Facilitation E-Book

Jutta Weimar

• Herausgeber: Books on Demand
• Kategorie: Bildung
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 187

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2023

Beschreibung

Accompanying groups professionally, Discovering potential, Enabling implementation Facilitation is the art of building contact, focus and binding commitment in groups. Facilitation provides spaces for dialogues in which fresh thoughts can be developed and decisions can be made that are supported by everyone. This way profound change processes become possible. In this concise manual, Jutta Weimar provides a compact, systematic overview of what is important for facilitators in practice to achieve exactly this. She describes both methods and the fundamental attitude that are essential for mobilizing collective intelligence, getting processes up and running effectively, and anchoring them sustainably. This opens up spaces in change processes in which all participants can become more involved. The guide provides plenty of practical examples from Jutta Weimar's wealth of experience, especially in relation to the international quality guidelines, provides support for practical implementation and also shows how other methods can be effectively incorporated as well. Discover the opportunities of this approach - and be curious about what happens!

Leseprobe

INDEX

Preface

1 Facilitation and the Differences to other Approaches

1.1 What is Facilitation and what Differences exist with other Methods?

1.2 Differences and Similarities with other Disciplines

1.3 Why Facilitation? The Dilemma between Content and Process

1.4 Role Clarity, Transparency, Neutrality

1.5 What does “Creating and holding Space” mean?

1.6 To be an Inhouse Facilitator

1.7 Can Leaders also facilitate?

1.8 The 18 International Core Competencies of Facilitation (IAF) (version 2022)

1.9 What is Facilitation and what is it not?

1.10 The facilitative Attitude

2 The Nature of Living Systems

2.1 Why we facilitate rather than „moderate“

2.2 “Don’t Just Do Something, Stand There! “

2.3 Field Approach by Mindell and Schupbach

3 Eight Key Principles and Your Practice

3.1 Focus on Relationships and Processes

3.2 Regulating Mechanisms: Principles and Metaphors (rather than Rules)

3.3 Developing Goals

3.4 Supporting Interaction

3.5 Understanding Conflict as an Opportunity

3.6 Dealing adequately with Complexity

3.7 Facilitating Emergence

3.8 We are the Most Important Tool

4 Developing the Overall Process

4.1 Initial Contact

4.2 Finding the inner „Yes“

4.3 Assignment Clarification

4.4 Concept Design

4.5 Developing a more comprehensive Process

4.6 The Preparatory Meeting

4.7 Follow-up: plan the Phase after the Event

5 Dialogue – the Art of Thinking Together

5.1 What do we mean by Dialogue and why do we need it?

5.2 Theory U and the four Levels of Attention

5.3 David Bohm and Dialogue

5.4 Understanding Purpose

5.5 Why does it appear to be so difficult to conduct Dialogue?

5.6 Dialogical Core Elements

5.7 Methods to foster Dialogue

6 What’s next?

7 Bibliography with links

Preface

“I am very impressed with Jutta, having spoken with her to understand the context and content of this book. She has been doing some amazing work in developing facilitators through her workshops and it has made me wish that I read and understood German. This book will be critical for the next generation of facilitators (in both Germany and German-speaking countries). Jutta is truly helping to promote the power of facilitation worldwide.”

(Vinay Kumar, Chair – International Association of Facilitators)

We live in a world, characterised by uncertainty, ambiguity and accelerated life. The pace of change that societies, organisations and people have to deal with is constantly increasing. We encounter polarisation and escalating conflicts. Perplexity and uncertainty characterise the everyday lives of many people.

At the same time, many people are looking for more meaning and fulfilment in the work they do or in the projects they want to bring into the world. Leaders need orientation and role models to bring people together and create meaning. This calls for new ways of organizing work, which fundamentally change the way people co-operate together.

How can facilitation support this comprehensive change? Facilitators develop spaces in which people can meet, form relationships with each other and think aloud together. They ensure a common focus through detailed preparation, transparency and clarity throughout the process. Commitment is created whenever people are empowered to participate, and once it is clear who is doing what, when and in which way to go forward. In brief, the work of facilitators is the art of establishing contact, focus and commitment. This may sound simple, in reality, it is a complex undertaking. However straightforward it sounds; it is a complex task in reality.

In this regard, mainly individual and separate facilitative methods or concepts have foremost been published in the German-speaking world, but practice has rarely been described in a cross-methodological way. On the one hand, this book provides a systematic overview of how and why facilitation radically differs from other ways of working with groups. On the other hand, it describes our attitude and practical approach by way of concrete experience.

In this book, I wish to share my personal experience and our common practical knowledge comprising more than 20 years of facilitating numerous participatory and interactive workshops, conferences and development processes in a multitude of different contexts. Alternatively using the “I” form and the “we” form, I write as an author about my experience and working methods – including of the training of facilitators. At the same time, I have developed this content collaboratively with any colleagues in Germany and across the globe.

