Facilitating Breakthrough

A new approach to helping teams solve complex and stubborn problems from the acclaimed author of Collaborating with the Enemy. It’s becoming less straightforward for people to move forward together. They face increasing complexity and decreasing control. They need to work with more people from across more divides. In such situations, the most common ways of advancing—some people telling others what to do, or everyone just doing what they think they need to—aren’t adequate. One better way is through facilitating. But the most common approaches to facilitating—bossy vertical directing from above or collegial horizontal accompanying from alongside—also aren’t adequate. They often leave the participants frustrated and yearning for breakthrough. This book describes a new approach: transformative facilitation. Instead of choosing the bossy vertical or collegial horizontal approach: It cycles back and forth between them. Rather than forcing or cajoling, the facilitator removes the