A New Vbrant Face To My Work Profile.

A NEW VIBRANT FACE TO MY WORK PROFILE

In my recent post on my Personal Blog I had expressed the concept of “Change is inevitable, but transformation is by conscious choice”. I put this to use in my role as Business and Process Improvement Consultant to making a subtle shift in my role as a Consultant to a Facilitator / Catalyst. In this post below I will make an effort to showcase why this transformation. I have tried to make a simple comparison between the roles of a Consultant, Facilitator and Catalyst in line with supporting my transformation in this change. My Experience and skills will be further enhanced as I will be sharing more information on innumerable topics used in Business which will be a free flow of information for open use by the public without even having to employ my services. That in itself was a motivating factor in this transformation.

 
I will start with my most shared adage about my own personal experience from my own Book which is also available on Amazon -“The Phoenix Rising - An Inspiration for Introspective Re-Awakening”. This adage is so apt for my transformation and change of role. “Sometimes you just have to die a little inside in order to be Reborn and Rise again as a Stronger and Wiser version of you”.

It is possible that many may not see a marked difference in the transformation or change in my role per se the term or designation itself; which is true. The work content and delivery of my services would be the same but the way in which they will be delivered with now be more direct and with no strings attached whatsoever. It will be a free flow of information and sharing of best practices which I have experienced of the years in Industry. 

Why the shift?
Over the years I had been an independent work from home Business and Process Improvement Consultant. My clients or rather I would term them as beneficiaries were small startups, work from home ladies with small home businesses. I treated them as my own family or friend and my work was directed to making them achieve success in their business. I put in every effort to share with them and build for them a setup that would facilitate a full scale operations in digitally promoting their work to the Market. I worked in a perspective of treating that business as my own and so to say worked on a BOT – Build – Operate – Transfer system.

I would build up the whole structure, operate it to a level that it integrates and works smoothly in all respects getting the desired results and then transferring the whole setup to them so that they can operate it themselves.

All necessary training was provided at all stages of each element of the setup so that they could handle each and every aspect independently. I was and always still remain available to them for any assistance or facilitation that is required.

This whole process involved all aspects including creating of their mailing setup, all related Social Media Integration; right from creating the respective accounts and integrating them to get the desired effects. To some extent; for those clients who desired it I would also guide them and even do a bit of their promotion activities.

However; over the years and especially with the recent advent of AI – Artificial Intelligence – and the slow transition of the general public to thinking that everything can be done by AI and accessing information on the internet, I experienced a slow degradation of the value for practical work experience and more reliance on internet based information or AI as they call it.

I had no qualms about their shift to the new technology, but found that they were distancing themselves from the reality, more so, their visions, missions statements were becoming more mechanical than emanating from the very bottom of their hearts. The human element and the value of hard worked experience of those who had gathered that experience by practical work was totally overlooked.

We do not understand that AI or for that matter even our own PC works on the commands that we have given them derived from the very practical experience that we earned from our hard work over the years. That experience became the inputs for the AI and yes with the use of technology we are making AI work for us. But we should never overlook or undermine the hard work and experience that went into generating that experience.

It then dawned on me that AI has started taking over the practical hard work that goes into the perseverance and concentration that a Consultant puts into developing a structure for their clients. The clients often felt or even expressed that “This is all available on AI / Chat GPT” so indirectly or directly indicating to you “What is your place here then”?

Without meaning any disrespect to anyone or any of my clients, in practical experience with some clients indicated that many of them did not even have a clear idea of what they want to do or how they want to approach their goals. They were relying on multiple sources of information from other business friends, family and innumerable sources who are always ready to put in an idea. There was never a set pattern or flow to the work. When confronted with the topic, some felt offended and even angry at the proposition of my even attempting to ask them or discuss that issue with them when they have appointed me as a consultant.

This became a serious impediment for my work and sometimes even could sour our valued relationship which I was not ready to accept. It is then that I decided to turn over a new leaf myself and take over a new role from a Consultant to a Facilitator or Catalyst as I may call it. How and why this change and how that makes a difference is explained below.

What / Who Is a Business Consultant? 

