13-1
Chapter
13
Facilitating Team Success
“Our chief want in life is somebody
who will make us do what we can.”
~ Ralph Waldo Emerson
McGraw-Hill/Irwin
Copyright © 2009 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
1-2
Chapter Objectives
• Recognize when a team’s process is ineffective.
• Help team members work cohesively and
effectively with one another.
• Teach and guide teams in utilizing effective
process skills.
• Use interventions at the appropriate time and in
the appropriate manner.
• Deter the eruption of dysfunctional behaviors of
team members.
• Create an environment that allows teams to set
and achieve goals effectively.
13-3
What is Facilitation?
• A facilitator or process
consultant is someone who
performs these activities,
helping the team by
monitoring and improving its
internal processes.
– Internal processes such as
how members communicate,
make decisions, or resolve
conflict—that are essential
for achieving its goals (ends).
Facilitation is the
set of “activities
carried out before,
during, and after
meetings to
help a group achieve
its own outcomes.”
13-4
Why is Facilitation Important?
• Team members’ varying
beliefs, backgrounds,
personalities, and work
styles can hinder a team’s
ability to get work done.
• Some teams find it hard to
reach agreements and
solve problems.
“Running team
meetings without
a facilitator is
about as effective
as teams trying to
have a game
without a
referee.”
13-5
What Facilitators Do
• Focus more on a team’s process
than on the content.
• Responsibilities vary from team to
team, depending on the goals,
technical requirements, duration, and
employee makeup of the team.
• Attend to team processes such as
communication, meeting
management techniques, decision
making, problem solving, and conflict
resolution.
• Model and educate team members in
the use of facilitative skills.
A facilitator is
typically a
neutral third
party tasked
with monitoring
a team’s
process and
helping improve
its
effectiveness.
13-6
Contributions of a Team Facilitator
• Helps teams define its goals and objectives
• Helps members assess their needs and skills
• Provides processes that help members use their time
efficiently
• Guides discussions to keep them on track
• Ensures that assumptions are surfaced and tested
• Ensures that all members’ opinions are shared and
considered
• Helps to creates a positive, productive, and
collaborative environment
• Models and teaches facilitative skills
• Ensures individual members take responsibility for team
processes and outcomes
13-7
Facilitator Skills and Behaviors
• Task-related behaviors
– Focus on the content of the meeting
• Maintenance-related behaviors
– Relate to the process of how the group works
together
• Dysfunctional behaviors
– Actions taken by members that may hinder or
undermine the team’s progress
13-8
Task-Related Role Behaviors
Behavior
Explanation
Examples
Initiating
Proposes a task
“Why don’t we start
by…”
Giving/seeking
information
Offers/asks facts,
ideas
“In our department, we
were able to cut costs
by…”
Clarifying and
elaborating
Clears up
confusion
“So you’re saying…”
Summarizing
Restates, offers
conclusion
“We’ve covered all but
the latest agenda item.”
Consensus
testing
Checks on group
position
“It sounds like we agree
on 1 and 2, but not 3…”
13-9
s
Maintenance-Related Role Behaviors
Behavior
Explanation
Examples
Harmonizing
and
compromising
Reduces tension,
looks for middle
ground
“It doesn’t have to
be x or y…”
Gatekeeping
Facilitates balanced
participation
(To silent member)
“What’s your
opinion?”
Diagnosing
Shares observations of “It seems a few of
group process
us are unhappy with
the decision…”
Standard
setting
Helps set norms, test
limits
“Let’s agree to
brainstorm, then
evaluate.”
13-10
Dysfunctional Role Behaviors
Behavior
Explanation
Examples
Blocking
Prevents
consensus
“I’m not going to agree
to a solution that…”
Dominating
Talks more than
his/her share
Often talks the longest
and loudest,
overshadowing others
Withdrawing
Silent, distracted
(Check body
language)
Self-seeking
Oppresses with
personal needs
“The only way I’ll
agree to this is if you’ll
do…for me.”
13-11
Key Facilitative Preventions
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Establish ground rules and define roles
Get agreement on process
Get agreement on content/outcome
Stay neutral/stay content
Be positive (win-win attitude)
Suggest a process
Educate the group
13-12
Key Facilitative Preventions (continued)
• Get permission to enforce process
agreements
• Get the group to take responsibility for its
actions
• Build an agenda
• Get ownership of the agenda
• Assure quality of team logistics
13-13
Key Facilitative Interventions
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Boomerang
Maintain/regain focus
Play dumb
Say what’s going on
Check for agreement
Avoid process battles
Enforce process agreements
Encourage
Accept, legitimize, deal with, or defer
Don’t be defensive
Use your body language
13-14
Key Facilitative Interventions (continued)
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Use justifying questions
Use leading questions
Use the group memory
Don’t talk too much
Use hypothetical questions
Use a reality check
Use the “round robin” method
Ask team members to “talk to their neighbor”
Use a time-out
Call a team member’s bluff
13-15
Identifying and Dealing with “Problem
People”
Problem Person
Solution
The Silent One
Ask for his/her opinions. Give positive
verbal and nonverbal reinforcement.
The Heckler
Stay calm. Don’t lose your temper.
Appeal to him or her for cooperation.
The Fighters
Interrupt politely but firmly. Stress
points of agreement, minimize points
of disagreement.
The “Stand Pat”
Toss his/her view to the group: “Does
anyone else feel as Pat does about
this?”
13-16
Identifying and Dealing with “Problem
People” (continued)
Problem Person
Solution
The Sidetracker
Take the blame for sidetracking.
The Verbal
Stumbler
Help the person out. Rephrase
his/her statements.
The Whisperer
Interrupt politely and ask if they
could share their information with
the group.
The “Eager Beaver” Interrupt politely with, “That’s an
(talker/monopolizer) interesting point. What do the rest
of you think about it?”
13-17
Identifying and Dealing with “Problem
People” (continued)
Problem Person Solution
The Mistaken
Be tactful, “I see your point, but how
can we reconcile that with…(state
correct point)?”
The Latecomer
Announce an odd time (8:46 a.m.)
for the meeting to emphasize the
necessity for promptness.
The Early Leaver
Before the meeting begins,
announce/confirm the ending time
and ask if anyone has a scheduling
conflict.
13-18
Facilitation Tips
• Keep an open mind about what you think
needs facilitating.
• Wait and see if team members can resolve
their own conflict.
• After diagnosing what appears to be a potential
problem in the team’s process, share your
observations in order to check with team
members whether your observations are
correct.
13-19
Some Barriers or Limitations to
Facilitation
• Prohibitive costs
• No employees with facilitation skills available
in the organization
• Due to lack of objectivity individual team
members will be called upon to use facilitative
skills as appropriate
• Dependence on facilitator precludes team
development toward self-management
• Team members may not trust the outsider or
“allow” him/her to intervene
• Member resistance due to lack of familiarity
with or credibility in part of the organization
13-20
Summary
• Facilitation helps team members work
cohesively and cooperatively to effectively
achieve organizational and individual goals.
• Through the use of facilitation:
– Teams will function more effectively
– Members will be more satisfied with the team
experience and learn new skills
– Output will be enhanced
• Facilitation is a skill that can increase the
effectiveness of all members of teams and
organizations.
13-21