Organizations today are faced with so much complexity and ambiguity. The increasing pace of change, means that both leaders and employees have to constantly leave their comfort zone. The workplace is more diverse than ever, and more global than ever, and being open to embracing different styles and perspectives can be challenging. There is no equilibrium in business—it’s evolve or die!
In order to successfully embrace change, people need to build bridges with others who may have a different worldview or perspective. And change can really push people’s personal buttons.
Loss of status, loss of confidence, indecision in the face of ambiguity. It’s a wonder that anything gets done at all! That’s were facilitation comes in. A professionally facilitated team conversation can help ensure that you get the right outcome from a meeting, or make a tough decision. But even more than that, working with a facilitator your team can deeply explore the existing barriers to performance – conversations that delve under the surface into issues of trust, self-awareness and difficult conversations.
A facilitator creates a safe place for a team to come together, get clear on what’s really in their way, understand and appreciate diverse views, elevate and expand the level of thinking in the team, enhance and grow the team’s dynamic and come out ready to achieve their goals together, as a cohesive unit.
Facilitators can help a team come to a tough, strategic decision, or support them in moving toward a more inclusive work style. Like a detective, they can discover what may be holding a team back and uncover the clues that can lead to better performance. They:
- – bring an outside perspective with an eye to the big picture
- – enable all the voices in a team – especially minority views – to be heard
- – can help a team deal with blind spots, hidden agendas, fears and lack of commitment.
- – facilitate creating a high trust team culture
- – guide the team reach decisions that everyone can support, allowing them to move forward together.
When should you NOT use a facilitator? When people risk punishment or repercussions from their leader by opening up and speaking out. In those cases, it’s better to leave the lid closed, and work with the leader individually first before doing a facilitated team session. The bottom line is that great facilitation can create truly breakthrough results, particularly when the team leader is open to listening and adapting to what the team needs to be successful.
Niyati Evers
Facilitator
BECAUZ