The Role of the Facilitator in Faculty Learning Communities (FLCs) Jane Lister Reis North Seattle Community College

“Facilitation is a way of providing leadership without taking the reins. As a facilitator, your job is to get others to assume responsibility and take the lead” (Bens 2000).

Groups (learning communities) are organic living systems that need tending, seek balance, and function best with diversity. Like a swamp, they are complex, contain many hidden elements, are important for our survival, and function interdependently.

Facilitator Attributes1 PROCESS—structure “organized” “sense of direction,” “goal orientation” CONTENT—FLC focus, outcomes “knowledgeable” “enthusiastic,” passionate about teaching/learning “curious,” “eager to learn” RELATIONSHIPS—harmonizer, “soft skills” “listener” “open,” “non-judgmental” “assertive,” “firm,” “courageous” “motivator.” “personable” 23 21 17 16 46 77 1Qualitative Study done at Otterbein College, Leslie Ortquist-Ahrens, 2008

Facilitator as Adaptive and Collective Leader1 Authority vs. Leadership Technical Problems vs. Adaptive Challenges Power vs. Progress Personality vs. Presence 1Leadership Can Be Taught, Sharon Daloz Parks

Authority vs. Leadership “Today’s complex conditions require acts of leadership that assist people in moving beyond the edge of familiar patterns into the unknown terrain of greater complexity, new learning, and new behaviors, usually requiring loss, grief, conflict, risk, stress, and creativity” (Daloz Parks, 9).

Technical Problems vs. Adaptive Challenges “Adaptive challenges often appear as swamp issues — tangled, complex problems composed of multiple systems that resist technical analysis and thus stand in contrast to the high, hard ground issues that are easier to address, but where less is at stake” (Daloz Parks, 10).

Power vs. Progress “When leadership is understood as an activity, there is less attention to be paid to the transactions of power and influence and more attention given to the question of whether or not progress is being made on swamp issues” (Daloz Parks, 10).

Personality vs. Presence “…the multifaceted capacity to be present becomes a key factor in effective leadership: the quality of one’s capacity to be fully present, comprehend what is happening, hold steady in the field of action, and make choices about when and how to intervene in ways that help the group make progress on swamp issues” (Daloz Parks, 11).

Questions about Facilitator as Adaptive and Collective Leader? Authority vs. Leadership Technical Problems vs. Adaptive Challenges Power vs. Progress Personality vs. Presence

Strong Holding Environment A commitment to the vision, goal and process of the group Clarity from each person (example of an individual and group contract)

Groups That Didn’t Work Individual task: Think of a group you were in that was dysfunctional. Write a list of the problems that made it not effective.

Groups That Didn’t Work Small group task: Share your lists of the problems that made it not work. Co-construct a list of the norms, agreements or ground rules that could ameliorate these problems.

The Role of Reflection Metaphor of “the balcony and the dance floor” Learning from our “failures”

Role of Reflection Individual task: Reflect upon your participation in a group you are currently in. List the strengths you wish to hold onto and contribute. List what qualities you would like to build on and practice in the future?

Role of Reflection Group task: Share your lists with others.

Role of Reflection Reflection helps us “…to move beyond the edge of familiar patterns into the unknown terrain of greater complexity, new learning, and new behaviors, usually requiring loss, grief, conflict, risk, stress, and creativity” (Daloz Parks).

Faculty Learning Communities: the dream, the hope . . .

What We Can Create Together “Communication across campus” “Lasting friendships” “Confidence” “Safe environment for problem solving” “Camaraderie” “New Learning” “Sharing ideas” “Vital conversation” “Connecting research and teaching” “Greater Student Success”

Leadership Can Be Taught: A Bold Approach for a Complex World, Daloz Parks, Sharon. Harvard Business School Press, Boston, 2005.