Our services

We provide facilitation, process design, consultation and mediation for stakeholders seeking collaborative outcomes.

Vision-Action

Collaboration needs vision. "Vision without action is a daydream; action without vision is a nightmare." Japanese proverb

Motivation

"As with many things, motivation is everything." Thomas Keating

Multistakeholder processes

"Ultimate success lies in developing the collective commitment and capacity to turn ideas and plans into action."  MSP Resource Portal, http://portals.wi.wur.nl/msp/?page=1184  

Collaborative competence

Collaboration requires more than a decision to do so; successful collaboration requires competence.

Our services

We provide facilitation, process design, consultation and mediation for stakeholders seeking collaborative outcomes.

Responsive systems

[To respond to current challenges] we need systems that can self reorganize, that are better at sensing emerging disruption; that encourage cooperation rather than division; we need systems where a failure in one part of the system does not bring down every other part of the system. Andrew Zolli (2013)

Mistakes

Collaborating with others means that one must accept, from time to time, the mistakes or missteps of others. That is "Collaborative patience."

Harmony

Conservation is a state of harmony between men and land.  - Aldo Leopold

Attitude

When collaborative processes are approached with a positive attitude, progress automatically follows. Facilitation

Analytic facililtation

To really help groups make decisions, one must go beyond "event facilitation" to a deeper role of assessing the decision architecture the group faces.

Consensus

Many multi-stakeholder processes seek consensus decision making. It can be wholly appropriate in some contexts, and difficult and unnecessary in other contexts.

Failures in complex systems

Failure is intrinsic, healthy, normal and necessary to most complex system; so, if true, how can we manage such failures? Andrew Zolli (2013)

Barriers to solutions

"Lack of solutions to problems is often related to the lack of knowledge, ideas and political will, rather than the lack of money."  HK Anheier and D Leat, 2006

Conflict within

Organizations are living systems in which conflict can arise due to scarce resources, structure, roles, communications and personality.

Intraorganizational conflict

"What we need for contemporary organizations is conflict management and not conflict resolution." M. Rahim, Toward A Theory of Managing Organizational Conflict  

Collaboration

Seeing new perspectives opens new doors. Elements of successful collaboration

Competence

Collaboration requires more than a decision to do so; successful collaboration requires competence.

Land-water

Land and water decisions are some of the most complex and challenging for collaborative processes. Water collaboration

Conversation

"How can we find new ways to speak and listen to each other - even while holding passionate disagreements." Richard Mouw

Conflict illusions

Like the geocentric theory of our solar system, illusions in conflict can be very strongly held and long lasting.

Approach

"Bring (1) appropriate people + (2) constructive ways + (3) good data = create authentic visions or address shared concerns." Collaborative Leadership Fieldbook, Chrislip, Jossey-Bass, 2002 at 50.

Heal a fractured world

"We are here to make a difference, to mend the fractures of the world, a day at a time, an act at a time." Rabbi J. Sacks, To Heal a Fractured World, 2005 More

What we do

We provide training, facilitation, and mediation to stakeholders or organizations seeking to bring about change. More

Complexity

"As problems become more complex, and their solutions require active participation of diverse perspectives, then teamwork and collaboration become increasingly necessary and valued." When Teams Work Best, LaFasto and Larson, 2001 at xix.

Facilitation

A Facilitator can do much more than drafting agenda, working with flip charts/pens and drafting meeting summary notes.  We work to meet your specific facilitation needs – no cookie cutter approaches.

Mediation

When conflict escalates or when legal processes are likely/ongoing, mediation is sometimes appropriate. Our experience includes mediation in the topics of environment, environmental, natural resources, business, as well as litigation/court related mediations.

Conflict/situation assessments

Situation or conflict assessments help stakeholders determine whether there is a process that would help them address their share problem or challenge.

Consultation, Capacity Development

We work with groups or organizations that want to increase their capacity to complete the tasks they have identified as their goals or vision. Drawing from recent work in the field, we define capacity as “the ability of a human system to perform its desired activities, sustain itself and self renew.”

Collaborative processes® provides facilitation, mediation, consultation, planning advice to groups of persons, business entities, nonprofits/NGOs and government agencies that want to:

  • Learn to make collaboration a real and meaningful component of their activities.
  • Work effectively together toward common objectives.
  • Where needed, use dialogue to transform conflict from destructive to productive.
  • Collaboratively develop a strategic framework for action.
  • Move collaboration from a concept or “vision statement” into action.
  • Realize and accept the reality and benefits of inter-connectedness (avoiding the illusion of fragmentation and disconnection).
  • Search broadly for options, avoiding the narrow field of view that law often brings to conflict.
  • Use collaboration to create institutional strategies, and make important decisions.

Our work with diverse groups has included environmental and natural resource matters, developing strategic frameworks, creating action plans, developing governmental policy and improving working relationships.

Example engagements