We sometimes gather in a meeting or a workshop in order to move an issue forward. The issue may be a small one, or it may be a larger development process for a department or a company.

Regardless of the size of the issue, such a process is a matter of development and creation. To successfully manage and drive this, you need to balance two things:

• Direction; the issue needs to be clearly defined and moved forward steadily. Without direction, you will lose track of the goal.
• A developing and creative discussion needs to be free and open; partly to encourage everyone to contribute with thoughts and ideas, and partly to ensure that everyone will be backing the results and decisions of the workshop. If the issue is related to change, problems or even conflict, it is of utmost importance to also establish a safe and comfortable discussion environment to secure open and free dialogue.

This balance is challenging as there is an underlying conflict between them – allowing and encouraging an open and free dialogue while keeping the discussion on track. If you are not used to leading such workshops, one or the other of these two factors easily gets the upper hand.

Furthermore, it is often hard to simultaneously manage the process and contribute to the discussion. The manager, who often becomes the manager of the workshop, naturally has her own thoughts and opinions. By leaving the process management over to someone else, everyone can participate fully in the discussion.