The facilitator process model

Models of successful facilitation process are

• Standards of Behavior Model: A facilitator acts as an “agent of change”/role model for the group. Facilitators use powerful tools like listening, intervention, and authenticity to develop a group’s capacity for reaching goals and managing its own process work.
• Appreciative Inquiry Model: This model creates positive, generative, sustainable change. Facilitators work with groups to find the “positive core” (or what is working) to generate creative solutions with increased participation and understanding in the group.
• Open Space Model: You could also call this the “anti-facilitation facilitation process.” Enable meeting participants to define their own agenda, manage their own work, and set their pace to unleash spectacular results.

Standard Behavioral Model

Standards of Behavior are a set of official guidelines meant to govern employees’ actions, speech, attitudes and more. How do Standards of Behavior differ from typical organizational policies and Codes of Conduct? Instead of being phrased in terms of corporate goals, desired outcomes, and general dos and don’ts, standards describe specific desired behaviors.

They can cover any and all aspects of your workplace: from interactions with [clients] to phone etiquette to good manners (knocking on doors) to positive attitude markers (smiling or saying thank you).

In other words, Standards of Behavior tend to be quite detailed and personalized. They are often created by the employees and not handed down from the C-suite. (That said, standards can and should still support your organization’s overarching, long-term goals.)

A Sampling of Standards

Here are just a few examples of standards used at [various health care organizations]. (As you’ll see, there isn’t a set format for standards. Some resemble policies; others read like personal pledges.):

• Maintain a high level of competency and the credentials required to provide the highest level of care possible.
• I will be the “voice with a smile” in person, on the phone, via email communication.
• Never interrupt a presentation, demonstrate respect to all speakers, regardless of situation.
• When attending a presentation … be on time coming back from breaks and lunch and do not hold sidebar communications. Give the speaker the same respect you would want given to you if the roles were reversed.
• I will explain the expected duration of procedures, visits and delays to [clients].
• Keep public areas neat and clean—if the trash needs to be emptied, empty it.
• I will acknowledge your presence, introduce myself, and explain in a timely manner aspects related to your care.
• I will respect cultural, religious and social backgrounds.
• Use adult conversations to resolve issues—go directly to the coworker involved.
• Welcome, mentor and receive new team members with energy and “What can I do for you?” spirit.
• I will wear my ID badge where it can easily be seen.
• Act like an owner. Treat company resources as if they were your own—spend [company] money as if it were your own and do not be frivolous or excessive.
• When on-site at an organization, always turn off cell phone and do not use partner’s time for other business.
• Do not embarrass or criticize partners or coworkers in the presence of others.

Use of Standards by Employees

Standards of Behavior won’t be very effective in difficult conversations (and in transforming your overall culture) if they are just a poster on the wall or a paper employees signed in orientation. As I said earlier, it is vital that standards be a living, breathing part of your organization. Here are some tactics to keep standards top of mind at all times:

Most organizations introduce new employees or providers to the standards when they apply for a position or for credentialing. This way, there is absolutely no question that all employees have entered your organization with a clear understanding of the behaviors that are expected of them.

Anyone who does not feel that they can adhere to your standards should not proceed with their application. After an employee is hired, standards should be highlighted once again at orientation.

Make sure that everyone in your organization is held accountable. If some team members are allowed to ignore or flout certain standards, the organization’s entire culture will suffer. Furthermore, the standards will not be taken seriously. (Again, this is why it is so important to have the appropriate difficult conversation as soon as you observe a violation.)

Highlight Standards of Behavior

Choose one standard to highlight each month. For instance, you might: have leaders describe what the standard means to them; talk about the why behind each standard at departmental meetings; or discuss the standard at huddles and ask team members to share stories of what that standard looks like in their daily work.

Have a challenge, activity or other event based around the monthly standard to make it fun. For example, if the featured standard is about the dress code, hold a fashion show to demonstrate what is and isn’t appropriate. Regularly reward and recognize employees who are role modeling the standards.

Incorporate standards into each staff member’s annual evaluation. You might even consider evaluating the employee based on how well they live out each of the standards. Simply list your organization’s standards and place a yes/no option next to each. If an employee is living and role modeling a particular standard, circle “yes.” If not, circle “no” and put that person on a disciplinary, performance or coaching plan.

A continued pattern of “noes” signals a low performer who should be moved out of the organization. It’s unacceptable for someone to habitually fail to comply with the organizational standards and continue their employment.

Post your standards publicly where visitors, [clients] and customers can see them. Employees will be even more motivated to consistently be on their “best behavior” when they know that [clients] will be aware of noncompliance—and that a [client’s] complaint could spark a difficult conversation.

Open Space Technology

Open Space Technology is a facilitation format I use frequently. Open Space Technology (OST) is a highly scalable and adaptable facilitation to enable all kinds of people, in any kind of organisation, to create inspired meetings and events. OST relies strongly on self-organisation of the group of participants. It is a purpose-driven approach, focused on a specific and important purpose or task — but beginning without any formal agenda, beyond the overall purpose or theme.

In OST the participants plan and run self-organised time boxed sessions (30min, 45min, or 60min) to topics they are interested in. Characteristic for OST is a missing agenda or schedule at the beginning. The participants organise it themselves in the so-called “marketplace”.

Procedure of marketplace

• All participants sit in a circle. In the middle are post-its, index cards and pencils placed.
• The facilitator provides an overview of the process and explains how it works.
• The facilitator invites people with issues of concern to come into the circle, write the issue on a post-it or index cards and announce it to the group. These people are “session hosts” or “conveners.”
• The session host places their paper on the wall and chooses a time and a place to meet. This process continues until there are no more agenda items.
• The participants cluster and prioritise the agenda items on the wall.

After the marketplace, the group then breaks up and heads to the agenda wall, by now covered with a variety of sessions. Participants take note of the time and place for sessions they want to be involved in.

During the sessions, the host or a recorder takes notes and capture the important points of the session. At the end of each session, the notes are published on a shared news wall.

The participants then finish the open space meeting with a closing circle where people are invited to share comments, insights, and commitments arising from the process.

Rules of Open Space Technology

Marketplace Rules:

• Every single issue that anybody cares about enough to raise will be “on the table”.
• All issues will receive as much discussion as people care to give them.
• All discussion will be captured in a book, and made available to the participants.
• All issues will be prioritised.
• Related issues will be converged.
• Responsibility will be taken for next step actions.

Sessions Rules:

Open Space operates under four principles and one law. The four principles are:

• Whoever comes are the right people
• Whatever happens is the only thing that could have happened
• When it starts is the right time
• When it’s over it’s over

The Law is known as the Law of Two Feet: ”If you find yourself in a situation where you are not contributing or learning, move somewhere where you can.”

The four principles and the law work to create a powerful event motivated by the passion and bounded by the responsibility of the participants.

Open Space Technology Usage

Open Space Technology is useful in almost any context including strategic direction setting, envisioning the future, conflict resolution, morale building, consultation with stakeholders, community planning, collaboration and deep learning about issues and perspectives.

Use it if

• There is a real issue of concern with a need for a quick decision.
• Diversity of players matters.
• Complexity of elements matters.
• There is passion (including conflict).

Open Space will work under all of these circumstances. It is only inappropriate when the outcome of the meeting is predetermined or if sponsors are not prepared to change as a result of the meeting.

Facilitator Role

• Frames and guides the marketplace
• Supports the prioritisation of agenda items
• Facilitates the closing session