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

Fri Apr 26 09:16:24 PDT 2013

MMP and friends--

Thank you for this dive into the present and invisible and expanding of 
time and space.

Although I have been doing OST for a decade, this is a practice I have 
yet to perfect. Often I feel at the end of an OS that I was not really 
there because I was facilitating. That is, I cannot tell someone else 
what went on or what the results were. (Sure I can count issues and 
assess the depth of the closing circle, but that is not the same as 
having been a participant. It is different when at an OSonOS I can 
simply be a participant.)

So can you and others say some more about how you practice being present 
and invisible, what it feels like to expand time and space? Is it for 
you more than picking up coffee cups?

:- Doug.

On 04/26/2013 04:31 AM, Michael M Pannwitz wrote:
> Dear Carms,
> basically, there is no such thing as a "neutral" facilitator.
> As far as I can remember, and thats a few decades back, potential
> clients often ask for a "neutral" facilitation or consultation.
>
> Seems to me that the way to tackle this is to ask myself what I am not
> "neutral" about. And that, I found out, varies from case to case and
> from situation to situation.
>
> So, when I am facilitating I find it helpful to discover what I do not
> want to be "neutral" about and focus on that particular thing.
> When facilitating an Open Space Technology process I focus on being
> "present and invisible", "expanding time and space" (for the forces of
> selforganisation to do its thing).
> This I find is more than a full time job... any other interests that
> crop up (getting involved in issues participants post or paying
> attention to a co-facilitator...) simply have no space. The moment they
> do press for space and my attention I know I am no longer really paying
> attention to my task as facilitator.
> In practice this means that I am in desperate need for a team in the
> background that takes care of all the things I love to meddle with and
> control so that I can focus... which sounds simple but aint easy.
>
> A co-facilitator who has clear positions on issues and is absorbed by
> such stuff does not compromise "neutrality" of the team. He exerts
> control and that is from my experience a surefire way to reduce or even
> close space.
> So, how to deal with a co-facilitator of the kind you describe?
> It depends, of course.
> One way to avoid this destraction is to simply strike the position of
> co-facilitator.
> Have a great day
> mmp
>
> On 26.04.2013 01:44, Carmela Ariza wrote:
>> 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
>> <mailto: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 <mailto:kari.gunnarsson at simnet.is>
>> gsm: +354 8645189
>>
>>
>>
>>
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