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| Master
Facilitator Journal | Issue #0207, June 7, 2005 | 7,000 Subscribers.. |
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Dear
friends,
We've all had our fill of meetings
that just didn't seem to work. Sometimes, the problems we see in
meetings have more to do with the "form" of the meeting,
than the behaviors or skills of the leader or attendees.
A
researcher named William Daniels researched the differences between
"regular" meetings and "task force meetings."
He found that the purposes, agendas, structures, membership, requirements,
dynamics, processes, and memory systems are considerably different
for each of these meeting structures. Hence each type of meeting
requires distinctly separate group of operating principles and procedures.
This week's
article, "Distinguish "Task Forces" From Regular
Meetings," discusses and contrasts these differences.
If you are involved or plan to be involved facilitating or managing
virtual teams, there's still room in our upcoming 5-day teleclass
starting next Monday, June 13th, called Managing
People You Rarely See. This teleclass will be of interest to facilitators
and leaders working with virtual groups. Check out the details of
this class at the bottom of this issue.
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Starts June
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Self-Guided
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| Group
Management Skill |
Distinguish
"Task Forces" From Regular Meetings
Know the differences between task forces and regular meetings to make
the best use of your group's time and energy.
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| The
Point |
Do any of these statements sounds familiar? "These *##&*#$ staff
meetings are a waste of time. We never get anything accomplished...I look
forward to our regular staff meetings when I feel the need to catch up
on my rest...Argggh I hate these meetings. They bore me to tears!"
These all too common
sentiments about routine meetings certainly reflect the fact that something
is awry. In my experience, poor or nonexistent facilitation is the cause
for ineffective meetings. But at other times, meetings fail because their
participants are using the wrong meeting form for the work they're seeking
to accomplish.
A researcher named
William Daniels did a significant amount of work distinguishing the differences
between "regular" meetings and "task force meetings."
He found that regular meetings (staff meetings, board meetings, management
meetings, etc.) reflect the legitimate power structure and authority base
of the organization. He found that the purposes, agendas, structures,
membership, requirements, dynamics, processes, and memory systems of this
type of meeting are considerably different than those of the task force
meeting. Hence each type of meeting requires distinctly separate group
of operating principles and procedures.
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| Application
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So how does knowing this valuable distinction
between task force and regular meetings impact your facilitation? Here
are some implications you might want to consider:
- Seek to separate "task group" oriented problem solving work
from the regular meeting agenda. This can be done by handling regular
meeting stuff first, then have the task group members stay to conduct
their meeting, or schedule entirely separate meetings.
- Introduce the distinctions we speak about here to the members of the
organization so that they understand the value in employing separate meetings
and processes. This distinction offers the opportunity for cleaner, more
efficient (read shorter!), regular meetings.
- Steer away from solving complex problems or planning in general meetings.
Instead, split off a smaller group of "necessary" participants
to handle this work.
- Limit any planning or problem-solving in regular meetings to "initial"
brainstorming of ideas or solutions. Assign a task force to handle the
details and to come up with recommendations for solutions.
- When creating special task forces, identify those regular meeting participants
who should review task force recommendations. This will preclude certain
members from potentially blocking resolutions brought to the regular meetings
by the task force.
- Task groups should be made up only of those people who have the expertise
required to accomplish the purposes of the group. Seek to keep these groups
as lean as possible to optimize their creativity and efficiency.
Daniels developed six different categories of approaches required by regular
meetings and task force meetings that are summarized below.
| |
Task Forces |
Regular
Meetings |
| Function |
Superior intelligence. |
Authorization; Affirmation
of organizational values, structures, roles. |
| Agenda |
Problem analysis.
Decision analysis
Planning. |
Pass-downs.
Operations reviews.
Recommendations reviews.
News. |
| Structure and Membership |
Necessary experts
5-9 members (or multiple groups of 5-9 members). |
All appropriate members
of designated group.
All or none at any given level of org.
No numerical limits. |
| Dynamics |
Equity; uninhibited access
to every intelligence.
Uses the "inclusion activity" to establish equity. |
Role differentiation.
Status affirmation.
Use of recognition activities to clarify authorities, roles. |
| Process |
1. Build common data base
2. Interpret data.
3. Resolution. |
1. Presentation.
2. Review.
3. Decision.
4. Commissioning. |
| Memory |
Flip chart. Publishing. |
Official records.
Symbols. |
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| Action |
This week, think about how the distinction between task force and regular
meeting might be employed by your organization. I'd love to hear
you're perspectives and experiences. Please
send us your comments.
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|
Resource
|
 The
Facilitator's Fieldbook, by Thomas Justice & David W. Jamieson
What is facilitation?
Ironically, it's a difficult word that means "to make easy."
When applied to businesses and organizations, facilitation means helping
people work together in groups and teams to achieve their goals.
Comprehensive in scope,
yet extremely practical and to the point, The Fieldbook is perfect for
both novice and experienced facilitators. Those new to the art of facilitation
will find clear guidance on basic how-to information. More experienced
facilitators will discover advanced methods for use in more challenging
facilitation situations and simple models for facilitating both large
and small groups.
|
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| In
the Spotlight |
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|
Managing People You Rarely See
5-day
Teleclass on the Management and Facilitation of Virtual/Distributed
Teams
Unlock the potential of your virtual team as an effective
distance manager |
|
The
Art of Managing an Outstanding Virtual Team. Managing people from
a distance isn’t easy.
Do you need to get rapid
results from people collaborating across multiple locations? This
class will discuss managing remote relationships and frameworks
for successfully managing projects across large distances. There
are issues created by the geographic distance between team members.
