Reply to this post Q1 and Q2…with well thought-out analysis with source. Their
Reply to this post Q1 and Q2…with well thought-out analysis with source. Their post is to the following DB question:Question:
When we think about facilitation and consultation, we could mean many things. So far, in this course, you have been introduced to theories, methods, and approaches to internal consulting in organizations. Choose a method or approach to consulting or facilitating that resonated with you. Explain how this approach could work in your company and why. Explain how your method will help in the solving of problems and lead teams to practical solutions.
REPLY 1
What has resonated with me most throughout this course is the need for a Mutual Learning Approach to lead effective facilitation sessions, and in my case training sessions. The reason this topic has resonated with me so deeply is because it provides a framework for healthy and honest interactions both at work and in our personal lives. For example, the author of our textbook for the course, Roger Schwarz, emphasized transparency as a value of the Mutual Learning Approach and stated, “You value transparency because you realize that when others understand what you’re thinking, you increase trust and others can respond to you more effectively.” He references using transparency as a means to give someone the full story of what you are saying to improve both communication and trust. This is a very powerful tool that can and should be used in other environments.
Focusing on transparency in the Mutual Learning Approach as a practice would immensely benefit the organization I am a part of. Transparency could greatly help the organization because of our large size of about 12,000 employees, which would help get information and ideas across more effectively. I believe this approach could work at the organization I am a part of if there were training or a shared definition of what transparency meant, understanding that it is a tool to help others understand each other and that it is rooted in honesty and creating trust. The creation and understanding of the definition would lead to a better understanding of each other, the needs of employees, and the leadership team, and I believe would bring more cohesion to the organization as a whole. Right now, the biggest problem we face is creating duplicates of training and documents because there are so many people in the organization, and nobody is communicating or sharing what they have and nobody is reaching out and asking for resources. Transparency of what each department has created and the communication and effort to get these resources into one place would save the organization so much time and resources.
Schwarz, R. (2017). The Skilled Facilitator: A Comprehensive Resource for Consultants, Facilitators, Coaches, and Trainers (Third Edition) [Print]. Jossey-Bass.
REPLY 2
Throughout our textbook, two mindsets were described: unliteral control, which weakens your effectiveness, and mutual learning, which enhances it. If you work from the unliteral control mindset, you put up with the inadequate faults of the groups you are trying to help, you undermine the relationship with them, and your happiness will suffer. When you work from the mutual learning mindset, the group you are helping achieves better results, you have stronger relationships with the group, and you find happiness in helping others (Schwarz, 2017).
These two mindsets remind me of working in the HR department at work. I work for a company that owns twenty-two convenience stores and building two more this year. The five-year plan for the company is to build sixteen more stores. In the HR department, I work with managers to help them with hiring, complete the onboarding with new employees, and give them HR advice when comes to handling difficult situations with employees. If I work from the unliteral control mindset, I doubt myself when helping the managers, I hesitate when helping with fear of the repercussions, and my happiness will suffer. If I work from the mutual learning mindset, the managers and the stores’ sales will be more successful, I will have stronger relationships with managers, and the managers will have effective relationships with employees at their stores, and overall, everyone’s happiness is greater.
In our textbook, Roger Schwarz also described the mindsets to be trying at times and finding yourself disagreeing with the group and how best to help them achieve their goals. The group will even push your buttons at times. At these changeling times, you will find yourself in a unilateral control mindset. At times I find myself in the unilateral control mindset when helping the managers. They push my buttons, I feel overwhelmed, and frustrated. Almost every day I find myself trying to work toward the unliteral control mindset. Where I am helping the managers to be more successful in their jobs to help the overall company’s worth (Schwarz, 2017).
Reference
Schwarz, R. (2017). The Skilled Failitator (3rd ed.). John Wiley & Sons, Inc.