Back to the Future

Introducing RANA's Process Leadership Immersion Program...

 

Many years ago when our founder Paul H. J. Cormier underwent his professional training with Kepner-Tregoe and Synectics, facilitators were called “Process Leaders”. This very apt name pointed clearly to the role being played by the person standing in front of the group and working to help it perform. That person was “leading” the process of the session and leaving the content to the group.
Since those heady and early days of what is now the field – some say the profession – of facilitation, we at RANA have learned a lot:

• We have clarified the levels of process as Universals (processes that most cultures use), Derived (processes that have evolved from the universals) and Aggregates (processes that cluster and sequence into a much larger compound process);
• We have aligned the linkages in facilitation between the use of Processes (the steps in doing things), Techniques (how the facilitator behaves in front of the group and Logistics (the physical environment that helps a group to be productive);
• We have participated in the growth of Process Facilitation from a few dedicated individuals to a veritable army of experts in the field.

However, nothing we have done is as important as defining and parsing out how a person achieving expertise in Process Facilitation graduates to becoming a true Process Leader. What we noticed over time was that a good many of our facilitation workshop graduates appeared to progress rapidly through the ranks of their respective organizations and access higher levels of authority and accountability. We also found and heard from these fine people that it was their capacity to use process steps effectively that accelerated their careers. Our analysis of the situation suggested that if we could replicate what our past participants had been able to achieve, we might provide an advanced form of leadership training that would be practical and useful. Since we had already documented many processes habitually used inside organizations, it was only one more step to understand which of them would best empower people to grow into Process Leaders.
There was one more important realization: the idea that process and skills align so well that when someone learns a process, they also acquire a skill (and vice-versa). The motivation of the process learner is much easier to achieve when the person knows that they are not just achieving knowledge but also addressing their clear need for the skills to perform tasks from simple to complex.
So, RANA is very much in the business of training Process Leaders through immersing interested people in a skills program that shapes their behaviour for maximum impact and effectiveness. These are exciting times for us, as well as for those who are involved in the program.