Facilitative Leadership in Social Work Practice - Springer Publishing

Facilitative
Leadership
In Social Work
Practice
Elizabeth M. Breshears
Roger Dean Volker

Facilitative Leadership in
Social Work Practice

Elizabeth M. Breshears, PhD, MSW, MEd, is an assistant professor in the Social Work
Department at California State University, Stanislaus. She is also an independent consultant
who conducts contract projects for various clients in the areas of public health, child welfare,
substance abuse, planning, and administration. She has had a great amount of leadership
experience in health care programs in multiple states across the country.
Roger Dean Volker, MDiv, is on the faculty of San Jose State University and is a facilitation,
management and evaluation consultant. He provides services to varied non-profit organizations,
and state and federal agencies, including programs of the Federal Health Resources
Services Administration and Save the Children International. He regularly conducts training
on facilitative leadership. His numerous facilitative leadership roles have encompassed various
health care settings throughout the country.

Facilitative Leadership in
Social Work Practice
Elizabeth M. Breshears, PhD, MSW, MEd
and
Roger Dean Volker, MDiv

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Breshears, Elizabeth M.
Facilitative leadership in social work practice / Elizabeth M. Breshears and Roger Dean Volker.
p. cm.
ISBN 978-0-8261-0853-1
1. Social workers. 2. Group facilitation. 3. Leadership. 4. Social service. I. Volker, Roger Dean. II. Title.
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Contents
Preface
xi
Introduction: The Value of Facilitative Leadership for Social Workers
xiii
Chapter 1 What Is the Role of the Facilitative Leader? 1
What Is Facilitation? 1
Who Are Facilitative Leaders? 2
Facilitative Leadership and the Social Work Code of Ethics 2
Why Facilitative Leader and Not Just Facilitator? 4
How to Be the Facilitative Leader 5
Social Work Exercises 11
Chapter 2 Becoming the Facilitative Leader 15
Preparing for a Successful Group Process 16
How Does the Facilitative Leader Prepare? 18
Being Aware 24
Social Work Exercises 26
Chapter 3 Leadership Theories 31
Trait Theories 32
Innate or Learned? 34
Neutral or Value Driven? 35
Theory X–Theory Y 37
v

Contents
Situational Leadership 38
Transactional Leadership 39
Transformational Leadership 40
Adaptive Leadership 41
Technical and Adaptive Challenges 42
Leading With Authority and Leading without Authority 43
Social Work Exercises 46
Chapter 4 Leadership Ethics for Social Workers 49
Facilitative Leadership From the Social Work Perspective 51
Inclusion 53
Strengths-Based Leadership 55
Power-Over Versus Power-With 58
Oppression and Social Justice 61
Empowerment 64
Social Work Exercises 67
Chapter 5 How Groups Work 71
The Phases of Group/Team Development 72
What Makes Groups Effective? 76
Balancing Process and Content 78
Groupthink 79
Social Work Exercises 84
Chapter 6 The Facilitative Leader’s Skill Set:
Building Competence 87
Listening With Intent 88
Acting With Intent 90
Knowing the Difference Among Chairing, Training, and
Facilitating 93
Valuing Cultural Diversity 94
Ensuring and Affirming Voice 97
Having Good Tools 100
Knowing When the Group Has Completed
Its Tasks 101
Social Work Exercises 103
Chapter 7 Organizing Groups 105
Establishing Ground Rules (Norms) 105
Building an Agenda 110
vi

