The Planning Facilitator: Should He Come From Outside or Inside the Firm?

This question is on the minds of most firms as they start their marketing or strategic planning cycle. Looking to save money by staying in-house is not often the best decision. If you are really serious about the planning process and strategy effective development, then there is too much at stake to look only at costs. You should be looking for the BEST RESULT, wherever that can come from.

A facilitator can come from inside the firm or outside the firm. If the facilitator comes from inside the firm he should not come from the unit doing the planning. Inside facilitators are often more practical in large multi.-divisional firms where the facilitator is perceived as neutral or impartial. This is not typical of most design firms. Even then, many units are uneasy having "corporate" facilitators directly involved in their efforts. So for most firms, looking outside for a planning facilitator is usually the best solution. 

The outside planning facilitator possesses two important characteristics:

- Is non-threatening to the team. Because he or she has no organizational authority and is not competing with others for promotions or power in the firm, the facilitator can raise questions rather than assert opinions.

- As an outsider not involved in the day-to-day activities, the facilitator offers objectivity and a fresh perspective.

The role of the facilitator is two-fold:

- The facilitator brings about creative change by encouraging a fresh look at new ideas. He or she questions existing priorities, strategies and goals and refuses to accept traditional ideas at face value and allows dissenting voices to be heard. In short, the facilitator is a catalyst for change. Without this element in the planning process, traditional beliefs and approaches tend to be recycled year after year.

- The planning facilitator doesn't act as the "outside expert," rather, works to bring out the best of what's already there. After all, most of the information, ideas, and talent already exist within the organization just waiting to be tapped. It is the planning facilitator's job to optimize the utilization of these untapped resources. As a facilitator, this individual can focus on the real issues in a way that senior executives can relate to. He or she can pose the kinds of pragmatic, down-to-earth, results-oriented questions that stimulate thinking and provide a base on which to build.

One Important Caveat: the planning facilitator is not merely a conference retreat leader following a prescribed outline. It's important that the facilitator has the respect of the planning team, understands your business, and has the strength of his or her convictions to give clear feedback if answers don't make sense. The quality of the result is directly related to the quality and experience of the facilitator. Most internal facilitators, even CEOs acting in that capacity, have difficulty getting the job done.. 

Source: Beyond Strategic Planning, Developing Winning Strategies For Engineers, Architects and Construction Companies." Converse Publishing P.O. Box 4560, Chino Valley, AZ 86323. 928-636-3839

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