Facilitation of management boards

In an organisation, departmental managers are on the one hand charged with taking responsibility for their own department, and on the other required to work with their counterparts in other departments to take and implement corporate decisions across disciplines in the interests of the organisation as a whole. Unfortunately, this important aspect of management responsibility is often reduced to so-called “reporting meetings”, and there is rarely enough time for a real exchange of experiences or the chance to make truly interdisciplinary joint decisions.

If a business is to be successful, it is crucial that its management boards come together as one team. Watzlawick’s basic principle applies: if our relationships are healthy, everything else will follow. But just like a marriage, professional relationships need to be worked upon. That is why it is a good idea to invite the key managers of an organisation to regular “board meetings”, held at a venue away from the familiar, day to day workplace.

The meeting facilitator has two roles: first, they help resolve minor disagreements and nip potential misunderstandings in the bud; and second, they use recognised methods to carefully encourage participants’ creativity. Needless to say, they also make sure that the meeting is run according to an effective structure (for example following an agenda, taking photos, and generally steering proceedings).