Business consultants serve as professional advisors to help companies achieve their goals or streamline operations in a particular area of the business, such as sales, IT, finance, marketing, supply chain management, HR, operations, engineering, and security.

Who is called facilitator?
A facilitator is a person who helps a group of people to work together better, understand their common objectives, and plan how to achieve these objectives, during meetings or discussions. In doing so, the facilitator remains "neutral", meaning they do not take a particular position in the discussion.

What's the role of a facilitator?
A facilitator is a person who helps to guide and manage group discussions and activities in order to achieve specific goals or outcomes. They act as a neutral party who promotes open communication, fosters collaboration, and ensures that all participants are heard and their contributions are valued.

What is an example of a facilitator?
For example, a facilitator leading a meeting to resolve a dispute between two team members might begin by setting ground rules for respectful communication, then work to identify the underlying issues and help each person see the other's perspective.

What are the 7 roles of a facilitator?
The roles of a facilitator in a group are the activities a facilitator does in a group to create a safe learning environment in a group. They include; A motivator, guide, questioner, bridge-builder, clairvoyant, peacemaker, taskmaster, and praise.

What is facilitator skills?
One of the most important sets of skills for leaders and members are facilitation skills. These are the "process" skills we use to guide and direct key parts of our organizing work with groups of people such as meetings, planning sessions, and training of our members and leaders.

What are qualities of a facilitator?
Throughout the meeting, an excellent facilitator will be able to stay neutral and treat all participants as equals, regardless of power, personality types, personal opinions, or biases. This is a crucial element of facilitation that needs to be learned through practice.

What/Who is a catalyst in management?
It is someone who ignites action in others. That stimulus might jump-start a change in an inefficient process, spawn a new idea for a new product, or most importantly, effect change in others. Catalyst leaders are high-energy, supportive, forward-thinking mentors who spark action in the people around them.

So without much ado I now will be available to all on the same profile but in a transformed way, much to my delight. Let’s now connect once again in a revitalized association. Do connect with me on all my social media platforms and experience the new aura of my work. I am sure you will agree that sometimes it is much more prudent to let go off some extra weight and transform into a much lighter and vibrant form of yourself.

So let’s connect once again and I look forward to great times ahead. Do connect with me on all my Social media platforms through my "Contact Me" Page.

Value Added Facilitation The Need of the Hour

VALUE ADDED FACILITATION THE NEED OF THE HOUR

LET VALUE ADDED FACILITATION ADD VALUE TO YOUR BUSINESS AND SERVICES.

Value Added Facilitation is one among the services offered by me. However facilitation is a term that is widely and loosely applied.  This article aims to clarify what is meant by facilitation as a professional service, when and how it can best help leaders realize the above benefits, and what to look for in seeking professional facilitation support.

Who is a Facilitator?

A Facilitator is a person or thing that makes an action or process easy or easier.

"A true educator acts as a facilitator of learning"

What is Facilitation? 

The act of facilitating: the state of being facilitated

What are the two types of facilitation?

There are two types of facilitation: Commensalism and Mutualism.

Commensalism is a long-term biological interaction in which members of one species gain benefits while those of the other species neither benefit nor are harmed.

Mutualism describes the ecological interaction between two or more species where each species has a net benefit. Mutualism is a common type of ecological interaction.

When considering Facilitation in Business, Education or Commercial Terms it imbibes the core essence of both of the above types of facilitation but applies them in a way that is more of a process for mutual benefit of both concerned bodies.


What is facilitation?
Facilitation aims to broker professional services to help third sector leaders save time and money, reduce risk, make informed business decisions and get the best results for their organizations.  Facilitation is among the services offered, however facilitation is a term that is widely and loosely applied.  This article aims to clarify what is meant by facilitation as a professional service, when and how it can best help third sector leaders realize the above benefits, and what to look for in seeking professional facilitation support.

The word facilitation is derived from the Latin ‘facile’ which, simply translated, means ‘to make easy’.  A facilitator is therefore someone who makes something easy for others.  So how is facilitation different from other professional services that might also make something easier, such as consultancy, training or mediation?  And how is facilitation different from other group leadership roles, such as chairing?  Clarity of definition can help to manage expectations on the sides of the client, the group and the facilitator, and so achieve better outcomes.

