| What is facilitative leadership? The definition and | | | | dependent on informal negotiation and |
| understanding of facilitative leadership has evolved | | | | communication. |
| over time, and has emerged from the more | | | | (1) Facilitative leadership and informal networks |
| familiar term "transformational leadership" which is | | | | Facilitative leadership recognises and fully utilise the |
| all about inspiring employees to look beyond | | | | informal networks that exist in organisations. This |
| self-interest and focus on wider organisational | | | | partly because this type of leader recognises the |
| goals. Facilitative leadership requires communication | | | | value of working with and through informal as well |
| skills, social skills and a collaborative approach. | | | | as formal networks, and also because the (s)he is |
| Facilitative leadership is the opposite style of | | | | a pragmatist and recognises that up to 75% of |
| leadership from the centralised command-control | | | | an organisation's natural leaders and informal |
| transactional leadership style that is fairly typical | | | | networks sit outside of the formal management |
| of many organisations. It is particularly well suited | | | | structure. |
| to the context and environment of change | | | | In change management, facilitative leadership is a |
| management initiatives. | | | | crucial skill that needs to be applied and especially |
| It is now often viewed as a broad strategy that | | | | to the informal networks, given that the shadow |
| has been described as: "the behaviours that | | | | or informal organisation largely determines the |
| enhance the collective ability... to adapt, solve | | | | scope and pace of change. |
| problems, and improve performance." (Conley & | | | | (2) "There is no such thing as a singular success" |
| Goldman 1994) | | | | At root, facilitative leadership recognises that no |
| Key to this is the emphasis on "collective ability" | | | | one has a monopoly of talent, ideas or solutions |
| and the facilitative leader's role is to ensure the | | | | and that organisational success is a group effort. |
| wider involvement of people at all levels - | | | | A programme manager friend of mine used to |
| especially in the informal networks - a key to | | | | express it this way: "There is no such thing as a |
| success in change management. | | | | singular success"! |
| Whilst the command-control hierarchy remains | | | | From my own experience, I have found time and |
| intact - and it needs to for the exercising of legal | | | | time again that the answers to the most |
| authority to ratify decisions - in contrast to | | | | challenging business issues, project and |
| centralised command-control transactional | | | | programme failures and performance problems |
| leadership, the power here is based on synergy | | | | always - without exception lies with the front line |
| and mutuality and is multi-directional. | | | | staff - those directly involved in "doing it". All you |
| Key strategies that are employed include: | | | | have to do is ask them, listen to them and then |
| Resolving resource issues | | | | act upon what they tell you - with their support. |
| Team building | | | | (3) The importance of trust |
| Feedback | | | | Ultimately, all of these strategies and processes |
| Coordination | | | | rely on trust: "...a letting go of control and an |
| Conflict management and resolution | | | | increasing belief that others can and will function |
| Communication networks | | | | independently and successfully within a common |
| Collaborative politics | | | | framework of expectations and accountability. |
| All of these strategies involve processes that are | | | | |