University of Minnesota - UMN Executive Leadership Insights
The Art & Science of Facilitation
Book

The Art & Science of Facilitation

How to Lead Effective Collaboration with Agile Teams

Marsha Acker
Marsha Acker, 2021
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Editorial Rating

9

Qualities

  • Applicable
  • Well Structured
  • For Beginners

Recommendation

A collaborative work environment isn’t a luxury anymore – it’s a necessity. And collaborators often need skilled facilitators to manage their work processes. Team-leadership expert Marsha Acker explains that facilitating is both an art and a science, and she teaches you how to handle both facets. In her framework, facilitators guide people through dialogue to develop fresh ideas using communication and collaboration – a combination that draws on the participants’ “collective intelligence.” Acker’s hands-on practical guide is particularly suitable for new facilitators.

Summary

Facilitation is an art and science that helps teams access their “collective intelligence.” 

In today’s fast-paced business world, people face pressure to make complex, creative decisions quickly while adapting to constant change. A collaborative workplace ethos is meaningful under such conditions. However, people often get too busy or distracted to engage in an authentic collaborative process that makes the most of their colleagues’ shared knowledge and wisdom.

Facilitators enable this kind of authentic collaboration. They lead teams or groups through a collaborative process that they direct toward common goals. Since business conditions and objectives are subject to frequent change, facilitators must be agile. They must be able to guide teams and organizations through the process of adapting to and accommodating change. 

Facilitators help create innovative, high-performing teams that collaborate. Their success rests more on the quality of their presence than on any particular technique or procedure. A facilitator draws on “self-awareness, self-management, group awareness, and group process” to help teams work...

About the Author

Marsha Acker, founder and CEO of TeamCatapult, uses systems thinking, structural dynamics, dialogue, and agility to help teams collaborate. She also wrote Build Your Model for Leading Change: A Guided Workbook to Catalyze Clarity and Confidence in Leading Yourself and Others.

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