Basic Facilitation and Beyond
from ICA Associates Inc
(April 2015)
WebBackGroundCover
In This Issue
Featured Article
Roger Schwartz:  Roles of Facilitation
Next Month's Feature
Learning Transformational Facilitation Skills
Institute of Cultural Affairs Canada: update
ICA Canada
ICA CANADA's Leadership Community of Practice is hosting an evening of stories and conversation on theme of 'Courage to Lead' on April 23rd from 6 to 8pm in downtown Toronto at 77 Carlton, just east of Church Street. We invite all those interested in sharing their examples of great leadership be they personal, professional, historic or anecdotal to attend; you might even consider joining the community. The event is free of charge, although we'd like you to RSVP to ica@icacan.org so we can prepare the chairs, tables and snacks accordingly.  Green P Parking on Church just north of Carlton. Party room is to the west of the main door and driveway.

David Buwalda
Administrative Coordinator
ICA CANADA
Tel: 416-691-2316
General Email: ica@icacan.org

 

ICA Associates Inc. donates what we can, as a company and as individuals, and we pay royalties to ICA Canada for use of ToP Methods.  Therefore: Your donation to ICA Canada  is directed 100% to programming!!
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Where do you go when your clients are asking for more than just skilled facilitation of a simple meeting?  What if they are asking for serious organizational change?  How do you facilitate that while not losing your understanding of a content-neutral process facilitator?

This month we're taking the theme of Process Facilitation a next step with exploring roles and levels of facilitation. Next month we'll explore some approaches to address different levels, and the support we can provide you with. 

The Featured Article brings some perspectives drawn from the work of Roger Schwartz and Ann Davidson, in The Skilled Facilitator Fieldbook

The second article introduces some thinking from Duncan Holmes on different levels of facilitation from his experiences of requests from clients and training participants.

The featured tool is the Organizational Journey Map, for helping an organization discern the cultural and structural change it needs.

 

You will find a special invitation to join ICA Canada, our charitable side (and owner of all our intellectual property), as a member for the stunningly low sum of $20/year!

 

There is also an invitation to the IAF North America Conference in Banff in May, with a discount code for your registration.

 

Jo Nelson 

ICA Associates Inc.
416-691-2316

Roger Schwartz: Roles of Facilitation

 

Roger Schwartz, in The Skilled Facilitator Fieldbook, talks about facilitation with several different ranges of differentiation.

 

Definition of a Facilitator

First of all, in Chapter 3, he defines a facilitator:

"A facilitator is a substantively neutral third party, acceptable to all members of the group, who has no substantive decision-making authority. The facilitator's purpose is to help a group increase its effectiveness by diagnosing and intervening largely on group process and structure."

 

Facilitator Roles

In Chapter 3, p. 28 he sets out a continuum of different roles:

 

Facilitator: Helps a group increase its effectiveness by diagnosing and intervening on group process and structure. Process expert, Content neutral

Facilitative Consultant: Helps a client make informed decisions by bringing content expertise to the client's particular situation. Process expert, Content expert

Facilitative Coach: Helps individuals achieve their goals by helping them learn to rigorously reflect on their behaviour and thinking. Process expert, Involved in content

Facilitative Trainer: Helps clients develop knowledge and skills they can apply to real problems or opportunities. Process expert, Content expert

Facilitative Leader: Helps groups of which they are the formal leader or a member increase their effectiveness by diagnosing and intervening on group process and structure while contributing their content expertise. Skilled in process, Involved in content

 

He suggests that even if you are always not a substantively neutral third-party facilitator, facilitative skills are essential for working effectively as groups. The facilitator does what he calls "basic facilitation".

 

Developmental Facilitation

In Chapter 43, Anne Davidson and Dick McMahon explore Developmental Facilitation.

They note that Roger Schwarz's original definition of developmental facilitation in The Skilled Facilitator did not fully capture the range and depth of the concept, and add a new one.

p. 339: "Essentially, we see developmental facilitation as facilitation aimed at helping people reflect on and change their behaviour and thinking, including generating deep-level personal and organizational learning. The work is designed to help group members and organizations reflect on and change their mental models and core values. "

 

On p. 340, they lay out a "Developmental Facilitation Continuum".  

They go on to say that seldom does a client call requesting developmental facilitation, but either they ask for deeper results or realize during a process of basic facilitation that they need to go deeper to solve a problem or have lasting results. They suggest that developmental facilitation requires complex, repeated contracting process, deeper, more time-consuming interventions, clarifying and intervening on organizational values and beliefs, and intervening on organizational defensive routines.

 

From The Skilled Facilitator Fieldbook by Roger Schwarz, Anne Davidson, Peg Carlson, Sue McKinney, and Contributors, Jossey-Bass, 2005.

Duncan Holmes:  Levels of Facilitation

Levels of Facilitation:  Duncan Holmes

 

When people come to us for facilitation training they arrive with different expectations based on the type of work they are being asked to do. Their needs impact the training they take and the level of detail in the training they need.

 

All of these correspond with Roger Schwartz's basic facilitator role, which is the core of process facilitation, and which requires being acutely aware of one's own biases and the ability to be detached from them while facilitating. There are different levels within process facilitation in which the facilitator needs to continue to be the substantively neutral facilitator, guiding the group to its best wisdom. Each of these builds on the skills of the levels before it.

 

Simple Facilitation

These facilitators are people who are leading small teams and running straightforward simple meetings for their organization. Their focus is on minor issues or problems their teams may experience. They are frequently one off sessions with minimal follow-up required. A few solid methods, a good sense of meeting flow, and the ability to handle difficult participant behaviours are the main requirements.  

