Open Space Interviews Harrison Owen
He is widely remembered for noticing that “the good stuff” at conferences often happened in the coffee breaks, and then designing a method that makes that informal energy the main event rather than the side quest.
# Why he mattered Owen’s contribution was not “inventing a clever workshop trick” so much as proving that self-organisation can be reliable when the interaction rules are clear, lightweight, and adult-to-adult. This made OST unusually scalable, from small gatherings to very large convenings, without turning facilitation into micromanagement.
# Writings and resources
Owen documented the method in his book “Open Space Technology: A User’s Guide,” and the OpenSpaceWorld site hosts short practical papers that are often the easiest entry point for new hosts - biblio.com
# See - Open Space Technology and Law of Two Feet - Art of Hosting and Liberating Structures - World Cafe - Self Organisation, Sensemaking and Wicked Problems