Hello everyone. This will be an introduction and a "coming out" from the lurking group.
My first exposure to Open Space was at the hands of Joe Paul [thanks Joe] at the Family Firm Institute meeting. One of the reasons I chose to attend was the OS format. I have since been exposed to Appreciative Inquiry at a conference in Phoenix in November about three weeks later. I have read OST: a User's Guide and all posts archived in 1998 on the OS List. I am also on the Ai List. I my last life I was a psychiatrist. That ended in 1997 after a series of events. One of those events was the reading of "Beyond Therapy Beyond Science" by Anne Wilson Schaef. She has many uncomplimentary words for those that ascribe to a model that posits the expert role and has embedded in it strategies to maintain the power base of the expert. There was and is considerable truth (for me) in this perspective. Scott Stillers comments about the expert role are probably largely accurate if stereotypic. And the attitude of the expert is certainly not in keeping with the spirit of OS, or Ai for that matter. However, I hear a different issue in the dual relationship role. As Joe pointed out in responding to Ralph some time back, there are lots of ways that the boundary can become blurred and not all will lead to ill effects every time (paraphrasing). For me, the acknowledgement of what some characterize as a fiduciary relationship and here has been called the professional role can certainly lead to the attitude of the expert. This is something to be guarded against on an individual and collective level. The recent post regarding the handling of an ultimatum is but one example of how we can be pulled into the expert role. The risk of assuming a more authoritarian stance is not appropriately balanced by minimizing the importance of boundaries and a professional role. There are many risks from dual relationships. Joe observes: >As I read this discussion it appears to me that while some who think it is >okay to have a dual role may change their mind, I doubt that those who >take a more conservative position will change that position. I think >those with the more conservative position see this issue of prohibiting >dual roles as a fundamental aspect of the responsibility. Its time to reflect. Thanks to all that have contributed to this rich exploration. Be Well Dave David C. Rupley, Jr., MD Spirited Growth "In dialogue, individuals gain 7400 N Oracle Road insights that simply could not Suite 100K be achieved individually." Tucson, AZ 85704 520-742-9325 Peter Senge 520-742-9385 (fax) dcrup...@earthlink.net http://www.spiritedgrowth.com
