Facilitation Basics

Facilitation - Process

The key to understanding what makes individuals, groups and organizations perform more or less effectively is to know how they do things.   Only in the past ten years have organizations started to pay as much attention to their processes as they have their structure.   This focus on process is a key to success.  

Groups function much more effectively if they develop and use processes which facilitate completion of their work.   These processes should be both technically and socially oriented.   The skilled facilitator has a large repertoire of tools which she or he can combine to facilitate these group processes.   Appendix B describes in detail an extensive number of tools with which the facilitator should become highly skilled.

Socially Oriented Group Processes

We lead off with a discussion of socially oriented group processes because we wish to highlight their importance.   Some organizations and consultants have incorrectly labeled these processes as the "soft side" of teaming.   The skilled facilitator recognizes the extreme importance of helping a group complete this very real work.   The socially oriented processes are:

These processes are said to be socially oriented because they deal primarily with the way individuals interact with one another in group settings.   Groups which develop and use these processes are much more productive and satisfied with their work.  

Technically Oriented Group Processes

Much more attention has been given the technical processes which a group must complete in order to accomplish their tasks.   Even so, a number of groups with whom we have worked are not required, supported, or encouraged to use these processes to complete their work.   Rather than complete a team charter (Oh no, not another mission statement!) and achieve clarity about their purpose, goals, roles and procedures a group dives in to their work.   Sometimes they hit the target, and some times they are not even close.   The technically oriented processes are:

These processes are said to be technically oriented because they deal primarily with what individuals do to accomplish the tasks of the group.   Groups which develop and use these processes are much more productive and satisfied with their work.  

The manager as facilitator recognizes the interaction and interdependence of social and technical elements in all group work.   The two sets of processes listed above should not be deployed in exclusion of one another.   Rather, the facilitator helps the group develop and use all of these processes as they work to fulfill their purpose.   Organizations which encourage and support their people to develop and use both socially and technically oriented processes outperform their competitors by a large margin.