Facilitator's Guide to Participatory Decision-Making [Paperback]

Sam Kaner (Author), Lenny Lind (Author), Catherine Toldi (Author), Sarah Fisk (Author), Duane Berger (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 1, 1998

This book provides the tools to put democratic values into practice in groups and organisations. Designed to help groups increase participation and collaboration, promote mutual understanding, honour diversity, and make effective, inclusive, participatory decisions, it is loaded with graphics, guidelines and hand outs, and presents more than 200 valuable tools and skills. It is perfect for managers, participants, seasoned practitioners, and students of working group dynamics.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"In cross-functional environments, where diverse perspectives are intentionally brought together to produce high-quality thinking, a highly skilled facilitator can add great value—and Sam Kaner is one of the best. The Facilitator's Guide provides a full set of models and tools to enable an organization to reap the benefits of a well facilitated, participatory decision-making process. Having seen Sam's methods in action, I can attest to their power and effectiveness."
—Pierre Omidyar, founder and chairman, eBay and Omidyar Network

"Hooray for the Facilitator's Guide. It explains principles, practices, and processes with cogent clarity, and each diagram conveys a complex idea almost instantly."
—Joanna Macy, author, World as Lover, World as Self

"Our organization's core purpose is to dissolve boundaries across sectors in order to find innovative solutions to difficult social problems. We know how immensely challenging it is to facilitate dialogue among multiple stakeholders. This amazing book is a comprehensive guide for meeting that challenge. I've worked with a myriad of consultants during the past 16 years, and Sam Kaner's approach is vastly superior for bringing about lasting system change."
—Kriss Deiglmeier, executive director, Center for Social Innovation, Stanford University

"Sam Kaner is one of the world's leading experts on collaboration. His grasp of the challenges and dilemmas of collaboration is superb, as are his models and methods for facilitating complex processes."
—Sandy Schuman, editor, Creating a Culture of Collaboration

"The Facilitator's Guide has allowed us to build our own capacity. We've learned how to convene multiple stakeholder teams, plan effectively, and make more sustainable decisions, thus maintaining our collaborative values as we grow to serve a wider community. I highly recommend this book."
—James Whipple, CEO, Marshall Medical Center, El Dorado County, California

"Kaner's decision-making procedures are the best I've ever seen. We use them all the time!"
—Deborah Alvarez-Rodriguez, president and CEO, Goodwill Industries of San Francisco, San Mateo, and Marin Counties --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

From the Back Cover

"The best book on collaboration ever written!"
—Diane Flannery, founding CEO, Juma Ventures

And now this classic book is even better—much better. Completely revised and updated, the second edition is loaded with new tools and techniques.

• Two powerful new chapters on agenda design
• A full section devoted to reaching closure
• More than twice as many tools for handling difficult dynamics
• 70 brand-new pages and over 100 pages significantly improved

Praise for Facilitator's Guide to Participatory Decision-Making, Second Edition

"In cross-functional environments, where diverse perspectives are intentionally brought together to produce high-quality thinking, a highly skilled facilitator can add great value—and Sam Kaner is one of the best. The Facilitator's Guide provides a full set of models and tools to enable an organization to reap the benefits of a well facilitated, participatory decision-making process. Having seen Sam's methods in action, I can attest to their power and effectiveness."
—Pierre Omidyar, founder and chairman, eBay and Omidyar Network

"Hooray for the Facilitator's Guide. It explains principles, practices, and processes with cogent clarity, and each diagram conveys a complex idea almost instantly."
—Joanna Macy, author, World as Lover, World as Self

"Our organization's core purpose is to dissolve boundaries across sectors in order to find innovative solutions to difficult social problems. We know how immensely challenging it is to facilitate dialogue among multiple stakeholders. This amazing book is a comprehensive guide for meeting that challenge. I've worked with a myriad of consultants during the past 16 years, and Sam Kaner's approach is vastly superior for bringing about lasting system change."
—Kriss Deiglmeier, executive director, Center for Social Innovation, Stanford University

"Sam Kaner is one of the world's leading experts on collaboration. His grasp of the challenges and dilemmas of collaboration is superb, as are his models and methods for facilitating complex processes."
—Sandy Schuman, editor, Creating a Culture of Collaboration

"The Facilitator's Guide has allowed us to build our own capacity. We've learned how to convene multiple stakeholder teams, plan effectively, and make more sustainable decisions, thus maintaining our collaborative values as we grow to serve a wider community. I highly recommend this book."
—James Whipple, CEO, Marshall Medical Center, El Dorado County, California

