Here is some valuable advice from Damien Melich, Senior Designer, Lead Facilitator & Director of Deloitte GreenHouse France*.
*Deloitte Greenhouses are physical spaces located around the world designed to help clients solve their complex problems. They apply a set of proven principles that combine behavioural science, analytics, technology and facilitation to break away from traditional problem-solving methods”.
You are a designer and a facilitator. What is the connection between these two disciplines?
For me the connection is obvious.
The work of a designer consists of solving problems, with a focus on innovation.
Similarly, the work of a facilitator is to help teams solve their problems.
In fact, the notion of “solving problems”, has been a common thread in my career.
I started out as a product designer and gradually became a systems and organisational designer, where innovation is an important part of the equation.
How do facilitation and collective intelligence help to trigger innovation?
We have to take a side step and disrupt. We need to understand that « what is known is never taken for granted ». The “known” can, and should, always be challenged. As a facilitator, when we work on innovation issues, we have to get the participants to approach their projects in a different way. We accompany them on their journey, which is not necessarily linear. I am convinced that we must break with linear thinking and encourage teams to manipulate their subjects in all directions, whether it is the process, the problem or the solution.
For what type of problem should you use facilitation techniques?
Facilitation is perfect for launching a new project or doing a Kick-Off to create momentum. When you really need to work in depth, over a longer period, I prefer other techniques such as Design Thinking.
What advice would you give to a novice group that wants to use collective intelligence?
- Trust the process.
- Learn to let go: you have to accept that you don’t know in advance what will come out of a collaborative workshop. I help my clients to understand the interest in seeing unexpected subjects emerge, subjects that are not there by chance. The participants will be more committed if they have initiated the subjects themselves.
- I often have to convince teams and managers that they should welcome this state of “letting go”.
Beware of « facipulation* »: You can’t use a collaborative workshop to impose or make the group accept a preconceived idea.
What mistakes do you see when groups use collective intelligence techniques?
- Lack of openness: You have to be willing to be surprised by the emergence of a particular topic
- Not taking the time: You have to take enough time to analyse the topics in depth. I encourage managers to give participants the time they need to assimilate the elements and find the most appropriate solutions.
- Neglecting the issue: The consequence of lack of time! Often teams, for the sake of efficiency, do not address the subject in depth and miss the context and the issues.
* Portemanteau word - Facilitation and Manipulation
Are you looking for a facilitator to design and lead your collaborative workshops in French or English ? Let’s connect ! kasha@leapfrog.paris