Team Facilitation
Bringing together my skills in groupwork, people development and mediation, I enjoy being invited to work with teams who need an external facilitator.
As a facilitator, I often address issues such as trust–building, clarifying roles and relationships, and identifying common goals and values.
I have experience of working in many settings within the public and voluntary services. An awareness of different organisational cultures is key to understanding the issues within teams. Managing group dynamics effectively is also important and may help to give a team guidance on how to relate well together. I often choose to co–work with a colleague because I believe that this offers richer results in team facilitations.
I will usually hold preparatory discussions with the team leader and/or individual team members to gain a clear understanding of the nature of the work required. This may include using a questionnaire to survey the team's views, or meeting team members to discuss their concerns. Based on these findings and after discussing options for the team, a programme of intervention will be agreed. This will usually be a flexible and bespoke package depending on the team's needs assessment. It may, for example, take the form of one or more workshops, observed meetings, or mentoring support for individuals or the team as a whole.
Some issues which I have successfully facilitated teams to address include:–
- Developing a clear sense of purpose
- Addressing the issues of a "merged" team
- Managing on–going work pressure within a changing environment
- Appreciating the qualitatively different nature of specialist work
- Meeting the changing expectations of clients/customers
- Feeling valued and valuing others within the team.
- Dealing with a team member bereavement.
I will always recommend that the team engages in post intervention assessment and I often assist in this process, in order that development needs can continue to be identified and addressed.
Projects in this area include:
- Work with a large, fragmented, Primary Health Care team
- Development of a new Adoption Panel team
- Work with an Independent Care Agency to integrate an "old" and "new" section of a team.
- Change management with a Hospice team
