Harness the power of participatory valuesA competent facilitator knows how to move a group from start to finish through the process of building a sustainable agreement, but doing so within the framework of a truly participatory decision-making process is a unique challenge. "The Facilitator's Guide to Participatory Decision-Making" helps organizational leaders break through crippling group decision-making gridlock to reach agreements that invite and incorporate critical insights from all participants.With previous editions already embraced and endorsed by successful business and community leaders around the world, "The Facilitator's Guide to Participatory Decision-Making, Third Edition" provides a significant update to existing chapters and an additional five chapters of new content.Includes updated material on making judgment calls, relationship matters, participatory methods, and facilitating in a virtual environmentFeatures four "whole-project" methods illustrated with case studiesWritten by one of the United States' leading experts on facilitationThose who practice participatory methods often come to see that facilitating a meeting is more than merely an occasion for solving a problem or creating a plan. It is also an opportunity to support profound personal learning, and it is an opportunity to strengthen the capacity and effectiveness of the group as a whole. This fully updated edition of "The Facilitator's Guide to Participatory Decision-Making" guides readers through the struggle and the satisfaction of putting participatory values into practice, helping them to fulfill the promise of effective group decision-making.
"The best book on collaboration ever written!"
—Diane Flannery, founding CEO, Juma Ventures
And now this classic book is even better—much better. Completely revised and updated, the second edition is loaded with new tools and techniques.
- Two powerful new chapters on agenda design
- A full section devoted to reaching closure
- More than twice as many tools for handling difficult dynamics
- 70 brand-new pages and over 100 pages significantly improved
Praise for Facilitator's Guide to Participatory Decision-Making, Second Edition
"In cross-functional environments, where diverse perspectives are intentionally brought together to produce high-quality thinking, a highly skilled facilitator can add great value—and Sam Kaner is one of the best. The Facilitator's Guide provides a full set of models and tools to enable an organization to reap the benefits of a well facilitated, participatory decision-making process. Having seen Sam's methods in action, I can attest to their power and effectiveness."
—Pierre Omidyar, founder and chairman, eBay and Omidyar Network
"Hooray for the Facilitator's Guide. It explains principles, practices, and processes with cogent clarity, and each diagram conveys a complex idea almost instantly."
—Joanna Macy, author, World as Lover, World as Self
"Our organization's core purpose is to dissolve boundaries across sectors in order to find innovative solutions to difficult social problems. We know how immensely challenging it is to facilitate dialogue among multiple stakeholders. This amazing book is a comprehensive guide for meeting that challenge. I've worked with a myriad of consultants during the past 16 years, and Sam Kaner's approach is vastly superior for bringing about lasting system change."
—Kriss Deiglmeier, executive director, Center for Social Innovation, Stanford University
"Sam Kaner is one of the world's leading experts on collaboration. His grasp of the challenges and dilemmas of collaboration is superb, as are his models and methods for facilitating complex processes."
—Sandy Schuman, editor, Creating a Culture of Collaboration
"The Facilitator's Guide has allowed us to build our own capacity. We've learned how to convene multiple stakeholder teams, plan effectively, and make more sustainable decisions, thus maintaining our collaborative values as we grow to serve a wider community. I highly recommend this book."
—James Whipple, CEO, Marshall Medical Center, El Dorado County, California
"Kaner's decision-making procedures are the best I've ever seen. We use them all the time!"
—Deborah Alvarez-Rodriguez, president and CEO, Goodwill Industries of San Francisco, San Mateo, and Marin Counties