 

Complicated Facilitation

These are people who deal with more complex organizational issues such as strategic planning, project management and longer meetings. They are dealing with topics that require more than one session and are more than one step and often more than one method. Much more design skill, collaborative work with the client, and a deeper understanding of group journey are important here.

 

Complex or Transformational Facilitation

These are people dealing with systemic issues within organizations. They are frequently involved in or with leadership teams and senior management. They need an ability to think through different situations, conduct client interviews, and push back on senior management with confidence. They need a more in depth understanding of process steps and how to design complex processes. Deep knowledge of how culture and behaviour change is also needed.  

 

At its most developed stage, the transformational level can also include all of the stages in the Developmental Facilitation Continuum, where the facilitator is not only facilitating the process but also modeling and teaching the group to consciously choose its values, structure, and processes.   This allows the group to manage its own ongoing systems change.

THIS MONTH'S TOOL:  The Organizational Journey Map

This tool is based mainly on Brian Hall's book Values Shift, plus the works of Harrison Owen, Willis Harman and John Hormann, Dick West, JoAnne Raynes, Brian Stanfield, and the experiences of ICA Canada.  The model was converted by ICA into a visual poster that groups can interact with.  It is designed to make assumptions and values explicit so they can be talked about safely.      
A small photo here:

An article that describes it and its origins here -- look for the "Downloads" link to the left of the page and choose "Article on Organizational Journey".
IAF North America Conference, Banff, AB, May 14-16

 

Conference theme:

Innovating, Promoting and Applying! Seeking New Facilitation Heights and Insights.

 

IAFNA 2015 Conference is pleased to offer the members and students of ICA Associates Canada, ICA-USA and the ToP Network with an opportunity to register for the May 14-16, 2015 in Banff Alberta at a special savings rate of $470.00 for the two-day on site session. This rate is available until April 24th, 2015.

Registration Instructions: Click on the delegate registration button on the conference website:
IAF Conference Registration
 
On the registration form, enter your email address and select 'Partner Group' from the drop down list. Enter this access code: z2yaay and click continue. Session selection is part of the registration process.  Review Complete Program Here in preparation for your registration. If you have any concerns regarding registration, please contact IAF at 1-888-245-4634.

The theme of the IAFNA conference is "Innovating, Promoting and Applying! Seeking New Facilitation Heights and Insights".  Woven throughout the theme are three learning streams of Face-To-Face, Graphic (Visual), and Virtual Facilitation.

Some of the ICA and ToP colleagues presenting sessions include Sharon Almerigi, Nadine Bell, Melanie Chase, John & Ann Epps, Barbara MacKay, John Miller, and Jo Nelson.

As a result of the ICA Associates Canada, ICA-USA, and the ToP Network jointly sponsoring the IAFNA conference, this presents an opportunity to promote and represent ToP and ICA.

JOIN ICA CANADA TO SUPPORT POSITIVE SOCIAL CHANGE!

   

ICA CANADA set out nearly 40 years ago to build capacity for people to work within their communities towards positive social change. It was formed by people who found courage and excitement in an organization built from within, whose greatest asset was each other. They saw a place to bring their ideas, experience and questions into a common ground where everyone participates in building shared meaning.

ICA is sustained by a vision of participation as more than a tool of change, more than a methodology. It is an engine propelling people to work towards common goals. It is a propeller urging community action forward, small change after small change. We bring people into a process which may transform them or help them maintain what is most valuable. It is our belief that we need everyone's wisdom for the wisest result and the widest impact.

More about ICA Canada Membership  

 

ICA Canada Newsletter 

 

 

 

FACILITATOR COMMUNITY OF PRACTICE --
NEXT FREE SESSIONS April 22  and May 27!

 

Get expert coaching and connect with other ToP facilitators!

You are invited to participate in an ongoing online "Community of Practice".  There is no cost for these sessions. 
- A 2-hour participatory session online in Blackboard Collaborate   

- On the fourth Wednesday of every month  

- From 1 to 3 PM Eastern time.   

 

Drop in with your plans for facilitated sessions that you would like help with, or questions and reflections about facilitation. At least one master facilitator from ICA Associates will be present at each session.  We will all have a chance to share and get feedback from others.   

 

If you have photos or plans to share, Blackboard Collaborate accepts jpg or PowerPoint formats. 

Click the link to enter the ToP Community of Practice meetings: 

  

You will need a headset with a microphone for your computer to avoid sound problems for you and for others.  

I hope to see you as part of the community!

 

Jo 

____________________________________________________

 

IAF FACILITATOR CERTIFICATION EVENT 

TORONTO DECEMBER 3-4     

   

The International Association of Facilitators will be hosting a Certified Professional Facilitator (CPF) Certification Event in Toronto, ON Dec. 3-4.  This is an excellent opportunity to obtain your CPF and take your facilitation work to the next level.

Here are the key dates to keep in mind for the Toronto Certification Event:

Application Part I deadline: September 11, 2015 (Application 

Part I and assessment fee due by this date)

  

Remaining documentation due before: September 11, 2015    

(Application Part II and III)     

     

Invitations to Stage 2 extended: October 20, 2015      

     

Stage 2 Assessment Days:

December 3rd and
December 4, 2015 
(Candidates attend only one full day)

To obtain the complete certification packet please email:  certify@iaf-world.org 

 

To learn more about the Certification process, visit the  

IAF Website  

 

 Great hints from Jerry Mings on steps for preparing for the IAF Certification:  http://ejmings.com/insights/?p=264  



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