Facilitation

The facilitator does not take on any advisory or decisive role regarding the content of the discussed issues or the outcome of the process; however, they can provide advice on the management of the facilitation process or guide the process.

The facilitator helps manage the meeting process and tries to prevent the escalation of conflicts. In mediation, the mediator assists the parties in working towards resolving specific disputes.

At ADRIstanbul, we support effective solutions and collaboration among systems and stakeholders by ensuring ease of communication and balanced, transparent information sharing. This approach also helps achieve successful outcomes in complex processes such as the creation of a family constitution.

Why Use Facilitation?

A facilitator understands the nature of collaboration and can design an appropriate process to ensure effective cooperation between the parties. A facilitator helps a group of people work better together, understand their common goals, and plan how to achieve those goals.

Facilitation is effective in the following situations:

Diagnosing the reasons for poor relationships between parties and agreeing on methods to strengthen these relationships.

Ensuring that meetings of conflicting parties are effective and achieve their purpose.

Facilitation can also be used to increase team spirit and solidarity and ensure that all members of a department or team achieve the set goals. Facilitation can raise awareness about important policies and procedures and show the consequences of non-compliance, but this is not the primary purpose of facilitation.

Selection of a Facilitator

The selection of a facilitator is crucial for the success of the process. Facilitators should be trained in needs analysis, process design, and process management. Ideally, facilitators should also be trained and accredited mediators in areas such as communication and conflict management, multi-stakeholder and large group processes, time management, dealing with dominant or reticent individuals, and managing potential deadlocks.

Designing the Facilitation Process

Before designing the facilitation process, appointed facilitators conduct a needs analysis with the parties or their representatives. During this meeting, the facilitator questions the purpose of the facilitation and clarifies the expected outcomes. The process is then designed by the facilitator to achieve the expected results.

The facilitator strives to identify all relevant parties to ensure that the process is as inclusive as possible. The basic rule is to include any party that could ultimately hinder the implementation of the agreed-upon outcome in the process. For example, in a unionized environment, it may be necessary to include minority unions.

Facilitation and mediation, as consensus-based processes, yield the best results when conducted voluntarily, meaning that all parties must agree to participate. In the preliminary stage, the facilitator will work to gain support from all relevant parties.

Of course, budget is an important factor in the design and implementation of the process. The actual cost of the process and the time allocated to it should be appropriate for the existing budget. Holding facilitation meetings in a neutral location away from the workplace can instill a sense of “being together” in the participants and add a “team-building” benefit to the facilitation process.

After discussing all these issues with the parties, the facilitator designs a step-by-step process flow. This process may include ice-breaking exercises, discussions in joint and separate groups, general sessions, and small group work. The process flow will be based on modern problem-solving concepts; particularly emphasizing the importance of understanding the problem before trying to solve it.