Contents
Exploring Dialogue 113
How Groups Make Decisions 117
Making Space Work for the Group 121
Social Work Exercises 124
Chapter 8 Guidelines for Group Process Observation 127
What to Observe 128
Knowing Your Own Biases 136
Understanding When to Confront Conflict 137
Social Work Exercises 138
Chapter 9 Intervening as a Group Facilitator:
Addressing Voice, Privilege, and Power 141
How to Intervene in Group Process 146
Observation and Intervention 147
Preventative Maintenance Works Best 150
Social Work Exercises 152
Chapter 10 Evaluating Facilitative Leadership 155
How Will We Know if Facilitative
Leadership Is Working? 156
What Impacts Should We Expect? 159
Evaluating Facilitative Leadership through the Lens of
Social Work Ethics 161
Social Work Exercises 165
Chapter 11 Conclusion and Recommendations 169
Recommendations From Facilitative Leaders 169
Conclusion 171
Appendix A Tool Kit for the Facilitative Leader:
Options for Social Workers 175
Appreciative Inquiry 175
Ball of Yarn Two: Celebrations and Appreciations 177
Brainstorming (How to Think Things Up) 178
Concurrent Exploring 180
Creative Thinking: 1,001 Ways to Use a Paperclip 181
Feedback Loops 183
Force Field Analysis 183
Icebreakers 186
The Miracle Question 187
vii

Contents
Index 203
Nameplate Exercise 189
Pluses and Wishes 191
Rotating Rounds 193
Sample Agenda 193
Scaling 194
Sequenced Sharing 197
Success Matrix 197
SWOC (Formally Known as SWOT) for
Facilitative Leaders 199
Turning Off the Volume 200
viii

If you had to identify, in one word, the reason why the human race has not achieved,
and never will achieve, its full potential, that word would be “meetings.”
Dave Barry
Humorist and Philosopher

Preface
Facilitative leadership is an art—not a science, which is too dependent on
measurements and outcomes; not a skill, although it takes much skill to master.
It is instead a work of art.
As facilitative leaders, we often suggest the following exercise at the
beginning of a group’s life together:
We ask one participant, usually in the front row (just for convenience),
to stand. The person is asked to imagine that she is holding strings of red
yarn in her hands. She is to look around the room and identify a person with
whom she has a professional or personal relationship—the definition of that
relationship does not matter. Once identified, the person is asked to take the
end from one of the imaginary strings of red yarn and walk over and hand
it to the other person. The new player is invited to hold tightly to one end of
the string of yarn. Then the first person, continuing to hold the other end of
that piece of yarn, goes back to where she was standing. We ask again, can she
identify anyone in the room with whom she has a similar relationship (the
participant can define similar as she wishes). If so, she is invited to take another
end of the imaginary red yarn and give it to the other person. We repeat the
exercise until that first person has exhausted all similar relationships. Then she
is told to imagine strings of blue yarn also in her hand (we tell her not to let
go of the ends of the red yarn). Again, she is to look around the room and find
someone with whom she has a relationship, different than the relationship
represented by the red strings. She does the same thing with the blue strings,
xi

Preface
person after person. Then it’s green yarn and different relationships, yellow if
there are more, even to orange. The larger the group, obviously, the more yarn.
Now, we say, look at all of the colored strands that stretch from this one person
about the room. What if we went to each person, one by one, and did the same
exercise? First, it would take us several days, depending on the size of the group,
and we don’t have that kind of time. Second, it would take more yarn than our
imaginations can hold.
Now the point: Each person in the room (all holding some amount of
imaginary yarn in his or her hands) is invited to visualize floating up to the
ceiling, hovering over the room, looking down. What do they see? Not just
a jumbled mass of colored yarn, but it has become a multicolored tapestry,
woven by the people in the room. More than that, there are clearly definable
geometric shapes that have emerged where the blue yarn or the red yarn (or
some other color) has amassed in quantity. We explain that those are “centers
of influence” in the room and that they will help us understand our tasks
better during our work together. We suggest that as we develop strategies and
tasks to accomplish our goals for being a group, we keep in mind the myriad
relationships that exist in the room and how all of us continue to hold the ends
of those colored strings of yarn.
Facilitative Leadership Is Helping Groups Weave
Tapestries That Have Shape and Meaning
The design of this book is all about process and practice. We believe that facilitative
leadership is a fundamental skill for social workers, especially in macro
practice situations and, just like in every other area of your life, there’s no
substitute for study and practice of a skill. So, throughout this book, we have
posed some skill-building and critical-reflection exercises. Some of them are
individual, and others are for group settings.
An important complement to the text is the Appendix. The Tool Kit for the
Facilitative Leader: Options for Social Workers contains a variety of techniques
that can be used with groups to generate ideas, facilitate process, and promote
solutions. This section is also available online through the Springer
Publishing Company website (www.springerpub.com/breshears) to assist
the reader in making the most productive use of the Tool Kit.
xii