"Kaner's decision-making procedures are the best I've ever seen. We use them all the time!"
—Deborah Alvarez-Rodriguez, president and CEO, Goodwill Industries of San Francisco, San Mateo, and Marin Counties --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: New Society Publishers (July 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0865713472
• ISBN-13: 978-0865713475
• Product Dimensions: 10.9 x 8.4 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (31 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #825,621 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Sam Kaner, Ph.D. is regarded as one of the nation's leading experts on consensus decision-making. He is the senior author of Facilitator's Guide to Participatory Decision-Making, and over the past 20 years he has been a featured speaker at the annual conferences of several professional associations, including the National Organization Development Network and the International Association of Facilitators. His corporate clients have included Hewlett-Packard, PricewaterhouseCoopers, VISA International, Charles Schwab and Company, and many other Fortune 500 companies. His public sector clients have included the California Supreme Court, the March of Dimes, Special Olympics, Annie E. Casey Foundation and many schools, community-based organizations and government agencies. Sam is the founder of the consulting firm Community At Work, and he has been its Executive Director since 1986.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

53 of 54 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A brilliant book!, November 27, 1998

By 

George J. Nathan "geejayn" (Canada) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Facilitator's Guide to Participatory Decision-Making (Paperback)

After having read about 30 facilitation/negotiation books, I have to conclude that this is the best. A lot of thought has gone into both the process and the presentation of the facilitation process in this book. I always recommend this book to my teaching assistants and often give them a copy free of charge. If you buy just one book in this area, make it this one! By the way, I have no connection whatsoever with either the authors or the publishers involved. I just believe that this is far and away the best book for facilitators. Not only does it have the best ideas, but it also has the best visual presentation of those ideas!

32 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This oversized volume is a facilitator's joy., October 14, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: Facilitator's Guide to Participatory Decision-Making (Paperback)

All in one package are tools for training, helpful hints for group leaders, the dynamics and processes of decision-making, group process skills, agenda design, discussion techniques and more. The authors are obviously masters of their craft, and using their guidelines will undoubtedly enhance the effectiveness of facilitators and workshop leaders. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ The book is visually accessible, with one idea per large page, each page a diagram of the presenting issue. In teaching about the dynamics of group decision-making, for example, the text and illustrations move through various stages of divergent thinking, through the "groan zone" of differences and diversity, to arrive finally at convergent thinking and a group decision that is truly participatory. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Groups and their leaders, being human, inevitably get stuck. For this dilemma the authors provide not just skills for problem solving, but "mindsets for problem solving," encouraging the examination of attitudes, values, and underlying philosophies of cooperation, competition, inclusion, expedience and sustainability. With such a checklist we might not only solve any current group crisis, but also avoid future problems by shifting the underlying causes of conflict. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ The authors are very trusting of groups and their members. There is no blame on membership or leadership when meetings or workshops are not flowing smoothly. The authors state that "Difficult dynamics are treated as group situations that can be handled supportively rather than as individual personalities that need to be fixed." Advice is given for encouraging members to to work together to tackle "any pattern they may wish to change." This volume does not focus on specific issues such as prejudice, stereotyping , and social oppression; this is a training manual in generic group process. It is a well stocked tool box out of which groups can draw what is needed to address their particular group issues. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ If you are a group leader or member, this book will help improve your understanding and performance. If you are a professional trainer, consultant, or educator, this Facilitator's Guide will likely enhance your skills, smooth your rough edges, and increase your effectiveness. That alone seems worth the price. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~by Paula Green; published in Fellowship July/August 1997; used with permission.

26 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Good for more than just participatory decision-making, May 5, 2003

By 

kari (Seattle, WA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Facilitator's Guide to Participatory Decision-Making (Paperback)

I love this book!

Although it's focus is specifically on facilitating participatory decision making, it is an excellent resource for all who facilitate or teach. I particularly like the concrete suggestions on how to navigate a whole-room discussion (stacking, mirroring, paraphrasing, etc.).

However, my favorite part of this book is a beautifully done 3-page section describing common difficult situations - someone is making jokes in the back, your audience is falling asleep, one person won't shut up. The book goes on to detail the ways that facilitators usually deal with these problems, every one of them a power play of some sort, and offers suggestion for BETTER ways to handle the situation. As a trainer myself, I rely heavily on this book when I conduct "train the trainers" sessions.

Especially for those who train around sensitive or controversial issues, this information is invalauable. Thanks for writing this book!