The road to organizational success, like the trek to the South Pole, is a challenging journey. Before contracting the services of a consultant or facilitator be clear about what you would like to achieve. Any critical issue can be looked at in the context of the organization's:
- Common Direction
Do all stakeholders know the mission and vision of the organization? Do people in the organization clearly understand what the day-to-day business of the organization is? What is the organizations purpose? Is everyone pulling in the same direction, inspired by a preferred or ideal future state?
- Common Goals
Every business must have a plan in place with achievable, shorter term goals. These goals become the benchmarks indicating whether the business is moving toward its vision. Many organizations will speak to their common goals through their Strategic Plan but planning sessions don't always have to be so structured.
- Common Process
If the goals are the "what", then process speaks very much to the "how". More and more, today's leaders are intervening in how things are done rather than what is done. Process speaks to underlying motivators, and how individuals in the organization work with and relate to one another. What is the mechanism for clarifying goals? Are roles and responsibilities clear? In approaching a task, do we meet up front and what is the structure of our meetings? How do we make decisions and do we get buy-in before moving forward. Does the entire organization share a common language for problem solving, decision making and relating to and understanding each other, etc? In their quest for the bottom line it is our experience businesses do not pay enough attention to process. Both are important - what we achieve and how we get there.
With the above thoughts in mind, we have developed some commonly asked questions for your consideration and review when planning and implementing a training and/or development initiative:
How do I know that our organization is ready for training / development and whether this is the appropriate initiative to begin with?
It's often difficult to pinpoint an organization's readiness for change and where to begin. Any training / development initiative must be linked to business objectives or critical success factors. You can conduct an assessment to determine readiness and the appropriateness of the proposed initiative. A facilitator can work in partnership with you to conduct an unbiased evaluation of your organization's currently reality and future. An important consideration will be the current organizational culture and the ability and willingness to support, sustain and foster change. Equally important is the ability of the facilitator to work within the organization's unique culture and needs.
Why do training / development initiatives sometimes fail?
Possible reasons for failure include:
- Unwillingness on the part of management to support the process, despite being the ones to initiate it
- Unclear systems to measure the benefits desired and therefore no way of determining whether the initiative has been successful
- Systems currently in place do not support the training or desired changes
- Unrealistic expectations about the timing and the nature of the benefits to the organization
Do not expect the organization or people participating to change years of practice after only one session with a facilitator. The facilitator must be thought of as a part of the journey (i.e. unbiased role of third party, interviews, assessment, process design, measurement, etc.). Change does not occur overnight. Change occurs when a critical mass of individuals within the organization have dealt with the ending and embraced a new beginning.
How can I benefit from bringing in a professional facilitator?
A facilitator, working in partnership, can help bridge the gap between management's objectives and the implementation of an appropriate intervention. A facilitator can advise management and human resources personnel on appropriate support mechanisms that will help realize the intervention's desired outcomes. A facilitator can analyze and assess both individual and organizational strengths and tendencies. They can help promote healthy behaviors and attitudes that will foster closer, more collaborative working relationships.
What should I be aware of when engaging the services of a professional facilitator?
Be clear about what you want to achieve. Any work done by a facilitator must be linked to business objectives and critical success factors. A professional facilitator will spend time up front getting to know your organization, it's values and culture. It is important the consultant aligns the process with the company's mission, values and strategic objectives. The consultant must be able to adapt to the culture of the organization and respect daily operations and business practices. It is usually a good idea to schedule an orientation session as a condition of your contract. Introductions and site visits may seem to take up a lot of time as you select the right consultant, trainer or facilitator, but the effort will pay off.
The consultant should work in partnership with you in the assessment, design and implementation of any intervention. Ensure the consultant or facilitator is not working in isolation and that there are regular progress-report sessions with you or a champion assigned to lead the project.
Many consultants and facilitators extol the benefits of action learning, experiential learning or outdoor team challenges as part of their intervention process. How can I be sure these approaches are beneficial?
What I hear, I forget. What I see, I remember. What I do, I understand! (A Chinese proverb). Research has affirmed the value of hands-on learning. What is of greater importance than whether the training program takes advantage of outdoor or indoor team initiatives or action learning approaches, is the process. Again, research has shown that it is the process that facilitates the behavioral changes. Professional facilitators custom design and sequence team challenges to highlight specific insights that are crucial to the goals of the intervention and that facilitate direct links back to the workplace. Any activities should respect all levels of physical and emotional safety of participants. The objective should be to facilitate learning in a safe, fun environment - not run a boot camp!
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