Process management

Process management

Facilitation means that we use communicative strategies and methods in order to enhance social learning and negotiation towards innovation in a multi-stakeholder setting.

The facilitator can help, not leading, but organising and designing and by that creating shared purposes, values and meanings, fostering joint learning, and developing appropriate organisational policies, strategies and structures on the basis of the project or mission.

Functional requirements for process facilitators

Seniority (credibility or status)
Knowledge and skill (in dynamics of learning and negotiation processes)
Mobility (located “where the action is”)
Autonomy and flexibility (certain amount of autonomy and flexibility regarding their own time and resources)
Support and authority (being able to recruit support if needed. Good over view of the organisation)
Independence (facilitator need to be neutral in the discussed subjects)
Tasks in integrative negotiations

1.Preparing the process
2.Reaching and maintaining process agreements
3.Joint exploration and situation analysis
4.Joint fact-finding and uncertainty reduction
5.Forging agreement
6.Communication of representatives with
7.Coordinated action

Different tools for different purposes

  • Creativity and new ideas (eg. Brainstorm)
  • Problem solving (eg. SWOT-analysis)
  • Goals and visions (eg. Scenarios, Fore- and Back-casting)
  • Analysis (eg. Stakeholder analysis, most Mental models)
  • Decision making (eg. Voting techniques)
  • Organisational development (eg. Lean approaches)
  • Collaborative learning (eg. Search conferences)
  • etc…

Levels of participation

Informed consent
Giving a possibility to comment on drafts or working papers

Discussing and agreeing upon means
Discussing and agreeing upon goals

Developing the idea yourself

Building bricks of group democracy

Voice – to have possibility to express your view or perspective

Standing – to be respected for what you say and who you are

Influence – to have a potential to influence the outcome of the work

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