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

Fri Apr 26 09:58:49 PDT 2013

Here is a little book I wrote on this topic a number of years ago:
http://archive.org/details/TheTaoOfHoldingSpace

On Fri, Apr 26, 2013 at 9:16 AM, doug <ost at footprintsinthewind.com> wrote:

> 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<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 <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*/
>>>
>>> ------------------------------**------------------------------**
>>> ------------
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>     ______________________________**_________________
>>>     OSList mailing list
>>>     To post send emails to OSList at lists.openspacetech.org
>>>     <mailto:OSList at lists.**openspacetech.org<OSList at lists.openspacetech.org>
>>> >
>>>     To unsubscribe send an email to OSList-leave at lists.**
>>> openspacetech.org <OSList-leave at lists.openspacetech.org>
>>>     <mailto:OSList-leave at lists.**openspacetech.org<OSList-leave at lists.openspacetech.org>
>>> >
>>>     To subscribe or manage your subscription click below:
>>>     http://lists.openspacetech.**org/listinfo.cgi/oslist-**
>>> openspacetech.org<http://lists.openspacetech.org/listinfo.cgi/oslist-openspacetech.org>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> --
>>> Kári Gunnarsson
>>> kari.gunnarsson at simnet.is <mailto:kari.gunnarsson@**simnet.is<kari.gunnarsson at simnet.is>
>>> >
>>> gsm: +354 8645189
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> ______________________________**_________________
>>> OSList mailing list
>>> To post send emails to OSList at lists.openspacetech.org
>>> To unsubscribe send an email to OSList-leave at lists.**openspacetech.org<OSList-leave at lists.openspacetech.org>
>>> To subscribe or manage your subscription click below:
>>> http://lists.openspacetech.**org/listinfo.cgi/oslist-**openspacetech.org<http://lists.openspacetech.org/listinfo.cgi/oslist-openspacetech.org>
>>>
>>>
>>  ______________________________**_________________
> OSList mailing list
> To post send emails to OSList at lists.openspacetech.org
> To unsubscribe send an email to OSList-leave at lists.**openspacetech.org<OSList-leave at lists.openspacetech.org>
> To subscribe or manage your subscription click below:
> http://lists.openspacetech.**org/listinfo.cgi/oslist-**openspacetech.org<http://lists.openspacetech.org/listinfo.cgi/oslist-openspacetech.org>
>

-- 
---
CHRIS CORRIGAN
Facilitation - Training - Process Design
Open Space Technology

Weblog: http://www.chriscorrigan.com/parkinglot
Site: http://www.chriscorrigan.com

*Upcoming workshops*
*

*
Authentic Leadership In Action<http://aliainstitute.org/blog/track/2013-aoh/> -
Halifax, NS, Canada
*Designing Strategic Change from the Inside Out*
June 16 - 21, 2013
*

*
*
Art of Hosting <http://aohrivendell.withtank.com/> - Participatory
Leadership and Social Collaboration
November 11-14, 2013, Bowen Island, BC, Canada.
*

Upcoming Art of Hosting in Toronto, Montreal, Chicago and San Francisco.
Email me for more information.
*
*
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://lists.openspacetech.org/pipermail/oslist-openspacetech.org/attachments/20130426/f75ce6bd/attachment-0008.htm>