Introduction
The Value of Facilitative Leadership
for Social Workers
While most of us express it less eloquently than the opening quote by Mr.
Dave Barry, we usually share the same contempt for group process, particularly
the hundreds of meetings that occur many times during a day or week
or month within private and public workplaces. Many also lament the times
they are called upon to help make community meetings productive, and leading
a workshop for fellow workers or community members can be among the
most frightening experiences people can endure.
Hence, the purpose of this book: how to lead groups so that your social
work values and skills are used and, equally important, so that you enjoy
them and so that others reach the goals with you.
The book is intended to assist staff of agencies and leaders of community
groups to become more effective agents of change. By exploring the meaning,
principles, and characteristics of facilitative leadership, you will enhance
their existing capabilities to work effectively with others in the agency and
throughout the community. This is a training manual for social work students
and social workers in practice, both of whom are change agents in formal and
informal leadership roles and are responsible for effective meetings, public
forums, work teams, or task groups.
The lessons in this book will enable you to bridge the knowledge and
experience gap from the novice to the intermediate skill level and may serve
xiii

Introduction
as a refresher in group dynamics and leadership skills for those who are at
an intermediate skill level. Our objectives are that, after reading this book,
leaders will be able to:
■■
Understand the concept of facilitative leadership and how it relates to the
social work code of ethics
■■
Clarify the facilitative leader’s role and distinguish it from a trainer, consultant,
or chairperson
■■
Understand concepts of leadership and how they apply to social work in
group process
■■
Develop skills in performing facilitative leadership without sacrificing a
stakeholder position
■■
Identify the phases of group development and their significance
■■
Discuss communication and intervention techniques and their situational
value to others who perform facilitative leadership tasks
■■
Gain comfort and demonstrate competence in the use of group process
techniques
■■
Learn to be a facilitative leader of group process regardless of the formal
role you have been assigned in the group
Social workers know that throughout their careers, they will need a multitude
of skills, depending on who is defined as the client and what social work
role is identified as most beneficial. The Preamble to the National Association
of Social Workers (NASW) Code of Ethics (2008) informs us that the term client
incorporates “Individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities.”
Social workers participate in meetings on behalf of any or all of these
micro, mezzo, and macro clients.
Identified roles in social work practice commonly include enabler, mediator,
coordinator, manager, educator, analyst/evaluator, broker, facilitator, initiator,
negotiator, and advocate (Zastrow & Kirst-Ashman, 2010, pp. 46–48).
The skills required to fulfill these roles are called upon every day in work with
clients and colleagues. The role of facilitative leader incorporates pieces from
many of these roles, as you will see throughout the following chapters. This
book proposes that facilitative leader be added to your list of social work roles.
We hope these lessons and the tools contained herein will enhance your
understanding of the role of the facilitative leader to the betterment of meeting
attendees everywhere.
xiv

Introduction
REFERENCES
National Association of Social Workers. (2008). Code of ethics: Preamble. Washington, DC:
Author. Retrieved from http://www.socialworkers .org/pubs/code/code.asp
Zastrow, C. H. & Kirst-Ashman, K. K. (2010). Understanding human behavior and the
social environment (8th ed., pp. 46–48). Belmont, CA: Brooks/Cole.
xv

