A facilitator sees conflict in a workshop coming from the group and coming from within. Internal and external conflict reflect emotions that, when harnessed, enable creative change. A facilitator must understand and manage conflict. A meeting without conflict is a boring meeting, and we’ve seen very little value derived from predictable and unexciting meetings and workshops.
Additionally the International Association of Facilitators (IAF) aspires for you to:
Evolution
Facilitators manage groups. You must first understand how groups function and appropriate ways to help them without impeding their progress. Here we discuss the evolution of groups and the types of group leadership to exhibit.
A Group Life Cycle
Groups, like people, develop and evolve. They can also regress. As a session leader, you are responsible for moving a group through a developmental process. Most groups strive to evolve through four stages as they develop through this life cycle. For any given group, you may see only the first two or three stages. Do not forget—in a room of ten people, there are at least eleven personalities!
Stages and characteristics include:
- Forming Orientation, hesitant participation, search for meaning, dependency
- Storming Conflict, dominance, rebelliousness, power
- Norming Expression of opinions, development of group cohesion
- Performing Emergence of solutions, formation of a “team”
Note: The four stages are adapted from Tuckman, B.W., “Development sequence in small groups,” Psychological Bulletin, 1965, 63, 384-399.
Stage 1
Forming— Key word: Confusion. Groups at this early stage are working on two primary areas, the reason they are there (purpose) and social relationships. Some landmarks:
- Concern over purpose, relevance of meeting, “How this helps?”
- Looking to the leader for structure, answers, approval, acceptance
- “Why are we here?”
- Quiet groups
- Looking to the leader to prove that the session will work
Cultures that find themselves locked into this stage are frequently described as “Command Control” where all decision-making is done by superiors. Participants meanwhile stay focused on “I” such as, “I wish I had eaten something before this meeting.”
Stage 2
Storming—Key words: Conflict (differences) and creativity. Groups begin to acknowledge differences in perspectives; conflict is characteristic between members or between members and leader. Some landmarks:
- Struggle for control
- Some members with strong needs to dominate
- Possible hostility toward leader
- Looking to, expecting the leader to be magical
- Open expression of differences
- Accepting conflicts as sources of creativity
Cultures in this phase focus on cultivating and changing through personal and professional improvement. Participants get nudged to begin thinking about what “It” is that justified our time together.
Stage 3
Norming—Key words: communication and commitment. Rather than focusing on differences, members begin to recognize the commonality and shared interests. The participants are more comfortable about expressing their opinions. Some landmarks:
- More open communication
- Still some unwillingness to be fully responsible for outcome
- Inter-member support
Cultures here display and value competence, especially on the expert capabilities of a few members of the group or team. Individuals can start thinking about the deliverables and how it impacts “Thou” people throughout the organization
Stage 4
Performing—Key words: Communication, community, consensus, and commitment. Rather than focusing on differences, members begin to recognize the commonality and shared interests. The participants form a cohesive team—they unite. Some landmarks:
- Open communication
- Pride in the group
- Focus on getting the shared goals, task of the group accomplished
- Inter-member support
Here we have a collaborative culture where decisions are consensus driven and the team works in complete partnership toward success. The individuals view themselves as an integral unit, known as “We”.
Not Clear
Boundaries between stages are not always clear, nor does a group permanently move from one stage. As facilitator, you guide the group through the earlier stages into performing.
Readiness
In working with the group during a meeting, you need to gauge how the group, as a whole, is able to perform the task at hand. Depending on the readiness of the group, you as process leader will lead in different ways.
Readiness consists of two qualities, job or task readiness and psychological readiness (motivation, confidence).
Assessing
To assess the group’s readiness, ask yourself these two questions:
- “Do they have the necessary skills or information?” (task readiness). Groups in Stages 1 and 2 lack task readiness.
- “Do they have the appropriate emotional qualities or resources (relationship readiness)?” Groups in Stages 2 and 3 lack relationship readiness.
Groups in Stage 4 are ready to do the task and build relationships.
Leadership Styles
As leader, you monitor these two dimensions (task and relationship) constantly on both a group and an individual level.
As you do, you express your assessment of the situation in two types of leader behavior. These are:
- Task/ directive behavior (ie, process policeman)
- Relationship behavior (ie, empathetic listening)
