2026-03-24-STSP26-systems-conulting-and-facilitation-Benjamin-P-Taylor
The slide deck authored by Benjamin P. Taylor (aka @antlerboy) is a practitioner‑focused guide to systems consulting and facilitation in public‑service and organisational contexts. It begins by critiquing the “tool‑as‑banana” mindset and argues that effective intervention depends on the consultant’s stance, role, and relationship to the client. The deck weaves together several theoretical lenses – meta‑rationality (David Chapman), Peter Block’s Flawless Consulting, Viable System Model, and sense‑making pluralism – and translates them into concrete practice. Core sections cover: (1) diagnosing situations in‑action; (2) choosing a consulting role (expert, pair‑of‑hands, collaborative) and avoiding the “expert‑servant” trap; (3) managing the “space of service” where consultants are vulnerable to ignorance and multiple expectations; (4) designing and sequencing interventions (risk‑aware facilitation, Petruska Clarkson’s priority sequencing, platform for uncertainty); (5) six conversation types that drive transformation; (6) balancing differentiation and integration; (7) building variety, belonging, empowerment and harmony in groups; (8) a facilitation canvas and a set of power‑questions; (9) deep‑listening objection handling and authentic response techniques; (10) continual contracting using geometric metaphors. Throughout, the deck stresses human‑centred, relational practice, the importance of co‑learning, and the ethical stance of not imposing models but enabling participants to understand and reshape their own systems. The material is peppered with visual metaphors (banana, elephant, cybernetics), practical checklists, and recommended reading links, positioning the author as an experienced systems practitioner and facilitator for public‑sector transformation.
Topics
Beyond the Banana: Stance, Role, and Relationship as the Core of Systems Consulting
Critique of treating tools as solutions; argues that effective consulting starts with the consultant’s stance, role, and relational positioning rather than a prescribed technique.
Meta‑Rationality and Ontological Revision (David Chapman)
Introduces meta‑rationality as the skill of deploying formal rationality contextually and revising underlying ontologies to fit the situation.
Peter Block’s Flawless Consulting Foundations
Key principles from Peter Block – consulting as partnership, creating new possibilities, linguistic transformation, and the pitfalls of expert‑servant dynamics.
The Space of Service: Navigating Ignorance and Multiple Expectations
Describes the predictable condition (lack of context knowledge, varied stakeholder agendas) and the reflex response of trying to be immediately valuable as expert or servant.
Consultant Role Spectrum: Expert, Pair‑of‑Hands, Collaborative
Defines three archetypal roles, their decision‑making authority, and the shift toward a collaborative stance that co‑creates solutions with the client.
Facilitation as Intervention: Depth, Risk, and Holding Space
Ranks facilitation risk (naïve → deep‑unconscious → deep‑conscious), outlines dimensions (shallow vs deep, support vs challenge, intent, norms) and the importance of a holding environment.
Intervention Priority Sequencing (Petruska Clarkson)
A step‑wise ordering of system‑level issues – danger, confusion, conflict, deficit, development – to guide safe and effective intervention.
Managing Hidden Power: The Client‑Behind‑the‑Client and Project Context
Emphasises analysis of authority, lateral relationships, and environmental factors that often undermine project success more than the content itself.