Interviewee: F1, researcher EUR
Role: facilitator
Date: —
Interviewer: —
Interview Summary
Personas
It varies by partnership. Some have a director and team (almost like an organization). Often it’s lighter: steering committee, operational/implementation team, perhaps advisors. A facilitator isn’t always needed; they can be internal (from one party) or external. Early on an internal broker may work well; when tensions rise, an external broker can help.
Facilitator role
It’s about developing partnerships broadly: clarifying the “why” of collaboration and strengthening partners’ capacity to collaborate—mindset, competencies, and attitude. You help collaboration run well (negotiation, conflict management), and you’re also connected to the purpose. You’re independent, but not neutral, because you care about achieving the collaboration’s goal. Facilitators wear multiple hats: meeting facilitation, negotiation, mediation, etc. Over time your role shifts—early on you do research (stakeholder/market research, mapping who should be involved).
Facilitator s relation to decision makers project leaders
Depends on the partnership, but I prefer horizontal, as-equal-as-possible structures. Classic structures with steering committees, advisory groups, and operational teams can be quite “boring” and not the essence of collaboration. The key is working with people who truly want the collaboration and developing it while doing it—actionoriented, not designed behind a desk. A facilitator often wears different hats at different moments: meeting facilitator, negotiator, or guiding a steering group through decisions—depending on what’s needed.
First phase start
Many collaborations start with a “coalition of the willing,” but ideally you need a “coalition of the needed”—those required to solve the problem. Coalition of the needed are the parties you truly need to solve the problem. The coalition of the willing are the ones who want to join; they’re not always the same.
Second phase understand
No response recorded.
Fourth phase experiment cocreate
No response recorded.
Fifth phase transfer
No response recorded.
Sixth phase finish
No response recorded.
Tools used
SharePoint, Teams, Zoom
Monitoring progress
Often through agreed KPIs. But in new collaborations KPIs are difficult: they push you into a linear route, while collaboration is not linear. I prefer a “dynamic learning agenda” (DLA): identify barriers that stand between you and the shared goal and work on bridging them. Ideally you combine measurable KPIs with qualitative objectives. The most important thing is the conversation: not whether something is checked off, but why it was or wasn’t achieved—because that learning moves the collaboration forward.
Collaboration
Collaboration is built by making connections and relationships. You do that by meeting people, visiting, understanding their context, needs, and priorities, and working toward alignment. It’s always people-work. Partnerships often fail due to people not clicking or due to turnover. There needs to be a “spark”—a click that makes people willing to collaborate and put a higher goal above their own interests.
Specific painpoints
No response recorded.
Room for improvement
No response recorded.
Platform requirements
No response recorded.