Involving employees in the process is fundamental to business success.  When employees are involved, they feel valued and know they make a difference.  This builds loyalty.  Sometimes this is easier said than done.  A successful outcome begins with developing an appropriate forum for the collaborative process.  A successful collaboration involves the physical environment, participant selection and procedural ground rules for communication.  

The most successful collaborations are those where participants bring different experiences, expertise and personalities to the process.  This will ensure that most, if not all the bases will be covered before an outcome is reached.  But, this is not without it's challenges.  Without an understanding of personality styles and the value of those differences, collaborative efforts can become painful and sometimes ineffective.  The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator is an excellent tool for learning about and valuing personality differences.

All successful businesses need a constant flow of creative ideas to fuel future business initiatives.  The viability of those creative ideas must be explored.  When the company's best and brightest are already spread thin, who takes responsibility for driving the process, conducting the meetings, managing the relationships when topics become too sensitive?

A third party facilitator can keep brainstorms, strategic committees and project teams on schedule.  A facilitator understands the goals, the deadlines and helps the participants agree on procedural ground rules.  Another benefit is the facilitator's role in helping create a neutral, stress-free environment where open, productive collaboration can take place.  This is especially valuable when participants don't know each other well or when sensitive topics must be addressed.    

SERVICES

Facilitation services can be for a meeting, a day or the duration of a defined project or process.  Meetings can be conducted in company facilities or an offsite location.  Depending on the nature of the process, feedback can be provided to upper management.  This can be in the form of routine updates, verbal or written,  and/or a final  presentation and/or report.