FACILITATION AND PROCESS SUPPORTOur facilitation services have been called upon in almost every contract. We have used group facilitation approaches to define competencies within an organization, develop strategic directions for the future of an organization or intergovernmental/interdepartmental work group, determine priorities for short term operational plans, define the characteristics of a new physical office environment, explore ideas for dealing more effectively with workplace pressures, and to facilitate learning processes, leadership development, team building, partnership building, working with change, and dealing with conflicts within a group. In our facilitation work we attend to many factors including  creating an accepting climate with the maximum opportunity for choice, creating opportunities for people to engage their voice, honouring the nature of who we are as human beings and the deeper essence that gives us purpose in life, engaging people in all of their strength through whole brain processes, using a variety of adult education approaches, focusing on solutions and building on the experience, wisdom and resourcefulness of participants, honouring the diversity within the group including the diversity of learning styles and life/cultural experiences, working with what happens within the group to move the group forward, and creating opportunities for people to learn about how they work with others as a result of their participation in a process.We have found that preparation for the facilitation work with project sponsors is critical to the success of our work. It is critical to define the purpose and intention for the work, explore the assumptions surrounding the work, set clear boundaries and manage expectations. Co-creating the processes with our clients has proven to be a strategy that enhances the outcomes for all involved. We use a variety of large and small group processes within the public and private sector environments in which we work. FacilitationIn basic facilitation a group seeks to deal with a substantive issue/problem and uses a facilitator to temporarily improve its process in order to solve the problem and develop a path forward. In developmental facilitation, the group seeks to permanently improve its process and applies it's newly developed skills to solve it's problem. By the end of the process the group will be less dependent on a facilitator because it will have improved it's ability to manage it's process. While we use both processes depending on the needs of the client and the objective of the process, we are committed to using developmental processes to the extent possible because of our commitment to the development of capacity within organizations and work teams. We are particularly interested in the application of Whole Person Process Facilitation, a type of developmental facilitation which we have found to be particularly useful for supporting team learning.Whole Person Process FacilitationWhole Person Process Facilitation works well with small groups of people and for meetings from 3 hours in length to several days. This process recognizes and works with intuitive knowledge including the collective consciousness. This process has been developed by Birgitt Williams of Dalar International and includes theories and frameworks that work in enabling learning in adults consistently. Our experience is that through this way of facilitating process, learning is enhanced, potential is tapped into that has lain dormant, and in the end, it takes less time and time is used more effectively. The group benefits and achieves outcomes, usually beyond their expectations.For further information see Whole Person Process Facilitation Open Space Technology Facilitation"Open Space Technology is a meeting methodology that enables individuals and groups to become more effective in work environments that are rapidly and constantly changing by developing their skills as lifelong learners and collaborative problem solvers. It creates the conditions so that the maximum potential of the individual and the organization can be realized. Open Space Technology captures the knowledge, experience and innovation in the organization that is not captured through less open processes."Billie Alban and Barbara Bunker Large Group Interventions, Jossey-Bass, 1997 Open Space Technology is a meeting approach developed by Harrison Owen of Potomac, Maryland, that runs on two fundamentals: passion and responsibility. Passion engages the people and responsibility ensures that the tasks get done. Participants are invited to set the agenda for the meeting based on what is important to them; choose discussion groups that have topics that they wish to explore with others; express themselves freely; and, participate as they choose, in small group discussion. Open space events last from one to three days depending on the desired outcomes, and can be used for groups from 5 to 1000 people. In this process people discover the capacity to operate as self-managed work teams with high levels of personal responsibility and leadership. It is particularly useful in situations characterized by high levels of complexity, diversity and conflict and with a decision time of yesterday. CCA has facilitated over thirty open space technology meetings. Both Cathy and Donna are members of the Open Space Institute of Canada. They received their training from Birgitt Williams as part of the Genuine Contact™ program. Donna is also certified as a trainer in the Genuine Contact™ Program and can train you in working with Open Space Technology. For more information see Open Space Technology The Genuine Contact ™ ProgramGenuine Contact ™ is a program for building skill and capacity for working with change within an organization. The partners in Carmody, Clark & Associates have been trained by Birgitt Williams of Dalar International Consultancy, the creators of this program, and Donna Clark is a certified Trainer in the Program.The Genuine Contact ™ Program was designed with simplicity in mind, using meetings as a catalyst to develop conscious, life nurturing, interconnected learning organizations. We call these organizations Conscious Open Space Organizations. The process is organic so every organization brings about its own unique change from within, simultaneously enhancing skills and capacity for working with change in our rapidly changing times. Through the Genuine Contact™ program, individuals within the organization learn to achieve and sustain organizational health. For more information see Genuine Contact™ Program Appreciative InquiryAppreciative Inquiry (AI) was developed by Dr. David Cooperrider and his colleagues as a new paradigm with the potential to replace the conventional problem-solving methods of organization development.AI begins with the belief that we have a "choice", that we can consciously choose what we "see" and act upon. In both the personal and social realms, we can choose to focus on problems, needs and deficits - the traditional problem-solving approach. Or we can choose to see possibilities, capabilities and assets - the basis of appreciative inquiry. By focusing on what's right, rather than what's wrong with an organization, an individual or even a society, AI gives us access to the kind of energy that can be transformative. Having that kind of energy to work with gives us the confidence to develop and pursue a new image of the future. For more information see Appreciative Inquiry |
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