10-0 Collaborative Process Step 2: Organization

The organization stage is a critical design element in the convening phase that addresses some of the organizational issues that will enable the group to do its collaborative work together.   Let’s look back at our frame work at this stage.

The group needs to agree on key organizational elements which are:

• What it is going to do (purpose, outcomes, etc.)
• Who is going to be needed to do it (members, roles, etc.)
• How it will be done (structure, decision making, communication protocols.

The answers to these questions are documented in the form of “working agreements” or “operating principles” that guide the group’s work.  Groups who overlook this stage or don’t agree on some of the basic elements that form the group will often have trouble later in the process. After completing the assessment, the neutral facilitator should have a good idea of the key elements that will be necessary in designing the process to help the parties work well together, but it is good to include the participants in a feedback loop as the process design comes together.

Each one of the three organizational elements will be addressed in separate posts that follow.