Schuman S. - The IAF Handbook of Group Facilitation (2005)(en)

Modern organizations, whether corporate, government, or nonowned (commonly referred to as nongovernmental organizations or nonprofits), increasingly face the challenge of responding to rapidly changing circumstances. These same organizations are often expected to involve stakeholders in decision-making processes, making any such process more complex and difficult to manage. These two challenges are often at odds with each other, the former requiring speed and agility and the latter requiring time and patience. The increased need for timely collaborative problem solving and participatory decision making in businesses, organizations, and communities worldwide has led to an increase in the use of group

facilitators to support those processes.

Anecdotally, facilitators are known to increase the efficiency of people working in groups, helping them accomplish more work—in quality or quantity—in a given period of time. In turn, this has led to a growing public awareness of facilitation as a profession. As the profession is coming of age, so too is the need to define its standards of performance. What exactly is the role and function of the group facilitator?

The International Association of Facilitators (IAF), whose mission is to promote, support, and advance the art and practice of facilitation, has undertaken the task of defining the essential qualities of a professional facilitator to help facilitators perfect their practice, as well as serve prospective clients by clarifying expectations of a facilitator’s performance. Defining the knowledge, skills, and attitudes that enable a facilitator to function effectively is essential to anyone who wishes to become a competent facilitator as well as to those seeking the services of one. This chapter describes the evolution of the association’s system to define and find evidence of facilitator core competencies. In addition, it highlights the current core competency certification process.

DEFINING COMPETENCIES

The word competency is derived from the Latin competere, meaning “to be suitable.” The competency concept, originally developed in the field of psychology to denote an individual’s ability to respond to demands placed on him or her by the environment, is now applied in a variety of business contexts (see Rao, 2003). As articulated in the American Society for Training and Development report Models for Excellence: The Conclusions and Recommendations of the ASTD Training and Development Competency Study (1983), a competency model portrays the repertoire of skills, abilities, and personal qualities as they relate to the specific demands of a certain job. Once defined, competency assessment refers to the process through which the competencies of an individual are matched to the model.

Malcolm Knowles, often referred to as the father of adult education, provided an overview of several ways in which competency models can be constructed—for example, through research, expert judgment, task analysis, and group participation (Knowles, 1980). All of these methods, to varying degrees, were employed by IAF to define the competency model for group facilitation.

History of IAF Competency Modeling

The IAF, established in 1994, was initiated and created by individuals from the Institute of Cultural Affairs (ICA), a global network of nonprofit organizations implementing social change in thirty-six countries around the world. A core component of their work for more than twenty years has been teaching people how to create a culture of participation through the use of facilitation methods. Consequently, while many facilitators had given thought to competency models as applied to their own training programs of facilitation work, ICA facilitators, consultants, and trainers, along with new IAF members, were among the first to work on clarifying facilitator core competencies across a range of organizations.

Not long after the creation of the professional association, its members set out to define the contemporary professional field of facilitation and the competencies required to practice in it. In June 1995, a task force undertook the initiative. It reviewed the literature, performed task analyses, and obtained feedback from IAF conference attendees, individuals trained in facilitation by the ICA, as well as those qualified to teach ICA’s Technology of Participation (ToP) methods. Initially five hundred ideas were synthesized into twenty-seven groups and then further refined into seven areas of competence (J. Nelson, e-mail to the author, Nov. 28, 2003).

IAF’s final competency model consisted of eighteen competencies organized in six categories: Engage in Professional Growth, Create Collaborative Partnerships, Create an Environment of Participation, Utilize Multi-Sensory Approaches, Orchestrate the Group Journey, and Commit to a Life of Integrity. Each competency was further detailed with three to four examples of how that competency could be demonstrated. The work of the task force and the resulting competency model was published in 2000 (Pierce, Cheesbrow, and Brau, 2000). In addition, the journal editorial team solicited critical comments from selected individuals involved in facilitator training or active in IAF’s professional development activities (Kirk, Schwarz, Tahar, and Wilkinson, 2000).

Competency Certification Launched in the United Kingdom

In 1998, the IAF Professional Development Task Force approved the initiation of a certification scheme under the auspices of a team of IAF members in Europe (see Kirk’s comments in Kirk, Schwarz, Tahar, and Wilkinson, 2000).

Using an earlier version of the competencies and through the leadership of active IAF members, Facilitator Accreditation Services Ltd. (FAS) was established in the United Kingdom to develop and manage the certification program for IAF as the certification body.

The IAF program developed by FAS used standard methods of examination for professional certification programs, such as portfolio submission and performance observation in a simulation (National Organization of Competency Assurance, 1996). These techniques were supplemented with face-to-face interviews.

