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1-2McGraw-Hill/Irwin Copyright © 2009 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.

Facilitating Team Success

“Our chief want in life is somebody who will make us do what we can.”

~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

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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.

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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 tohelp a group achieve its own outcomes.”

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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.”

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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.

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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

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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

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Task-Related Role Behaviors

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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…”

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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 group process

“It seems a few of us are unhappy with the decision…”

Standard setting

Helps set norms, test limits

“Let’s agree to brainstorm, then evaluate.”

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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.”

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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?”

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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” (talker/monopolizer)

Interrupt politely with, “That’s an interesting point. What do the rest of you think about it?”

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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.

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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.

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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

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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.