ONE
What Is the Role of the
Facilitative Leader?
WHAT IS FACILITATION?
Facilitation is a process (a word we shall use often and in many ways) in
which a person or persons, “acceptable to all members of the group, substantively
neutral, and [who] has no decision- making authority intervenes
to help a group improve the way it identifies and solves problems and
makes decisions in order to increase the group’s effectiveness” (Schwartz,
1994, p. 4). It is important to note the first part of that definition: “acceptable
to all members of the group.” Being acceptable to all members is significant,
because facilitation has some similarities to therapeutic roles social
workers use with treatment groups and individuals. Among those important
parallels are trust, rapport, empathy, and acceptance. These qualities,
among others, allow the individual or group session to be the most productive
because the individuals who participate understand that each has
unique contributions that can be made to help address the task at hand.
The second phrase, “substantively neutral,” is also important. The traditional
definition of a facilitator is one who enables a group to function
better but does not insert his ideas and opinions—no matter how germane
they may be to the group’s decision. Neutrality is one of the key differences
that distinguishes a facilitator from a facilitative leader. A facilitative
leader is not neutral. Yes, she facilitates. But she also offers information and
1

Facilitative Leadership in Social Work Practice
expertise, is transparent about her investment in the group process and
outcome, and functions as a member of and with the group. More discussion
about facilitator versus facilitative leader occurs later in this chapter.
WHO ARE FACILITATIVE LEADERS?
The effectiveness of a group is directly related to the efficacy of its process.
If the group is high functioning, the facilitative leader uses a light
hand on the process machine. If the group is low functioning (e.g., filled
with conflict), the facilitative leader will be more directive in helping the
group run its process. Even in a high-conflict group, however, the facilitative
leader does not dictate the group’s actions; rather, he poses questions,
summarizes, or uses other skills that invite members to move forward.
The facilitative leader’s job is to focus on how well people work together
and, by this focus, to help members of a group accomplish the goals they
set for themselves.
An effective facilitative leader monitors the group dynamic, offers
process suggestions, and intervenes as needed to help the group stay on
track to complete tasks with a high level of member satisfaction. The facilitative
leader also works to ensure that all members have a voice and that
“groupthink” (discussed in Chapter 5) is avoided.
FACILITATIVE LEADERSHIP AND THE SOCIAL
WORK CODE OF ETHICS
The ethical practice of social work is a process and, unlike the surgeon with
such external tools as scalpels, the social worker is the tool—social workers
have themselves. The National Association of Social Workers (NASW)
Code of Ethics is a guide to help social workers use themselves in the most
ethical way possible to embody the values and principles of the social work
profession. The core values and ethical principles of social work are:
Value: Service
Ethical Principle: Social workers’ primary goal is to help people in need
and to address social problems.
Value: Social justice
2

One: What Is the Role of the Facilitative Leader?
Ethical Principle: Social workers challenge social injustice.
Value: Dignity and worth of the person
Ethical Principle: Social workers respect the inherent dignity and worth
of the person.
Value: Importance of human relationships
Ethical Principle: Social workers recognize the central importance of
human relationships.
Value: Integrity
Ethical Principle: Social workers behave in a trustworthy manner.
Value: Competence
Ethical Principle: Social workers practice within their areas of
competence and develop and enhance their professional expertise.
Difficult decisions are often called for in social work practice and
many times “simple answers are not available to resolve complex ethical
issues” (NASW, 2008, Purpose of the Code of Ethics, para. 5). With apologies
to Mr. Dave Barry, what is one of the first things social workers use when
trying to consider all conditions, needs, and issues in order to make an
ethical decision? You may have already guessed: Meetings! Social workers
create work teams, task forces, interagency collaboratives, quality assurance
circles, and a host of other groups, and they hold meetings.
Social workers who embrace and bring the skills of facilitative leadership
to the group process model for other participants the values and
principles encompassed in the Code of Ethics. Facilitative leadership is antioppressive
and strengths based. All members are valued for the unique
contributions they can make to the group from their lived experience and
knowledge base. When you use the skills of facilitative leadership, you
ensure that all group members have a voice, all are treated with dignity
and respect, and cultural and ethnic differences are recognized as the
strengths they are. Group decisions are better when all views and perspectives
are taken into consideration; the collaborative is strengthened.
One critical consideration for social workers is use of power. In keeping
with ethical social work practice, the facilitative leader avoids “powerover”
and models “power-with.” Wayne McCashen (2005), in The Strengths
Approach, explains that the use of power-over is not often aggressive. “However,
it can, and so often does, disempower” (p. 21). Power-over by a leader
3

