Background
The relevance of facilitation to knowledge implementation
Organizational learning theory
The learning-performance link
Orders of organizational learning
What we know about organizational learning capacity and learning processes
Insights into organizational learning micro-processes from scientific management
Discussion
Facilitation defined and redefined as meta-routines
Elements of facilitation
Facilitation is a goal-oriented, context-dependent social process for implementing new knowledge into practice or organizational routines. It typically involves individuals learning together in the context of a recognized need for improvement and supportive relationships. Effective communication and interactive problem solving are key process components.
Situating facilitation theoretically in organizational learning
Facilitation’s role in realizing potential absorptive capacity
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Proposition 1: Facilitation is a social integration mechanism that leads to realizing (latent) absorptive capacity potential in health services organizations.
Linking facilitation to the meta-process of learning
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Proposition 2: Facilitation influences the learning meta-process of variation-selection-retention of new knowledge.
Relating facilitation to external and internal absorptive capacity meta-routines and organizational learning
External absorptive capacity meta-routines [9] | |
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Identifying and recognizing the value of externally generated knowledge | Introduces new research-based ideas of potential value to resolving performance gaps |
Learning from and with partners, suppliers, customers, competitors, and consultants | Establishes effective communication channels |
Networking | |
Supports the development of new competencies or skills by identifying external suppliers | |
Transferring knowledge back to the organization (establishing knowledge sharing processes) | Establishes effective communication channels |
Internal absorptive capacity meta-routines [9] | |
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Facilitating variation | Encourages critical assessment of current practice that leads to identification of performance gap(s) |
Introduces new ideas (i.e., research and associated knowledge that may address performance gaps) | |
Enhances staff receptivity to change | |
Identifies resources needed to support change | |
Motivates and encourages others to make a change | |
Supports the development of new competencies/skills among staff | |
Managing internal selection regimes | Assists in establishing common goals |
Enables implementation of evidence into practice | |
Enables research use | |
Attends to the process of achieving goals | |
Provides feedback about research use | |
Sharing knowledge and superior practices across the organization | Establishes effective (internal) communication channels |
Promotes a culture for change | |
Creates a supportive (local) climate | |
Creates a vision that embraces evidence-based practice | |
Reflecting, updating, and replicating (retention) | Tailors facilitation activities to local needs and circumstances |
Provides ongoing support and resources to achieve goals | |
Facilitates trialable initiatives | |
Maintains change momentum | |
Supports the development of new competencies/skills among staff | |
Supports a goal-oriented dynamic process that promotes learning through critical reflection | |
Managing adaptive tension (continuous progression) | Creates a vision that embraces evidence-based practice |
Promotes a culture for change | |
Creates a supportive (local) climate | |
Empowers staff |
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Proposition 3: Facilitation micro-processes and activities (introducing new ideas, establishing effective communication channels, engaging in networking, and identifying suppliers of new competencies and skills) comprise external absorptive capacity meta-routines.
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Proposition 4: Facilitation micro-processes and activities (encouraging assessment of current practice, introducing new ideas, enhancing staff receptivity to change and encouraging or motivating them to make change, identifying resources for change, motivating others to make a change, introducing new ideas internal to the organization, and supporting development of new staff competencies and skills) comprise internal absorptive capacity meta-routines for facilitating variation.
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Proposition 5: Facilitation micro-processes and activities (assisting in establishing common goals, enabling the implementation of research findings into practice, attending to the process of achieving goals, and providing feedback about research use) comprise internal absorptive capacity meta-routines for managing internal selection regimes.
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Proposition 6: Facilitation micro-processes and activities (establishing effective communication channels, empowering staff, promoting positive changes in culture or climate, and creating a vision that embraces evidence-based practice) comprise internal absorptive capacity meta-routines for sharing knowledge and superior practices across the organization.
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Proposition 7: Facilitation micro-processes and activities (tailoring facilitation activities to local needs and circumstances, providing ongoing support and resources to achieve goals, facilitating trialable initiatives, maintaining change momentum, supporting development of new competencies and skills, and supporting a goal-oriented dynamic process that promotes learning through critical reflection) comprise internal absorptive capacity meta-routines for reflecting, updating, and replicating.
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Proposition 8: Facilitation micro-processes and activities (creating a vision that embraces evidence-based practice, promoting a culture for positive change, creating a supportive local climate) comprise internal absorptive capacity meta-routines for managing adaptive tension.
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Proposition 9: Facilitation micro-processes and activities that relate to the internal absorptive capacity meta-routines of reflecting, updating and replicating can lead to higher-order, double-loop organizational learning.
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Proposition 10: Facilitation micro-processes and activities that relate to the internal absorptive capacity meta-routines of reflecting, updating, and replicating and managing adaptive tension can lead to triple-loop learning.