This book has been written for all those who design and accommodate processes, in which people develop meaningful projects, bringing them to fruition with deep commitment. If you succeed in withholding your consulting knowledge, if you are curious about lively, unfolding processes, enjoy watching people seize open spaces with passion and responsibility, you will find numerous suggestions for your own practice in this book.

This book is rather unsuitable for those who enjoy stage performance, as they seek to be perceived as experts. Nor is it suitable for those who strive for a feeling of security and control, since they are uncomfortable with diversity and ambiguity. Nor for those with a “quick-fix mentality.” Such people have little interest in learning how to approach people and groups to develop a deep sense of trust. They may not agree with everything, even though some of the presented methods and techniques are shown as effective in their own way. Still these methods and techniques work primarily through the person who uses them.

This book is about the “facilitative attitude” and how – from our viewpoint – it is reflected in our behaviour and how we see it reflected in our own behaviour. The key major difference to other approaches is how we engage irrespective of content, with a clear division of labour and a minimalist working structure. We are serious in our seeking to act at an equivalent level with the people we deal with. We know no more than those around us and we refrain from interpretation. We help the systems we work with to be in contact with each other, discovering and using the collective intelligence. It is all about supporting self-organisation and the question of how we can help systems to consistently practice and realize this.

In the first part of this book, I explore the meaning of facilitation and how other approaches – such as moderation, training, and /or coaching – differ from it. In the second part, I shall explain my fundamental working hypothesis. In part three, I present the Principles of our Practice and the most important working techniques. The fourth part deals with the key premise of clarifying the assignment and planning the entire process for our work. Finally, part five describes how real dialogue emerges and which methods are suitable for this.

This book includes numerous examples from our practice, with brief single explanation of the methods and cross-references to various schools of thought and international practice communities. It makes no claim of being complete since there can be no such claim of completeness. I am convinced that the working methods shown have the potential to make any process and the impact on any meeting more meaningful, significant and more fruitful.

Each part contains references for detailed information and descriptions, with directly applicable working tools and templates.

Please enjoy reading and making use of them!

1 Facilitation and the Differences to other Approaches

„THE WORLD THAT WE LIVE IN, IS DETERMINED BY THE QUALITY OF OUR ENCOUNTERS“

(MARTIN BUBER)

IN THIS CHAPTER YOU DISCOVER:

what facilitation means, and why (in my view) it is rather an attitude than a method

for which purpose we need facilitation

how it differs differentiates from other related fields of activity

why this distinction is immensely important

how the facilitative attitude is expressed by the perception of role and behaviour

why clear perception of role is a key success factor of our work

what constitutes the core of our practice

which international quality guidelines exist

which process design assumptions can make our life difficult

1.1 What is Facilitation and what Differences exist with other Methods?

As a facilitator, I am an expert in fielding dialogue processes to make a difference in the way people interact with each other. I use my experience, creativity, knowledge and curiosity when working with groups, to support them with achieving their goals. I call my work a success when I manage to organise a meeting in which people are joyfully engaged, feeling they contribute something valuable to create added value together.

In my experience, there are two key factors for a group or team to achieve extraordinary results:

– Firstly, there is certainty that everyone can speak freely and that communication takes place in a safe framework (note also the concept of “psychological safety”, developed by Amy C. Edmonson (2018).

– Secondly, when the involved people make logical sense and meaning of the topic or change at hand. Furthermore, they are invited to participate in shaping it.

It takes the perspective of all people involved to create sustainable solutions. In essence, this is about creating a safe space (container) for a very diverse group of people, in which the participants feel invited and empowered to give their best for a common cause. New and intelligent solutions emerge when a culture is created in which everyone can openly express their thoughts and feelings. It is less about the exchange of arguments, but rather it is fundamental that a dialogue culture emerges.

Why is this such a challenge? In theory, a group approaches a challenging problem in orderly and logical steps. Ideas and opinions are collected resulting in a variety of solutions to subsequently be weighted, before an final decision is objectively made.

In real life, however, group processes are often quite different. For many people, it can be difficult to shift their focus from expression of their own opinion to listening and following others’ opinions. This is particularly difficult, whenever there are very different viewpoints on the problem, with people involved feeling annoyed, impatient or disorientated. Some may feel misunderstood whilst repeating their positions, while others are pushing for a decision to be made. Consequently, the pressure on the person in charge of the meeting increases. Frequently this individual – be it the manager or an external person – may give in to the tension, pushing everyone towards a decision or quickly bringing about a vote. This does not create a problem in itself but rather tends to reproduce the “old way of thinking” with nothing new emerging. Such action prevents the creation of something new. Experts have known this for a long time. In our increasingly complex world, there is growing expertise on how we can foster new thinking in groups, by tapping into “collective intelligence”, known also as “swarm intelligence”.

