Facilitation in Small Groups

I truly believe that small group/team facilitation, when done correctly, will yield significant results for the group/team in their performance goals as the improvements in team functioning are relevant and sustainable.

Marsha Speck (1996) contends that

Adult learners come to learning with a wide range of previous experiences, knowledge, self-direction, interests, and competencies. This diversity must be accommodated in the planning of any professional development program.

Adults need to participate in small-group activities during the learning to move them beyond understanding to application, analysis, synthesis, and evaluation. Small-group activities provides them the opportunity to share, reflect, and generalize their learning experiences.

Transfer of learning for adults is not automatic and must be facilitated. Other kinds of follow-up support like coaching are needed to assist adult learners transfer their learnings into daily practice so that it is sustainable.

Source:
Best Practice in Professional Development for Sustained Educational Change - Speck,M. ERS Spectrum, v14 n2 p33-41 Spr 1996

Having had the privilege to facilitate and work with many groups of differing sizes, from CXO/board level to middle managers to production line teams, I believe this to be inherently true.

With an appropriate program and a good facilitator, these small groups/teams invariably report getting much better results for the objectives laid out - from reducing conflict, to improving team effectiveness and performance to enhancing collaboration and cohesiveness.

Isn't it time you benefitted from such a facilitation?