It is quite common today for organizations to use facilitators or to teach
facilitation skills to managers in order to expedite group processes and help teams
reach desired goals in strategic planning, problem-solving, and decision- making
situations. In these cases, the choice of an appropriate technique or techniques to
accomplish the desired purpose is a critical component. But group facilitation skill
has not been much touched in traditional management education curriculum despite
the importance of work group performance in organizations. In this article, the authors
present the theoretical foundation that underlies group process, discuss the roles of
the small group facilitator and facilitation in management education, and then devote
the remainder of the piece to an explanation of six specific group techniques and
ways in which these techniques may be used in a range of management situations.
The six techniques covered are brainstorming, nominal group technique, appreciative
inquiry, SWOT analysis, fishbone diagram, and force-field analysis.