1.2 Differences and Similarities with other Disciplines

MODERATION: The “moderation method” was introduced in Germany in the 1970s by the “Quickborn Team” (Klebert/Schrader 2002) and since then has developed into a cultural technique. “Moderation” techniques and methods are now used in all areas of topic-based interaction, i.e. in companies, organizations, teams and political groups as well as in the private sector, civil society and public institutions. Structured, effective and issue-oriented work is made possible by using them. Knowledge, opinions, points of view and the competencies of many views are collated and utilized in a creative and activating way.

These methods of “moderation” have been further developed since the 1970s and linked to other disciplines. In the mid-1980s, for example, large group facilitation emerged as a new possibility for grassroots, participatory and goal-oriented work on “whole systems”. Since then, interactive character of group work has increasingly replaced the rigid concept of plenary sessions and expert lectures, creating room for authentic communication, collective problem solving and assumption of responsibility.

Facilitation methods have often been misunderstood as a universal remedy or miracle cure for effective group processes. However, it is not the methods themselves which lead to desired results, but rather the authentic attitude of the facilitators having prepared the framework carefully. They use flexible methods, by which neither the group is manipulated nor released from its own responsibility.

PROCESS CONSULTATION: Within social movements – especially in the USA – further facilitation/ “moderation” procedures and methods have emerged since the 1980s. They deal with invisible inequalities in groups, empowering a group to steer itself and – by slowing them down – creating time for joint reflection of the social environment. This leads to a new interpretation of the facilitator’s role by shifting the focus to process consulting and support – the facilitative attitude.

The most important scientific news in this regard was made by Ed Schein, one of the founders of organizational development, by making the subject of “process consulting” known to the professional field (Schein 1985).

FACILITATION: Facilitation is a way of working with people, used to guarantee both the procedure and process of successful meetings, workshops and conferences. Facilitation allows for the building of contact, focus and binding commitment.

Facilitators – whether internal or external – remain objective, supporting the group in its communication and decision-making processes. They refrain from bringing in personal views or advice related to the subject matter at hand. Instead, they focus on providing a framework for both preparation and implementation, enabling the group to achieve the desired results within the time frame available. This process may result in e.g. a decision, an implementation plan or a strategy.

DIFFERENTIATION FROM TRAINING AND CONSULTING: As an important distinction to training or consulting, facilitators avoid provision of own content, knowledge or expertise regarding the subject matter or issue. The following overview of the role definitions by Trevor Turnford and Malin Morén (www.facilprofundo.com) offers a helpful differentiation.

Definition

Content orientation

Works best with…

Facilitator

Makes it easier for groups to achieve outcomes by providing process, structure and interventions

Neutral

. Focus is on being the process expert. Not involved in the subject or decision-making

Groups who want help to reach outcomes with inclusive and participatory processes

Coach

Helps individuals set & achieve goals by helping them to learn to rigorously reflect on their behaviour and thinking

Aware

. The coach holds up the mirror (by asking questions) so the coachee themselves can reflect upon content

Clients who need somebody to ask ques8ons to enhance reflection and further action

Moderator

Holds participants to the limits and tries to keep them from straying off topic.

Aware

. Well read, understand enough to be able to challenge and ask high-quality questions regarding the subject

Debates and conferences that need a “guide” from the stage or a process “host”

Mediator

Helps parties with different or conflicting views to find common ground

Involved

. Must understand the subject enough to understand the conflict between parties, and potenial solution

Two or more parties who cannot agree needing help to find a solution acceptable to all

Trainer

Helps individuals or groups to develop knowledge and skills they can apply to real problems or situations

Knowledge

. Has experience and experience in the subject which he/ she shares with others

Participants who want to increase their competencies in certain areas

Mentor

Helps individuals by sharing own expertise and experience, acting as a sounding-board, can also give feedback

Experience

. Shares own experiences with mentees, and can use own knowledge to ask relevant questions

Mentees who drive mentoring by asking questions and test assumptions

Consultant

Helps a client make informed decisions by bringing content expertise to the client’s particular situation

Expertise

. Has subject matter knowledge and expertise in the areas where consulting

Clients who need more subject matter knowledge in an area, or expert advice

Facilitative Roles: Turnford and Malin Morén (www.facilprofundo.com)

As facilitators in practice, we are by no means always called and engaged in this role merely in a pure form. Many processes require us to be flexible in understanding and acting within our role. Nevertheless, in the context of this book, I would like to keep our focus on the facilitator role and the working methods associated with it. It is my aim to deal with how these basic principles can be put into practice.