Facilitative Leadership in Social Work Practice
communicates that she believes she knows what is best for the group. Her
way is the right way, the only way, the group should function. Power-over
is a form of coercion. “Using power-with means the development of collaborative
partnerships where the expertise, knowledge, and resources of
all parties are valued, shared and developed in a team approach to change”
(McCashen, p. 33). In promoting social justice, power-over and powerwith
are essential constructs for the facilitative leader. More discussion of
power-over and power-with occurs in Chapter 4.
WHY FACILITATIVE LEADER AND NOT JUST
FACILITATOR?
That is probably the key question in the whole book. As mentioned above,
most people have been in groups where an outside person, someone specially
trained in group management, will conduct the process. This is most
often the case in terms of trainings and
workshops. However, as organizations
become more complex and information
more centered within each
member of a group, there has emerged
a new role in group process—a person
who is part of the group, a stakeholder
Why is this role called facilitative
leader and not just facilitator?
That is probably the key question
in the whole book.
in the group issues and mission because of his job or vested interest, who
has the skills and interest to perform facilitation tasks that help the group
and themselves achieve goals. That person is a facilitative leader. Sometimes
that role will move to different members in the same group according to the
issue or task at hand. This book is written to assist all members of groups
with gaining some of the skills it takes to perform facilitation tasks while
still holding a stakeholder role in the group. It is not the easiest of roles; it is
easier to just sit back sometimes and watch others do the work. But when
most folks realize the amount of time that is wasted in meetings throughout
their work days and community activities, they come to understand that it is
their own time being wasted. For some, that has proved motivation enough
to gain the skills to make the process work better.
Is the facilitative leader just a “leader who facilitates” or a “facilitator
who leads”? Yes, and more. The role is not just equal parts facilitator and
leader; it is the synergy of the two that creates something new, something
greater than the sum of the parts. One does not abandon either role to be
4

One: What Is the Role of the Facilitative Leader?
the facilitative leader. Conversely, the properties of each role are magnified
to the point where they are working together in a harmony, interconnecting
in various ways to guide, encourage, and support the group process.
HOW TO BE THE FACILITATIVE LEADER
In the following chapters we will explore the various aspects of how social
workers perform as facilitative leaders. It starts, naturally, with preparation.
We could call the preparation process one of having a “facilitation
plan,” but that is too “meeting management” oriented. Yes, the facilitative
leader desires to manage the group process, but does so from a certain
principled perspective: in our case, the perspective of a social worker. That
perspective is participatory, collaborative, and strengths based.
That being said, here are a few tips on preparation and prevention that
might help the process work a bit better.
Pre-Meeting Environmental Actions
Groups exist in time and space. That’s not really a physics metaphor, but a
realization that the environment in which group process takes place, and
how group time is used, matters greatly to outcome.
Developing an Agenda in Advance
Developing your agenda in advance whenever possible is helpful,
particularly if the topic lends itself to a more structured environment. We
will take a detailed look at making an agenda later in the book (Chapter 7).
We will also discuss in Chapter 7 how to arrange the physical space for
a group meeting in ways to help group members be comfortable and
productive.
Clarifying Context, Direction, and Issues
Obviously, this can be done by some form of publication of an agenda in
advance. However, even when the meeting is not formal enough to do
that, letting group members know in advance the topic or range of topics
5