This definition addresses three critical dimensions – the role or stance of the facilitator, what he or she does to make things easy; and to what purpose.

Firstly, the facilitator is neutral to the content and task of the group. That is not to say that the facilitator cannot or should not have any content expertise or any stake in the outcome of the task, but that the group must be able to have confidence that the facilitator will not allow these to influence the group’s work and decisions.  In contrast, the consultant provides expert advice and the trainer imparts knowledge or skills, both contributing content expertise.

Secondly, what the facilitator does is to diagnose and intervene in how the group works. In other words, he or she contributes process rather than content expertise.  The facilitator is not neutral to process, but indeed is granted responsibility for the group’s process, by the group.  A leader cannot impose a facilitator on a group without its consent.

Finally, the purpose is to increase the group’s effectiveness – to achieve a better outcome than otherwise, but not any particular outcome.  The outcome remains the responsibility of the group, thus helping to ensure the group’s ownership and commitment to it.

The facilitator will assume a diversity of perspectives, positions and needs within any group, and will help the group to relate and respond creatively to conflict, as appropriate to the task at hand. When the primary task of a group is to resolve conflict, then it may be that the particular conflict resolution expertise of a mediator is what is required.

Of course, in many cases multiple skills sets may be needed to help a group achieve a particular goal. Then a team, or a multi-skilled provider, may be required.  Nevertheless, the client will be wise to be clear which role is required for which part of the process at which time.

Commonly facilitators are engaged to design and lead one-off workshops, events and meetings of various kinds. However, facilitation adds great value to broader and longer term processes of organizational change, development and capacity building as well. 

These may involve multiple events or other interventions spread over time and geography, and often online as well as face to face participation.

When and how can facilitation help?

Most third sector leaders will not need convincing of the imperative to engage effectively with staff, service users and other stakeholders, to partner and collaborate with others, and to innovate to achieve more with less in the context of falling incomes and rising demand for services.  Most leaders and their organizations will already be using facilitation to some extent to improve group effectiveness, with varying degrees of expertise, confidence and success.  

However, many may not realize that there is a body of professional knowledge and expertise available for them to draw on, or just what value that professional facilitation expertise can add.

Expert facilitation can be particularly helpful where issues are complex or contentious, where perspectives and interests are many and diverse, and where a high degree of creativity, consensus and collaboration are required.

An external facilitator may be particularly helpful when the leader needs to contribute fully to content of the task, rather than its process, or when the group may find it difficult to trust that the leader’s facilitation will be content neutral.

In the short term, it is not quicker or cheaper to engage a professional facilitator, or even to design and facilitate a participatory process in-house – at least not compared to the traditional top-down approach of developing and cascading decisions, policies and plans from the top.  However, if you’re wondering why your decisions, policies and plans sit gathering dust on a shelf, or why they are not delivering the outcomes that were hoped for, then it may be because stakeholders essential to their success were not involved adequately in the process.  While taking a longer view, upfront investment in a more inclusive and effective process can save a great deal of time; and money in more effective implementation down the line.

If you are going to seek professional facilitation support, however, do not delay!  The greater value to be gained from professional facilitation is not in the room with the group on the day, although even that alone can be considerable.  The greater value is to be gained from the diagnosis and contracting with the client in advance, and the process design for the intervention.  If you wait to seek support until too close to your deadline, even if you have designed a process yourself, you will be missing a major opportunity to benefit from the expertise of the facilitator.

What are the Benefits of Facilitation?

During any Value Added Facilitation, an initial discussion is generated with the Head of the Organization or Manager designated for the same. They may discuss the facilitation personally or in a Group consistent of their designated Associates. For all practical purposes let us call this a Group even if it may be only one person. A group of associates is recommended as it spreads the message throughout the operating team.

There are a number of common benefits to using facilitation skills in group settings:

•    Group members are often more motivated to support the decisions made because of their investment in the process.
•    The best efforts of groups usually produce better results than individual efforts.
•    Increased participation within the group increases productivity.
•    It is possible for managers and leaders to draw more on their staffs as resources, which contributes to overall organizational success.
•    Everyone involved has a chance to contribute and feels they are an integral part of the team.
•    People realize and respect that responsibility for implementing decisions lies with everyone.
•    Innovation and problem-solving skills are built.
•    People are encouraged to think and act for the overall benefit of the group.
•    Higher-quality decisions normally result.
•    A forum for constructively resolving conflicts and clarifying misunderstandings is created.
•    Negative attitudes, low morale, low involvement, and withholding of information are less likely because everyone is involved in a joint process.

