World scientists strive to map activity in the human brain. Presumably, a map of neural activity will shed light on how the brain works and how choices get made.
Concurrently, there has been an upsurge in related fields seeking to understand human nature and behavior. One focus on change: neuro accounting, neuroeconomics, neurotics, neurofinance, neuro leadership, neurolinguistics, neuro management, neuromarketing, and now . . .neurofacilitation.
Neuroeconomics♦ developed over 50 research groups around the world, “exploring the brain processes that underlie decision-making.” Economics focuses on how people make choices, especially when they cannot get everything they want. Traditional theory asserts that rational decision-making maximizes utility, satisfaction, or well-being. Yet daily, people and groups generate sub-optimal decisions, so the question remains—why?
Science continues to advance our understanding of decision-making. Look no further for proof than proximity. Scientists now know where in the brain choosing occurs. They understand where preferences reside, and how choices happen physically. While they learn to model ‘how we choose our underwear” (or how monkeys choose their juice), we professional facilitators must be held accountable for mapping how complex group decisions are made. Business meetings could be referred to as a neural net of decision-making.
Traceability
Maintaining a diligent trail of challenge and documentation provides a benchmark to support neurofacilitation. Group decisions require traceability. Take any decision back to your supervisor, executive sponsor, or steering team and they will immediately respond with “Why?” Why did your group make the decision they made?
Data sets are making it much easier to make more informed decisions. Teo cites three relevant examples related to individual decision-making:
1) Electronic road pricing that helps predict the changing demographics, vehicle types, and density of traffic.
2) In New York City data is available on every taxicab: whether they are occupied or empty, when patrons are waiting (or not), the size of the tips, etc.
3) Equity stock selections where information abounds on whom, when, how much, etc.
Yet there is no comparable example offered to shed light on the most important decisions being made that affect all of humanity, not solely one individual. For example, should we go to war, fire a missile, build a new nuclear plant, construct a new highway (or conduct road repair), approve a major project, hire a key executive, etc..
Professional facilitators ought to sensitize themselves to the importance of neurofacilitation; i.e., challenging the underlying rationale and carefully documenting the support behind all of the options, not only the final choice. You may never want to see the term ‘neurofacilitation’ again, but you know that it oversimplifies the true nature and complexity of group decision-making, and how groups or teams define “utility.”
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♦ Cited by Anna Teo (The Business Times, 01/03/13),
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Terrence Metz, MBA, CSM, CSPF, PSP01, HTTO1, is the Managing Director of MG RUSH Facilitation Leadership, Training, and Meeting Design, an acknowledged leader in structured facilitation training, and author of “Meetings That Get Results – A Facilitator’s Guide to Building Better Meetings.” His FAST Facilitation Best Practices blog features nearly 300 articles on facilitation skills and tools aimed at helping others lead meetings that produce clear and actionable results. His clients include Agilists, Scrum teams, program and project managers, senior officers, and the business analyst community among numerous private and public companies and global corporations. As an undergraduate of Northwestern University (Evanston, IL) and an MBA graduate from NWU’s Kellogg School of Management, his professional experience has focused on process improvement and product development. He continually aspires to make it easier for others to succeed.
