Open Space facilitators

[FamilyFirm at aol.com]

This question of having a dual relationship as an OS facilitator seems an
issue of professional responsibility that is analogous to the issue of
therapists having dual relationships with their clients, which is strickly and
unequivocally prohibited by all behavioral science licensing boards that I
know of.  While therapists know that many or perhaps most scenarios of  dual
relationships would be benign it is still a part of the professional culture
to prohibit the cross over of relationships due to the responsibilties
involved.  If the professional culture allows everyone who practives to make
their own intuitive and idiosyncratic judgement on the spur of the moment the
profession is bound to eventually suffer from it.

Another point that is possibly relevant is that an interdisciplinary
professional association I am part of has addressed the issue of creating an
ethical code for this association with members whose "professions of origin"
have codes that vary significantly regarding issues such as the tolerance of
dual relationships.  Our conclusion was that when the persons profession of
origin had a more restrictive position on an issue than our association has,
the more person was expected to adhere to the stricter code.

I have both facilitated OS events and employed others to faciltate OS for my
own professional group.   Speaking as a consumer, if anyone I hired to lead an
OS event compromised their professional responsibilities by abdication of the
role of facilitator to indulge themselves as a participant, I would consider
it unprofessional and a breach of responsibilty.

Joe