Facilitation promotes a higher degree of participation and responsibility for decisions.

Through facilitative guidance, group members learn to value and develop their own expertise and skills. The principles of equality, inclusion, participation and openness to results are of great importance and form a basis for our practice. Towards the group, the facilitator needs to value each person’s contribution and to enhance the active participation of each group member in identifying and using their respective skills, experience, creativity and analysis.

Understanding and incorporating these skills enables individuals and groups to plan and bring forward development and change.

1.3 Why Facilitation? The Dilemma between Content and Process

Whenever people come together with the purpose of developing ideas, solutions or making plans for the future, there are always two levels of action: content and process.

CONTENT: all the ideas, knowledge, proposals, plans and topics brought into the process, constituting the What.

PROCESS: the way How the participants communicate, solve problems and make decisions.

These questions matter: What methodology and sequence is used? Who speaks and for how long? Who refers to whom and how? How is each finding supported and how are decisions made in the group?

As humans we are not really capable of focussing on content and process simultaneously (even if we would like to be!). We tend to mostly focus mainly on our own issues. This is exactly what keeps us from opening up to alternative viewpoints or new and unusual ideas.

A good example is the fact that we often cannot listen openly to another person without constantly projecting what is being said onto the background of our own “story” or “narrative”.

In the words of quantum physicist and philosopher David Bohm, who developed a method of dialogue to allow for diversity in thought, a person can hear another “…through the screen of his own thoughts, which he tends to maintain and defend, regardless of whether or not they are true and coherent.”

As soon as we are thematically or emotionally involved, we find it difficult to pay attention to how the conversation is going. This makes it difficult for team leaders to ensure that everyone is involved in team meetings, or to see to it that a decision is equally understood or “supported” by everyone present.

This is exactly the task of the facilitator. This is where facilitation begins to operate via a division of labour: we are responsible for the process, everyone else is responsible for the content. Sounds easy and clear! However, speaking from my experience and observation, good facilitation may be simple, but never easy!

1.4 Role Clarity, Transparency, Neutrality

I have heard of countless stories of failed meetings or experienced them myself during many years of facilitation. Ultimately, most of the failures can be traced back to the following main questions:

Is the person leading the process neutral in terms of content, and has his or her mandate been clearly clarified and communicated to the group in advance? (

Role clarity

)

Are the people in the room those who fit the task? Do they know what they are being asked to do and what to avoid doing? (

Transparency

)

Is the person leading the process capable of being a model of neutrality and appreciation, even in challenging group situations? (

Neutrality

)

The world of facilitation is diverse – as is the case with that of other consulting areas. Let me present an approach here which has proved to be essential, guiding me in my work with groups of all types and sizes. My understanding of the facilitating task is – as opposed to training or consulting – that I do not take on the role of an expert, or convey content, neither do I try to teach the group something or change people’s behaviour.

My work as a facilitator – in the literal sense of the word the “enabler” – lies at the process level with a clear focus on strengthening the group’s self-organisation and self-direction. The core of my central task is to create adequate framework conditions (in terms of space, time and application of methods) for the group process, to explain them and ensure they are maintained throughout the meeting.

Thus, I create the preconditions for the group to benefit from the diversity of its members, their ideas and competences (co-creation), and for all participants to work together on equal terms (comprehensive participation). Clearly, the responsibility is shared: I am responsible for the process – the participants are responsible for the content.

I am convinced that entirely throughout the supportive process both the approach and the arising possibilities depend directly on the attitude of the facilitator. This is because our actionable theories, beliefs, assumptions and values form our way of perceiving the world and consequently the challenges posed by the group.

An important prerequisite for “enabling” is that I am very clear about what I do and what I avoid doing. To put it simply: in my workshops, conferences or other meetings, I never do anything which I perceive can be done by the participants themselves.

In response to the “frequently asked” question of what I consider doing to elicit the energy, ideas, opinions and commitment of the people I work with, without at the same time “imposing” something on them, my answer is simple and radical. It is loosely based on the book by Marvin Weisbord and Sandra Janoff: “Don’t Just Do Something, Stand There!“

1.5 What does “Creating and holding Space” mean?

I favour a metaphor to explain our role: I compare my job as a facilitator to that of an architect. Once I have understood exactly what a social space is meant for and what is to be made possible in it – only then can I create a design. The spaces we design stand in contrast in their simplicity and openness to what many people experience in their organizations: many of them remind us of castles, with thick walls and windows serving as loopholes, the bridge being raised and dangerous animals lurking in the moat. Meeting and life only happen once a week, when trade and bartering is done at the market, otherwise people feel isolated in their rooms. Co-operation is limited to those people who are working on similar projects, with whom they share interfaces or those from whom they hope to gain an advantage. Risks are generally avoided.