Why is Facilitation Important?

Facilitation is important because meetings of large groups of people can be very hard to organize as well as to control when they are in progress. First of all, a facilitator can help members of a group get to know each other and learn to cooperate.

Having a skilled facilitator run or lead a meeting should also help focus the energy and thoughts of the various members on the task at hand. Ideally, the group facilitator is someone who is not interested in the outcome of the meeting (decision-making). Therefore he or she can fully concentrate on how members of the group are working together and help the group work toward their goals, without bias. As a result, facilitation can be extremely useful in helping groups develop consensus on issues.

Facilitation has become a more and more important communication skill in recent times. Many businesses and organizations have restructured, giving more power to a wider range of employees. Companies and organizations are relying more heavily on the input of individual employees in a broad variety of decisions. In addition, professionals in many areas are also increasingly being asked to work as members of groups. Facilitation is therefore becoming a critical skill for coordinating the ideas and contributions of diverse sets of people within organizations. In today's organizations, facilitators play an essential role in discussions, meetings, teamwork, and overall organizational effectiveness.

Through this special service of Value Added Facilitation I pursue to offer the most important features that a Facilitator offers. These are covered in the Attributes of a Facilitator.

Attributes of a Facilitator
•    Think logically.
•    Exercise patience.
•    Listen actively.
•    Summarize accurately and quickly.
•    Lead.
•    Observe.
•    Have a positive attitude.

Let us hence go ahead on this very positive service offered. Connect with me through the Contact us section and take advantage of this facility.

 LET VALUE ADDED FACILITATION ADD VALUE TO YOUR BUSINESS AND SERVICES.

The History of Six Sigma

 The History of Six Sigma

Six Sigma is a Methodology that has evolved over a period of time. Though the concept behind Six Sigma took shape centuries ago the actual methodology took shape only later.

The roots of Six Sigma as a measurement standard can be dated back to Carl Frederick Gauss (1777 - 1855) who introduced the concept of the normal curve. Later in the 1920's Walter Shewhart showed that the three Sigma from the mean is a point where a process requires correction, and Six Sigma emerged as a measurement standard in product variation. Many measurement standards like (Cpk, Zero Defects, etc...) later came on the scene but the credit for coining the term Six Sigma goes to an Engineer from Motorola named Bill Smith. Incidentally "Six Sigma" is a federally, registered trademark of Motorola.

Even with the advent of Six Sigma over the years there was an Era of change in the form of measurement and understanding of Six Sigma. In the early and mid - 1980's with Chairman Bob Galvin at the head of Motorola, Engineers decided that the traditional quality levels - measuring defects per thousands of opportunities - didn't provide enough granularity. Motorola then developed this new level of measurement of defects per million opportunities and also created the standard, methodology and cultural change associated with such a system.

 

The proper utilization of Six Sigma Methodology helped Motorola to realize powerful results in their Organization which in terms of results is documented to the tune of achieving more than $16 Billion savings as a result of application of Six Sigma Methodology.

Since then hundreds of companies all over the world started taking notice of this methodology, and applying it to their system, and adopted Six Sigma as a way of doing business. Over the years the Leaders and Top Management of companies like Larry Bossidy of Allied Signal (Now Honeywell), and Jack Welch of General Electric Company not only praised the benefits of Six Sigma, but applied them to their companies in a way that the results speak for themselves.

 

 

 

 

Six Sigma has evolved over time, and apart from not being a Quality system like TQM, or ISO, it has evolved as a way of doing business, a vision, a philosophy, a metric,or a goal setting methodology that has taken the Corporate by storm, and achieved results that many would want to emulate. But this can happen only with a dedicated approach to the system, and a systematic application of Six Sigma to the Company Work Methodology.

In the Posts that follow we will see in detail how Six Sigma emerged as a force to reckon with.