But those issues can be overcome, and in fact, the potential of
a distance team to accomplish amazing feats far outweighs any logistical
liabilities. Project development teams scattered around the country
or around the globe can take advantage of the best scientific minds,
technical skills and subject matter experts...if they can manage
the remote relationships effectively. This course will build remote
management competencies by providing a framework for success and
applying it to real-life examples. The course contains consolidated
information packed into a one-day format.
Benefits
to Participating in the Training:
1. Build group
cohesion, avoiding the "us and them" trap
2. Establish communication protocols that work for different organizational
cultures
3. Obtain organizational support and resources by creating the connections
to larger operational goals
4. Include group members' individual goals to create a shared purpose
that increases commitment
5. Build a common language for setting goals and project milestones.
6. Clarify roles, responsibilities, and relationships for increased
accountability.
7. Collaborate and learn from a community of your peers, all passionate
about building and managing virtual teams.
How
the 5-Day Format/Training works...
1. You dial into your class every day for 5 days (Mon-Fri) for a
60-minute focused training segment using a conferencing bridge.
2. You work through a learning guide during the 5 days, which accompanies
the class as a resource.
3. You will have the opportunity to dialogue with the instructors
and your classmates via an online list serve during the course to
tap the wisdom of the community.
4. During the week, you may access the instructors via email for
help.
Training
Agenda...
Here's what you'll be learning and doing during this course...
A Virtual Team Orientation
-
Virtual team definitions
-
Learning the most from this teleclass
-
Basic Recommendations for distributed teams
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Leadership and management shifts required for virtual work
Establishing shared purpose
- Why
is a shared purpose important?
-
How to build shared purpose effectively
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Leverage the strength of your shared purpose
Building
Trust Swiftly
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Trust and fear in the virtual workplace
- Techniques
to build trust between co-workers
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Anticipate and avoid “Trust-busters”
Promoting
Outstanding Communication
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A closer look at listening
-
The role of conversations in workplace communication
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Management communication considerations
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Communication practicalities: time changes, methods, and options
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Developing your team’s communication protocol
Designing Appropriate Work Processes
- Tracking
work and projects
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Reporting status and progress
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Resolving issues before they become a crisis
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Receiving and processing information
Consciously
Creating Group Culture
- ·Stages
of group development applied to virtual teams
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Results, Recognition and Renewal
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Evaluating success and learning from experience
Also
included with your training...
In addition to the 5-Day training described above, you also receive:
1. Free Workbook, ($20 value) to reference and
to anchor your learning and facilitate commitment to action.
2. Free access to the RealAudio version of the 5-Day training
($69 value).
3. Free Articles and Resources ($25 value):
- Leading
Distributed Teams
- Connective
Management
- Mistakes
Virtual Teams Make
- Top Issues
for Managers of Virtual Teams
Pricing...
The full cost of training/access is only $89 including the free
items (worth $104) listed above. Everything you read about above
is included. And, we offer a 100% satisfaction guarantee.
Non-profits can receive a 20% discount. Contact
us for registration instructions.
Registration...
Immediately
upon completion of your registration, you will receive an email
with instructions to access the course and free bonuses above.
This course is limited to 20 individuals, first come, first served.
Dates...
June 13 - 17, 2005, 10:00 AM PDT, 1:00 PM EDT (NY Time), 60 minutes
each day.
Please click
here
to register.
One-Day
Live Version
Interested
in a one-day "live" version of this class offered to your
group? Email
us to
discuss options.
Your
instructors
Jessica Hartung, founder of Integrated Work Strategies
(IWS) and principal consultant, has spent fifteen years focusing
on the relationship between individuals and their work – how
business goals can be more successfully achieved while people enjoy
the process. She holds a Master of Science in Management from Regis
University, a BA in Sociology from the University of Michigan, and
is a Certified Professional Behavioral Analyst (CPBA). She is a
member of the International Coaches Federation, which is recognized
nationally for maintaining the highest standards in the coaching
profession, as well as the Institute for Management Consultants,
part of the global community that certifies management consultants
in accordance with international standards. Jessica is included
in the National Register's Who's Who in Executives and Professionals,
2004 Edition. Jessica has been active in the Boulder business community,
providing volunteer services to assist high school students learning
leadership skills in conjunction with the Chamber of Commerce.
 Steve
Davis,
M.A., M.S., is an Facilitator's Coach, Infopreneur, and free-lance
human, helping facilitators, organizational leaders, educators,
trainers, coaches and consultants present themselves confidently,
access their creativity, empower their under-performing groups,
enhance their facilitation skills, and build their business online
and offline. Steve spends most of his time building and running
FacilitatorU.com. He also
publishes a weekly ezine for facilitators called, the Master
Facilitator Journal, continues to write ebooks, design teleclasses,
and maintain a part-time coaching practice. His breadth of experience
spans business, corporate management, engineering, teaching, spiritual
psychology, and wellness, offering a pragmatic yet creative coaching
foundation. To learn more about Steve, visit his website at www.livingmastery.com.
About the satisfaction guarantee
If, for any reason, you are not satisfied with this package, simply
email us with a request to refund/credit your credit card in the
full amount and we will do so immediately. It's our policy to do
this and we honor this in every single case. This policy completely
removes the buying risk for you and keeps our customer-satisfaction
rates extremely high.
Comments?
Please contact
us with your comments.
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Master Facilitator Journal Web Site
Feature Article:
Distinguish "Task Forces"
From Regular Meetings