Facilitative Leadership in Social Work Practice
can only help the group process. Seeking input on the agenda from group
members in advance helps ensure that all issues relevant to the subject of the
meeting will be brought into the room. We will look at agendas in Chapter 7
and in the Tool Kit (see the Appendix).
Identifying Appropriate Strategies
We’ve prepared some tools and techniques to have ready to help the
group move past barriers they may encounter on the way to good outcomes.
This matters even if you are not the “appointed” facilitator for
this group. In fact, we contend, it matters more for the facilitative leader
to be prepared with tools to help the group process move forward when
he is not the person in charge. Remember, it’s your meeting, and being
prepared with a helpful suggestion on how the group might bridge an
impasse will save you and everyone else a whole lot of time. We have
put together a basic Tool Kit for facilitative leaders in the Appendix of
this book. Many tools and techniques are available beyond those we
present. You may have several that you already have adopted for your
own work with committees or community groups. The more strategies
you have, the more prepared you will be when the time comes.
We discuss ways to introduce these tools, especially when you are not
the official group leader. Most of this is just having the common sense
to provide a process that the group can use to move forward. Be polite
and positive. People who are as tired as you are of bad meetings will
respond with gratitude.
Agreement on Role of the Facilitator
As we mentioned above, it is always best for a group to accept its own
facilitative leadership. That is usually not the case for most groups in
which social workers participate. Group leadership is built into many
job roles in agencies and even in the community. That being said, if you
are the one in that role and the designated official group process leader it
is still important to accrue group acceptance. In recognizing the “central
importance of human relationships,” the Code of Ethics states:
Social workers understand that relationships between and
among people are an important vehicle for change. Social
6

One: What Is the Role of the Facilitative Leader?
workers engage people as partners in the helping process. Social
workers seek to strengthen relationships among people in a
purposeful effort to promote, restore, maintain, and enhance
the wellbeing of individuals, families, social groups, organizations,
and communities. (NASW, 2008)
If you are not the official group leader, maybe just a small cog in the big
wheel, it is still very helpful to have a few timely suggestions on how to
make things work better without upstaging the official leader. After all,
it is your meeting either way. And, we should add, it is the way to get
noticed in a positive way so that someday you get that job with the “official”
leadership role.
Understanding Group or Team Process
Think of a chess match. It is all about strategy and the application of
knowledge and skill. You don’t have to be the world’s greatest facilitator
or an expert in group process to be a good facilitative leader. But
you should know some of the fundamentals of how groups function so
you can do preparation and real-time analysis of the process. There are
libraries full of books on group process, facilitation, and leadership. We
have referenced a few for your use and highlighted some of the practices
in Chapter 5 that we feel will be helpful to social workers. It will
give you a bit of knowledge and, we hope, whet your appetite to learn
more.
Clarifying Problem-Solving and
Decision-Making Methods
This might sound a bit redundant to what we said about establishing
decision-making and discussion ground rules. It is one thing to get agreement
on how the group will act and quite another to get the group to act
that way when a problem arises. Helping groups keep their agreements
is a very valuable skill. Most everyone else in the meeting wants the same
thing as you do: to get home early. Actually, they want the meeting to be
meaningful and are comforted when they understand there is leadership
to keep things moving forward in a positive way. We will look at decisionmaking
models in Chapter 7.
7

Facilitative Leadership in Social Work Practice
Self-Awareness
Know thyself, O facilitative leader. In pretty much every other thing you
do in your life, you have a sense of your strengths and weaknesses. It’s the
same here. If you are strong on giving content, then be the one who does
that . . . ask someone else to manage discussion and volunteer to write
on the big whiteboard. If you are weak on the subject matter of the meeting,
call on others to give information and manage the dialogue. Everyone
has skills essential to being a facilitative leader in meetings. As any soccer
player will tell you: It’s always better to take the shot with your strongest
leg. We will discuss the skill set of facilitative leaders in Chapter 6.
Knowing the Difference Between
Process and Content
Usually there is a difference. Process is a combination of the various tools
that we can use to dialogue, discuss, brainstorm, make decisions, and turn
them into actions. Content is composed of the facts as to why we want to
take these actions, what effect they will have, and what we need to know
up front in order to start work. We will look at balancing the two in Chapter
5. But here is a clue: If you are in a group where you can’t tell the difference
between process and content, then leave—you’ve wandered into
a rock concert.
Observing and Describing What’s Going on in a Group
One doesn’t have to be the chosen one (appointed facilitator) to help
with this task. Observations (Chapter 8) are key to assisting the group
to move forward. You do it anyway as you sit there, especially if there
are annoying things going on. Saying what you observe (politely, of
course) will help others see that the meeting may be losing focus and
should veer a little toward productivity.
Recognizing Critical Moments
Again, if you are the one at the front of the room, then you are watching
for that moment in the group process where the summit has been
achieved and things can roll downhill toward good outcomes. It will
8

