Team Development and Facilitation

Barnett Consulting maintains superior expertise in the design and facilitation of meetings for organizations, agencies and community development initiatives.

Two different types of groups require different strategies to facilitate and improve their performance. (A)Some groups meet and work together over long periods of time and consider themselves as a team. Their members collaborate on goal achievement and have ongoing roles for the members of the group. Other groups are convened for one-time specific purposes and would consider themselves a team only in the broadest sense possible.

Barnett Consulting will work in partnership with team owners and sponsors to decide the best strategy to meet their organizations needs and expectations.

Effective facilitation will begin with adequate pre-meeting planning and efforts to engage all major stakeholders. Barnett will collaborate with meeting sponsors re details as granular as venue, goals and desired outcomes, and a plan forward following execution of meeting plans.

Trouble Spots to Look for in Many Groups and Teams:

Failure to comprehend the vision and mission of organization
Inability to rally the full team to produce results
Erosion of trust and a sense of betrayal within the team
Paralyzed by internal conflict within the team
Loss of commitment and enthusiasm toward goals
View the team’s diversity as a liability instead of an asset
Team has not been developing bench strength

What is the Value of Utilizing an External Facilitator?

When a facilitator is engaged, every member is then able to participate actively in the meeting especially meeting owners and other group leaders.
As facilitator, Barnett works closely with team leaders to clearly delineate goals and processes to support successful outcomes.
A profound insight long ago revealed that meeting owners possess the necessary information and perspective to guide meetings successfully.
Different viewpoints can often become too emotional for a group to resolve.
External facilitator can better guide the group through an in-depth examination of the issues and help the group evaluate the differing viewpoints.
When groups proceed through uncharted waters without facilitation, the perception of a biased leader is apt to persist.
Conclusion: groups and teams benefit immensely from having an outside facilitator.

Teams Mature Through Stages:

Stage 1 - Getting oriented to team’s task and challenge
Stage 2 - Realizing that different viewpoints exist within team
Stage 3 - Striving to resolve conflicts and differences
Stage 4 - Developing camaraderie and producing results

Critical Team Tasks:

Establish clear purpose and goals
Clarify roles and responsibilities among members
Identify group processes to assist doing their work
Establish / maintain healthy relationships among team members
Assess progress toward goal achievement