Facilitative leadership: one approach to empowering staff and other stakeholders

Library Trends, Summer, 2004 by Thomas L. Moore

ABSTRACT

THIS ARTICLE DEFINES FACILITATIVE LEADERSHIP as advocated by Roger Schwarz and describes the use of this relatively new leadership approach in a public library system. It lists and defines the four core values followed in Schwarz's approach: valid information, free and informed choice, internal commitment, and compassion. It further describes the use of left-hand column cases as developed by Chris Argyris to identify one's own theory in use. Model one and model two theories in use as developed by Argyris are discussed. The article then briefly describes the experiences of using the Schwarz principles in a library organization.

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Facilitative leadership is a term that is used for a number of different methods of providing leadership within the workplace. Many different trainers and organizations use the term. It means different things to each of them. A quick Internet search results in many hits for the term. Educators use it to describe a way of leading school change. Religious leaders use it to describe a way of leading congregations. Consultants use it to describe ways of leading organizations. One consultant group (Interaction Associates) has even registered the phrase as a trademark. All involve some sort of training in new ways to lead people or organizations.

Fran Rees is one of a handful of authors on the subject of facilitative leadership. She identifies leadership skills along a continuum from persuasion through collaboration to facilitation and says that at various times a leader must be prepared to engage each approach. She writes:

   The leader who can take the role of a facilitator blends his or
   her role of visionary decisive leader with that of listening and
   empowering leader. As a facilitative leader he or she involves
   followers as much as possible in creating the group's vision and
   purpose, carrying out the vision and purpose, and building a
   productive and cohesive team. Facilitation can be seen as a
   leadership approach. (Rees, 1998, pp. 17-18)

In another of her works, Rees identifies a basic tenet of facilitative leadership: "A facilitative leader is someone who acts on the premise that a leader does not do for others what they can do for themselves" (Rees, 2001, p. 60).

Roger Schwarz devotes a full chapter in his classic work on facilitation to defining and elaborating on the concept of facilitative leadership (Schwarz, 2002, pp. 327-343). "Facilitative leadership is a values-based, systemic leadership philosophy founded on the core values and assumptions, principles, and methods of the Skilled Facilitator approach. The facilitative leader helps groups and individuals become more effective through building their capacity to reflect on and improve the way they work" (Schwarz, 2002, p. 327). Following a discussion of the need for a new approach to leadership, Schwarz continues: "Organizations need the type of leader who works from a set of core values consistent with the concepts of empowerment, commitment, collaboration, learning, and partnership. The core values and principles underlying the Skilled Facilitator approach constitute a foundation for becoming such a leader--what I call a facilitative leader (Schwarz, 2002, p. 330). He also adds that facilitative leadership can be practiced by anyone in an organization, regardless of level or leadership responsibility (Schwarz, 2002, p. 328). The particular method of facilitative leadership that I have employed for the past decade is based upon Schwarz's work.

The approach described by Schwarz and employed in his facilitation training and consultation activities is based on an explicit set of core values that work in any circumstance, be it personal or professional. Chris Argyris and Donald Schoen initially developed the concepts that led to the articulation of these core values. Schwarz refined and codified them as core values: valid information, free and informed choice, and internal commitment. While simply stated, these core values have a depth of import that needs further explanation. In the last edition of his book, Schwarz added a fourth core value that he named compassion.

Core values are the principles that guide one's actions in all aspects of one's life. In most instances these core values or underlying beliefs are implicitly understood but usually are not explicitly articulated. What Schwarz has done is to articulate the core values by which he wants to live his life. He has articulated them in such a way that others may choose to adopt them as their guiding principles as well. These four core values are the foundation upon which Schwarz has based his brand of facilitative leadership. What follows is a fuller discussion of what these core values mean within the context of Schwarz's facilitative leadership. It is worth noting that, in many approaches to leadership, the core values underlying them are not articulated and have to be inferred through the actions that are the result of following the particular approach chosen. The premises behind the core values are the following: