[OSList] What does neutrality of a facilitator mean in Open Space?

[Carmela Ariza]

Thanks Kari for your thoughts and suggestions. 

How would you deal then with a co-facilitator who has a very clear position on issues that are being tackled and who runs the risk of compromising neutrality of the team of facilitators? 

Will take a look at the Amsterdam Musical Lecture on Open Space soon. This seems interesting...

Carms 
 
If there is to be any peace it will come through being, not having. -- Henry Miller


________________________________
 From: Kári Gunnarsson <kari.gunnarsson at simnet.is>
To: Carmela Ariza <carmela_ariza at yahoo.com>; World wide Open Space Technology email list <oslist at lists.openspacetech.org> 
Sent: Friday, 19 April 2013, 7:35
Subject: Re: [OSList] What does neutrality of a facilitator mean in Open Space?
 


Hi Carmela

I am perhaps not the best on neutrality, I am easily swept off my feet in passion for this or that, and usually I like to marvel in the novelty for a short while.

I don't think there is any one truth that we can speak here. There is some big notion of neutrality in the academia, somehow born from the abstract thinking of the scientific methought. There is this belief that if I am to close too or worse - one of the locals, then I must be to bias to speak any truth.

But what I have found is that if I am the owner or manager of the item in question, then I might have some previews thoughts and dreams that I may try to enforce it in the process with no regards to the underlying reality of the matter, if given the possibility.

Also if this person is someone I am trying to please, I may be to co-dependent towards any power play that he might use for the same reasons.

There is always the spiritual work of begin willing to be present and holding the space open by keeping a check on my charisma while the discussions take place.

As soon as I try to force the outcome by closing the space, then the space is no longer open. I sacrifice the productivity by forcing my own will of outcome upon the group. The only way for me to not do this is simply to not have a way about how the outcome should be. If I am not willing to not have a way, then I have some personal work to do by cheeking my motives and fears and let go of them.

If this is not possible, then I would suggest a twinning, where you find someone not in our department to do your open space and then do same for them.

But I think that I am allowed to care deeply and have an opinion as long as my personal homework is done and I am spiritually fit to not have a way, and to let them have their own experience.

I also have an experience where a small group where half of the group was familiar with Open Space, we decided to hold the space as a group and participate in our own open space. There was no external sponsor or external facilitator, but we managed to hold the space open because we cared.

I like to end with an Amsterdam Musical lecture on Open Space:
http://youtu.be/BgcomPDIUHY


On 18 April 2013 22:40, Carmela Ariza <carmela_ariza at yahoo.com> wrote:

Dear OST friends,
>
>
>I would like to hear your thoughts on neutrality of facilitators in OST. Below are some specific questions...
>
>
>What does it mean in practice? 
>If you are an interested party or have a stake in the outcomes, how must you facilitate? 
>What are the ways to maintain neutrality (towards participants and topic/outcomes) even if the facilitator is also interested in the quality of the participation and also the outcomes?
>
>
>Your inputs/insights will be highly appreciated - especially sharing of experiences.
>
>
>Cheers,
>
>
>Carms
> 
>If there is to be any peace it will come through being, not having. -- Henry Miller
>
>
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-- 
Kári Gunnarsson
kari.gunnarsson at simnet.is
gsm: +354 8645189
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