HW. Franz

www.smeactor.eu

Action learning facilitator Facilitator of action and learning

Hans-Werner Franz6th and Final SME ACTor Meeting and

Workshop24 October 2008

Bucharestfranz@sfs-dortmund.de

HW. Franz

www.smeactor.eu What I am going to tell you

• Introduction• Facilitating

NetworkingAction Learning

• Our approach: Competence developmentUnderstanding communicationUnderstanding learning

• Our approach: Constructing new realitiesExample: Management Training Network

Facilitating Networking

An Action Learning Fieldbook

PublisherPublisher

HW. Franz

www.smeactor.eu Communication

Where are we?

?

HW. Franz

www.smeactor.eu Communication

Where are we?

In a balloon!

About 100 ft above

ground.

HW. Franz

www.smeactor.eu

•relevance•difference•viability•connectivity

•relevance•difference•viability•connectivity

Knowledge

• is subjective(selective and-self-referential)

• is context-driven• is a (social) construction• is a (social) convention

We only know what we believe.There are no two people who know the

same.Knowledge cannot be transferred.(It can only be offered to a learner.)

Co-operation needs convention.

The more you know the more you don‘t knowThe more you know the more you don‘t know

(meet and agree)

according to the latest neurophysiologic empiricalevidence

HW. Franz

www.smeactor.eu Data — Information — Knowledge

• Data

• Information(the balloon example)

• Knowledge

• Signs existing independently of me (texts, statistics, pictures) which I may or may not perceive.

• Data become information when perceived as different, relevant and connecting to existing information or knowledge

• is selected information embedded in the system of existing knowledge and experience (as well as physical and genetic dispositions) with proven or expected relevance (sense and meaning) for present or future contexts of life of an individual or an organisation.

HW. Franz

www.smeactor.eu Data — Information — Knowledge

• Data

• Information(the balloon example)

• Knowledge

• Signs existing independently of me (texts, statistics, pictures) which I may or may not perceive.

• Data become information when perceived as different, relevant and connecting to existing information or knowledge

• is selected information embedded in the system of existing knowledge and experience (as well as physical and genetic dispositions) with proven or expected relevance (sense and meaning) for present or future contexts of life of an individual or an organisation.

HW. Franz

www.smeactor.eu Data — Information — Knowledge

• Data

• Information(the balloon example)

• Knowledge

• Signs existing independently of me (texts, statistics, pictures) which I may or may not perceive.

• Data become information when perceived as different, relevant and connecting to existing information or knowledge

• is selected information embedded in the system of existing knowledge and experience (as well as physical and genetic dispositions) with proven or expected relevance (sense and meaning) for present or future contexts of life of an individual or an organisation.

HW. Franz

www.smeactor.eu What I tell you

• Facilitating NetworkingAction Learning

• Our approach: Competence developmentUnderstanding communicationUnderstanding learning

• Our approach: Constructing new realitiesExample: Management Training Network

Facilitating Networking

An Action Learning Fieldbook

PublisherPublisher

HW. Franz

www.smeactor.eu Facilitating

• is a method of a making communication easier; (in English, usually it is synonymous with moderation)

• helping groups of people to come to common results

• using a certain repertoire of methods and techniques

• workshops/learnshops

In our case, strong focus on visualisation of collective thinking processes(state of the art in German speaking countries)

HW. Franz

www.smeactor.eu Facilitating networking

• new formulanetwork facilitator = moderation + managing networks

• lateral leadership leadership without hierarchy

• in and across organisations

Leadership can be learned (at least partly)

HW. Franz

www.smeactor.eu

Facilitating action learning for networking

• Learning while working• Working while learning

• Our focus:Doing by learning

While people learn facilitating they work on the subject they want to facilitate.

Learning by

doing

Doingby

learning

Learning by

doing

Doingby

learning

HW. Franz

www.smeactor.eu What I tell you

• Facilitating NetworkingAction Learning

• Our approach: Competence developmentUnderstanding communicationUnderstanding learning

• Our approach: Constructing new realitiesExample: Management Training Network

Facilitating Networking

An Action Learning Fieldbook

PublisherPublisher

HW. Franz

www.smeactor.eu The aim

• Facilitating = Making communication for co-operation easier

• Enhancing co-operation competence:improving co-operativity of networkers

• Working on the improvement of the network and training facilitators at the same time

HW. Franz

www.smeactor.eu Successful communication 1

We remember• relatively little of what we have heard• more of what we have seen• much more of what we have seen and

heard• most of what we have done ourselves

We remember • what makes a difference

(to what we know already)

• what connects to what we know already

HW. Franz

www.smeactor.eu Successful communication 2

Facilitating action learning in a network contextmeans

• creating situations in which people (a group)hear and see and act

• in a common context • on common issues and subjects• which are relevant to them• which connect to their interests• producing viable plans and projects,

strategies and solutions

The Making of Common SenseThe Making of Common Sensefor Common Actionfor Common Action

HW. Franz

www.smeactor.eu Learning

• is an action of the learner• is appropriation (making my own)• of selected relevant data, • accepted as meaningful information and• becoming knowledge by evidence or

practice

• There is no teaching of knowledge.• Teaching is offering data and

creating good learning conditions. • Teaching is making learning easy.Teaching is making learning easy.

HW. Franz

www.smeactor.eu

Knowing how todecide,

do,learn

Knowing how todecide,

do,learn

The aim of learning

• is competence• a higher control potential

for coping with working and living conditions

• for network facilitators is:to make working and learning easier

• to become a lateral leader:a manager leading by making his/her people learn

HW. Franz

www.smeactor.eu What I tell you

• Facilitating NetworkingAction Learning

• Our approach: Competence developmentUnderstanding communicationUnderstanding learning

• Our approach: Constructing new realitiesExample: Management Training Network

Facilitating Networking

An Action Learning Fieldbook

PublisherPublisher

HW. Franz

www.smeactor.eu Management Training Network

• The case example:a number of companies establishing a new training facility or a new training programme

• How I would do it being the responsible person

• Fundamental: company-related training has two clients: the payer and the learner

HW. Franz

www.smeactor.eu

creating COMPETENCECOMPETENCE

creating COMPETENCECOMPETENCE

creating COMPETENCECOMPETENCE

creating COMPETENCECOMPETENCE

creating COMPETENCECOMPETENCE

creating COMPETENCECOMPETENCE

creating COMPETENCECOMPETENCE

creating COMPETENCECOMPETENCE

Demand-driven training programme

• Workshop with all relevant (company) clients– Main questions:

1. What sort of managers do you want? How do you want them to be?

2. What do you want them to learn?– All contributions are

visualised, prioritised and condensed to a common result: a draft training programme

• Workshop with all teachers/trainerson contents and methods of learning – cases, stories, making people relate learning

materials to own company background– using activating methods making the

learners learn how to structure effective communication in their own company

Leadership: Learners must learn how to make their people learn

HW. Franz

www.smeactor.eu What I told you

• Facilitating • makes

constructing new realitiese.g. organisational change and networksmore effective and more efficient

• is an alternative to classical organisation design by strengthening lateral leadership

• focuses on competence developmentby making communication and learning easier

Enhancing responsibility and co-operativity

Facilitating Networking

An Action Learning Fieldbook

PublisherPublisher