5. Process Not Outcomes. One of the most valuable lessons of the facilitative approach to groupwork is that it focuses on the value of process, not outcomes. In control groups and manipulated groups, the group leader only wants people to arrive at their solutions and existing answers. Anything else is "off-script". But rushing to pre-ordained goals has no value for people. Wisdom, fun, and creativity come from the journey, not the destination.

"The honey doesn't taste so good once it is being eaten, the goal doesn't mean so much once it's been reached; the reward isn't so rewarding once it's been given...That doesn't mean the goals we have don't count. They do, mostly because they cause us to go through the process, and it's the process that makes us wise, happy or whatever. If we do things in the wrong sort of way, it makes us miserable, angry, confused and things like that. The goal has to be right for us and it has to be beneficial, in order to ensure a beneficial process. But, aside from that, it's really the process that's important. Enjoyment of the process is the secret that erases the myths of the Great Reward..." (Benjamin Hoff: "The Tao of Pooh")

© Eric Garner, ManageTrainLearn.com 2009

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