One: What Is the Role of the Facilitative Leader?
make it much easier on everyone if others in the meeting are doing the
same things and help out by pointing out when it looks like it’s time for a
decision and action plan. Shouting, “I think we’ve got it!” always seems
to work well. See Chapter 8 for some alternatives to shouting when the
moment arrives.
Knowing Where the Group Is in Its
Problem-Solving Process
This is a bit tricky because, although the group does have a mind of its
own that is greater than the sum of the minds in the group (that’s an
assumption that can be proven wrong on occasion), the group is still made
up of individuals who process things at different speeds and quantities.
Understanding the concept of “critical mass”—when you have enough
of whatever you need to move on—is a practiced skill. Also understanding
when the group has reached an impasse and cannot move forward is
critical for the facilitative leader. Knowing how to intervene is even more
important (Chapter 9).
Performing as the Facilitative Leader
We realize that all of these attributes of the facilitative leader can seem a
bit daunting. That is especially true when you take into account that most
of us are rarely comfortable in front of groups taking leadership roles. And
most of us are rather reluctant to intervene when someone else is trying to
lead. However, isn’t that part of why you became a social worker: helping
people to overcome barriers that oppress them, to actualize their goals,
and to have better lives? We’ve just taken those principles and applied
them to your work in groups.
There are times in a group process when the facilitative leader
will have to emphasize one of the parts (leader or facilitator) over the
other. The group process has stalled. There is plenty of content in the
room, but not much action. That may be a good time for the facilitative
leader to put away her stake in the group issues and just facilitate.
And there will be other times when process is way out of control and
someone needs to firmly take the reins of the group and pull it along
for awhile. Even then, the role is never too much leader or too much
facilitator. Synergy is about the balance of the roles and the focus of the
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Facilitative Leadership in Social Work Practice
one performing those roles on the outcome of the process. It is about
finding those convergences where the skills of the facilitator and the
leader are most complementary. Just like hydrogen and oxygen creates
a whole new substance—water—facilitative leadership creates a new
way to lead and to facilitate.
We will explore the various aspects of facilitation (Chapter 2) and
leadership (Chapters 3 and 4), but for now here are a few thoughts as to
how this works:
Many who hear the term leader think of Teddy Roosevelt, sword
drawn, riding his horse up the hill and yelling, “Charge!” We want to
broaden that concept. There are multiple types and definitions of leadership
and different situations call for different leadership approaches. For
example, one of the authors of this book has a favorite approach that she
calls the Tao (pronounced “dow”) of leadership or leading from behind. If
you are a member of a group, a few strategically asked questions can be
an act of leadership. Sometimes it may take a Teddy Roosevelt-type leading
the way to get things done. More often than not, however, it is a few
comments by a group member intent on a successful outcome that steers
the way. That is also an act of leadership.
What if someone else is the meeting’s designated leader or chairperson?
It makes no difference. Frequently, someone is appointed to serve
as the convener and leader. If that individual has facilitative skills, use
your time to contribute to the meeting’s effectiveness. If the designation
of “leader” was just another assigned task in that person’s work load, or
if the leader has few or no facilitation skills, then remember: It is your
time that is being used, as well as every other group member. Being a
facilitative leader can occur from any chair around the table. That includes
yours. Heifetz (1994), who researched and studied leadership for decades,
describes an unappointed leader as “leading without authority” (p. 141).
Consider: No one authorized or appointed Martin Luther King, Jr. (MLK)
to lead a national civil rights movement; he led without authority. You
may not be the next MLK. On the other hand, you do not need to wait
to become the appointed the leader of your group; it is your group, too.
Next time you are part of a group that is boring and nonproductive, look
around the room and ask yourself, “Whose meeting is this?” If you can’t
identify a qualified leader, then we suggest that the meeting is, in fact,
yours. You are the facilitative leader.
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One: What Is the Role of the Facilitative Leader?
SOCIAL WORK EXERCISES
As noted earlier in this chapter, the role of facilitative leader may be evident
in various kinds of group process and from any seat around the table.
As you work through this text, we invite you to apply learning through
a series of exercises in each chapter. We will discuss the various skills of
a facilitative leader, including observation, diagnosis, intervention, and
so on, and offer real-world contexts for their application. You are asked to
critically review your experiences, good and bad, in groups. The intent is
not to find fault or assess blame, but to better understand what facilitative
leadership offers your continuing professional growth (and to help you
create less boring and less frustrating meetings).
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Facilitative Leadership in Social Work Practice
Exercise 1.1
At this juncture in your exploration of the facilitator leader role, it
might be helpful for you to see if you can recognize behaviors in group
members which may constitute facilitative leadership. Think of the last
few times you have been in group settings and identify those persons
who seemed to combine qualities of leadership and facilitation. What
circumstances in the group process served as the catalyst for facilitative
leadership?
Describe the actions you observed that combined leadership and facilitation.
What was the result?
Did the leader who was acting as a facilitator lose any of his or her leadership
role? Explain.
Did a person conducting the meeting exercise too much or too little leadership
in the process?
Exercise 1.2
Now that you have been introduced to the concept of “facilitative leadership”
and its connection to the NASW Code of Ethics, select three of the
core values that you believe are most important to a social work practitioner
who is a facilitative leader and describe why you have selected that
value. Ask a colleague to select the three core values and principles that
she or he thinks are most critical. Dialogue and explain your choices to
each other.
12

