-- Offers practical guidance to managers who have to become effective facilitators of teams and groups
-- Teaches the four essential skills facilitators need to be successful
Increasingly, corporations and organizations are moving away from the old model of "direct and control" management toward systems of group or team work. As a consequence, the position of manager is evolving into that of facilitator, and effective leaders must reevaluate many of the strategies that once served them well in their former role.
In order to become a successful facilitator, one must recognize the four key elements in any facilitation:
-- Task: The actual job that the group needs to accomplish; it dictates the action of the facilitator
-- Self: As the most influential members of the group, facilitators must learn how to utilize themselves as tools
-- Group: Comprised of unique individuals and predictable dynamics that can be identified and directed toward improved productivity
-- Process: The use of task, self, and group to help teams run effective meetings and to plan and finish their work
Managers as Facilitators also explores the inevitable boundaries that exist within organizations, showing how best to assess and capitalize on group dynamics for maximum effectiveness and efficiency. The book's final chapter synthesizes all the material by presenting common problems that can be addressed by "Quick Fixes", and by demonstrating the book's facilitation model.
