This past year, Simatree worked closely with a management committee to align members on their role and strategy for facilitating administrative innovation within their agency at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).
Hear from Simatree’s own Shea Tarring and Max White as they reflect on their project experience:
Shea: As a more junior employee, I tend to want to plan client meetings down to the minute and have more control. This project helped me understand the value of intentional improv. By entering meetings with a flexible mindset, you’re more able to read the room and proceed accordingly. Our facilitation plans for this project often consisted of having items in our back pocket: slides or templates to reach for depending on the group’s consensus. This tactic helped us lead the group while still leaving space for them to dictate the ultimate direction, which was a delicate balance.
Max: This project exposed me to the importance of using inclusive design to drive meaningful change. In short, people commit to what they create. In the grand scheme of things – without diversity of ideas at the outset, the final product (whether it be a new tool, committee, etc.) will only belong to the few instead of the many.
The time Simatree spent developing trust and fostering authentic communication between agency members will be critical for the future success of the client’s implementation of committee initiatives.