One: What Is the Role of the Facilitative Leader?
1.
2.
3.
Exercise 1.3
The following is a partial list of skills and methods that are common
to facilitative leadership. Please read over the list and rate (1 to 5) your
current level of competence and confidence in each one. Make notes to
yourself if any of these skills is of particular interest. Then remember them
when you read through the book. If we didn’t cover them, hunt us down
and ask. It’s your book now.
1 2 3 4 5
I have little
or no
competence
(a lot of
work to do)
I have some
competence
(could
get by)
I have a
sufficient level
of competence
(can handle the
job)
I am quite
competent
(do a very
good job)
I am very
competent
(could
teach this
stuff)
Understanding listening with intent
Knowing the difference among chairing, training,
and facilitating
Identifying the responsibilities of the facilitative
leader
Establishing group ground rules
Intervening in the group process
Introducing outside content materials and persons
to the group process
Creating the physical environment for a successful
group process
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Facilitative Leadership in Social Work Practice
Having access to tools for assisting a group through
its process
Knowing positive ways to give a group feedback
Understanding how groups work
Knowing how to lead celebrations of positive
group outcomes
Having good group observation skills
Knowing how to generate good questions and
ideas within the group process
Having tools for managing conflict in the group
Knowing how to structure subgroups to maximize
performance
Knowing how to develop an agenda that moves
the process to the desired outcomes
Having cultural competence as a facilitative leader
Having a sense of a group’s momentum
How did you do? Most social workers, by the time they are into their
education and on into practice, have a fair amount of the skills above.
Where you may have a deficiency, there is opportunity for growth. We
believe that creating a personal development plan for learning and reinforcing
your facilitative leadership skills will provide great benefit to you
and the people you serve.
REFERENCES
Heifetz, R. A. (1994). Leading without easy answers. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University
Press.
McCashen, W. (2005). The strengths approach. Victoria, Australia: St Luke’s Innovative
Resources.
National Association of Social Workers. (2008). Code of ethics. Ethical principles. Washington,
DC: Author. Retrieved from http://www.socialworkers.org/pubs/code/code.asp
National Association of Social Workers. (2008). Code of ethics. Purpose of the code of
ethics. Washington, DC: Author. Retrieved from http://www.socialworkers.
org/pubs/code/code.asp
Schwarz, R. (1994). The skilled facilitator: Practical wisdom for developing effective groups.
San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
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