In addition to creating the format for assessing facilitator competencies, a parallel competency model was developed for assessors of those facilitator competencies. As a prerequisite, all of the assessor candidates were required to earn their IAF Certified Professional Facilitator (CPF) designation prior to being considered as assessors. In addition, they demonstrated the distinctly different set of competencies in the areas of conduct of interviews, observation, assessing competency, and documentation, along with a strong value of collaboration. Assessors are required to keep their certification and IAF membership active.

THE COMPETENCIES

The competency assessment program was based on a “pass or defer” threshold rather than a graduated scale of proficiency. Assessors looked for evidence of each of the competencies. In the absence of evidence or in the case of contrary evidence, individuals were deferred rather than failed. Those deferred were provided specific feedback regarding their observed behavior.

Assessors focused on seeking evidence of core, not advanced, levels of competence. The assessment was designed to ensure the candidates were given the best opportunity possible to display their competence and provide feedback to them that might help them improve their future performance. The competencies assessed by the program were Managing the Event, Managing the Process, Managing Groups and Individuals, Managing One’s Learning, and Managing Oneself.

After four years, the IAF board of directors decided to manage the certification program internally. They appointed a director of operations from among the accredited assessors and contracted with an administrator to manage the certification program.

In early 2003, all assessors were invited to participate in a program called Project Refresh. The purpose was to create a program that would increase IAF ownership

and rights. As a starting point, the assessors referred back to the previously published competencies (Pierce, Cheesbrow, and Brau, 2000). Their work resulted in a revised competency set:

•Create collaborative client relationships.

•Plan appropriate group processes.

•Create and sustain a participatory environment.

•Guide group to appropriate and useful outcomes.

•Build and maintain professional knowledge.

•Model positive professional attitude.

The IAF Facilitator Core Competencies are described in detail in the appendix at the end of the chapter. What do they actually look like in practice? How might a facilitator evidence them?

Create Collaborative Client Relationships

This competency is about effectively establishing and managing the relationship with the client group. An early article by Stanfield (1994), “The Magic of the Facilitator,” aptly described this competency as the facilitator’s ability to carefully manage the client relationship and prepare thoroughly. This competency includes facilitating planning sessions with the client or planning team; offering a variety of methods or format options for the client to consider; negotiating roles and responsibilities before, during, and after the meeting; and documenting the agreed-on desired outcomes.

Plan Appropriate Group Processes

This competency requires the facilitator to be familiar with a variety of group processes, methods, and techniques; draws on them appropriately to meet specific client needs; and ensure there is adequate time for their implementation.

Create and Sustain a Participatory Environment

Stanfield (1994) describes this competency in terms of the facilitator’s ability to evoke participation, appeal to participant imagination, and encourage boldness. This requires creativity on the part of the facilitator as well as a strong belief in the value of participation. “The facilitator knows how to elicit the latent wisdom in the group, involving the whole group in taking responsibility for its own decisions.”

Evidence of this competency may include the use of structured activities to engage participation or build rapport. It may also be important to vary the types of activities so that they appeal to people with a wide variety of learning, personality, or communication styles.

Guide the Group to Appropriate and Useful Outcomes

This competency addresses the facilitator’s awareness of and responsibility to the group’s bottom line. It requires that the facilitator keep an eye on the group’s goals and help the group stay focused on the task. At a basic level, this may mean nothing more than managing distraction; at a more sophisticated level, it means managing competing interests and issues unique to each individual in the group. A competent facilitator does so by adapting to a wide variety of unexpected situations to help the group effectively manage interfering issues that might arise along the way.

Build and Maintain Professional Knowledge

This competency is evidenced through training, study, and participation in professional association networks. Knowledge alone is not enough, of course. The question becomes, What does the facilitator know, how does this person act, and, most important, does he or she act consistently with his or her knowledge? In addition, this competency looks at ongoing growth. How does one maintain and expand one’s knowledge? (See Chapter Twenty-Eight.)

Model Positive Professional Attitude

This competency can be seen as weaving together the others, since modeling a professional attitude requires knowledge, skills, and behaviors that are aligned with values and ethics. (For more information, see Chapter Thirty.)

One must both understand the values and ethics and act in a manner consistent with them. The goal is to reduce to a minimum the gap between espoused and practiced ethics and values. This requires a sense of maturity and self-awareness to be able to reflect on one’s own behaviors and attitudes and assess their potential impact on a group or individual.

CERTIFICATION PROCESS

Candidates seeking professional certification participate in a two-phase assessment during which they demonstrate their competence: through written documentation and then at an in-person assessment that includes interviews and simulations.

(Other systems are under exploration by IAF and may be adopted in the future.) The phases are further delineated in five steps.

