Facilitating Group Development

The role of a team leader overseeing the development of a new work group is similar to the role of a drum circle facilitator guiding a group of new drummers to their greatest musical potential.  Like a capable team leader, a facilitator who is mindful of what the drum group needs at any given time knows exactly what intervention to provide that will bring them to their next performance level.

Master facilitator and percussionist, Arthur Hull, has defined the roles of the facilitator for each step of the drum circle’s musical development.  First, he says, when the group is forming, they need a Dictator.  The Dictator’s role is to set the norms of the group, to make introductions, and to teach the basic body language signals that the group needs to follow.  This is done through full group interventions so that the whole group responds the same way at the same time.  As they do this they develop group consciousness, and become synchronized.

To reinforce this, the Dictator becomes a Director.  The group benefits by knowing how its individual parts are contributing to the whole, and the Director’s job is to demonstrate this to them.  By sculpting out specific sections of the drum circle (e.g. the bass drums, the hand drums, the bells) and allowing them to perform alone, the Director provides insight into what the music is composed of, and the group progresses towards ensemble consciousness. 

When the music shows up, the Director becomes a Facilitator.  By creating moments of success and setting up rhythmical dialog between the drummers, the Facilitator develops the group’s musicality and provides them with opportunities to improvise.  The Facilitator’s ability to monitor and listen deeply to what the group is playing is tasked at this stage since each intervention presented is intended to move the group to full orchestrational consciousness.

Once this level is achieved, the facilitator’s job is complete, and like a successful team leader managing a high-functioning work group, s/he may now step back and fine-tune the drum circle’s performance and work with what they give.  The new group of drummers has become a performance-level percussion ensemble in full flow.  The Facilitator, now Orchestrator, can play with the group’s music and allow individuals to gradually take over leadership roles.

Whether it’s developing a new work group or maximizing a group’s musical potential, the process of facilitation is the same.  The team leader and the drum circle facilitator must both have their radar on at all times so they know exactly what to provide in order to move their respective groups to the next level of development.

And this is why your company’s team leaders would benefit from training in drum circle facilitation.