Step 1: Documentation

Candidates provide written documentation, which the assessors review. Documentation requirements include the candidate’s résumé, a list of seven facilitated events within the past three years, a detailed description of one facilitated event, client references, and documentation of training that developed the competencies. If assessors do not see sufficient evidence of competence to indicate a likelihood of success at the next phase, they will recommend a deferral, including suggested actions for the candidate to pursue before resubmitting documentation for future assessment event. When documentation is sufficient, the candidate is invited to proceed to the on-site event.

Step 2: Simulated Client Interview

To prepare for the on-site certification event, the candidate is asked to participate, often by telephone, in a simulated client interview. The candidate plays the role of the facilitator, and an assessor plays the role of the prospective client. This simulation is in preparation for the in-person simulated event in which the candidate will play the role of the facilitator. No specific competencies are assessed during this interview, as it is conducted with only the candidate and one assessor. Rather, this provides the candidate with the context for the session he or she will run during the assessment day. The assessor may share general impressions of the candidate, based on the interview, with the assessing partner as a way of identifying competencies to explore during the subsequent interviews and simulation during the assessment day.

Step 3: First Candidate Interview

At the day-long, on-site certification event, two assessors interview the candidate. The candidate has the opportunity to demonstrate competencies not yet adequately in evidence (based on the previous two steps).

Step 4: Simulation

With other candidates serving as group participants and assessors in the roles of participants as well as observers, the simulation provides an opportunity for candidates to demonstrate their competencies in action. In addition to looking for

evidence of competencies not yet adequately illustrated, assessors look for consistency between espoused and demonstrated behavior.

Step 5: Final Interview

At the close of the day, the candidate has a final opportunity to demonstrate competence. Depending on the outcomes of the initial interview and the simulation, this interview may be used to gather further evidence, clarify any inconsistencies, resolve assessors’ concerns, or simply provide feedback. Typically, the session is a debriefing and discussion of the simulation. At this time, the candidates learn the results of their assessment. If the competencies were demonstrated, the candidate passes and is authorized to use the CPF designation. If not, the certification is deferred, and the candidate is invited to participate in another certification event at no additional cost other than personal travel expenses. Substantial advice is provided to those who are deferred in order to support their future certification.

The Costs and Benefits

At the time of this writing (2004), the fee payable to IAF for the certification process is $1,100. This covers venue costs and assessor honoraria and travel. This price is comparable to the fees associated with a day of intensive professional development training in the United States. Additional costs to the candidates vary tremendously depending on the time invested in preparing the documentation and the candidate’s travel expenses. As awareness of the program has grown, the number of prospective candidates has increased, and in response to demand, the IAF has been scheduling more assessment events. These are generally run in conjunction with a conference, either international or regional, or in locations where there is sufficient demand to make an event economically viable. In a typical year, four assessment events are held worldwide.

In addition to the use of the Certified Professional Facilitator, Facilitador Profesional Certificado, or Facilitateur Professionnel Accrédité designations, candidates have reported substantial levels of satisfaction with the process for other reasons. Notable benefits include quality professional development as a result of the feedback provided by assessors, a strong sense of collegiality through experiencing the assessment process with other candidates, a renewed commitment to the profession as a result of the rigor of being assessed by their colleagues, and strengthened affiliation with the IAF. Remarkably, even deferred candidates have

expressed similar satisfaction with the experience, feedback, and collegiality, and several have returned a second time to complete their designation.

NEXT STEPS

By November 2003, 278 candidates in seventeen countries had received IAF certification at events in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom (see Exhibit 26.1). With this certification program firmly in place, IAF is now exploring ways to provide other types and levels of facilitator certifications.

Exhibit 26.1

IAF Certified Professional Facilitators and Active

Accredited Assessors Worldwide, December 2003

Other activities include accrediting training programs whose curricula are designed to develop the core competencies and ensuring that those certified are maintaining their competence through a recertification process. In addition to these expansion efforts, the IAF intends to further develop the certification program where it is currently working well and also expand to other regions of the world where facilitation, IAF, and certification interest are growing.

APPENDIX 26A: IAF FACILITATOR CORE COMPETENCIES

A.Create Collaborative Client Relationships

1.Develop working partnerships

•Clarifies mutual commitment

•Develops consensus on tasks, deliverables, roles and responsibilities

•Demonstrates collaborative values and processes such as in co-facilitation

2.Design and customize applications to meet client needs

•Analyzes organizational environment

•Diagnoses client need

•Creates appropriate designs to achieve intended outcomes

•Predefines a quality product and outcomes with client

3.Manage multi-session events effectively

•Contracts with client for scope and deliverables

•Develops event plan

•Delivers event successfully

•Assesses/evaluates client satisfaction at all stages of the event or project

B.Plan Appropriate Group Processes

1.Select clear methods and processes that . . .

•Fosters open participation with respect for client culture, norms and participant diversity

•Engages the participation of those with varied learning/thinking styles

•Achieves a high quality product/outcome that meets the client needs