LiFT finds supported answers to change questions in your organization or company

UCLL, Artevelde University College, Dobre Kadry (Poland) and VOV learning network joined forces and developed an instrument with which organizations can tackle change issues themselves. The result: the LiFT method, Learning in Facilitated Teams. After a LiFT process, a supported answer follows that the organization can use and employees feel empowered to actively participate in change and innovation. In many cases, they have done something completely outside their normal job duties, which has taught them something new that will benefit them in their future careers.

In 8 demarcated steps to a solution

It works as follows: the client (owner of a company, coordinator of a team, HR manager, …) sees a concrete challenge in his organization. This may, for example, involve a merger of different teams, the introduction of a new software package, the improvement of an internal quality model, or a difficult learning question. To move from that challenge to a proven solution with added value, he appoints a heterogeneous team of 5 to 8 people in the organization and looks for a facilitator. The latter receives the LiFT manual and supporting tools. With this, the facilitator leads a process spread over 3 months that is divided into several steps, including reformulation of the problem, devising solutions, testing, evaluation, feedback and demonstration. The client and employees are informed of the progress. Assurance of the result is thus stimulated early in the process and after the end of LiFT.

If the facilitator needs more background and guidance with this package, he can follow the training organized by UCLL and Artevelde University College. For 2019, these courses are free (see below).

An opportunity for personal growth

Developing a unique response to a challenge together with a team offers a great opportunity and context for individual growth. Team members become aware of their own growth in future-oriented competencies (growth fields). They have - almost unconsciously - acquired knowledge of a number of 'techniques': conversation techniques, research methods, teamwork, analysis and synthesis, meeting techniques (so-called 'competences of the XXIst century') and of course also knowledge about technical aspects of the challenge itself. Team members often want to learn more about one or more aspects that can benefit the organization. This can be recorded during employee interviews and refined with refresher moments or additional training, for example.

ESF: lifelong learning, workable work

LiFT started in April 2017 with financing from ESF, the European Social Fund and the Flemish Hefboom Fund. The method was developed into a self-study package and successfully tested in various organizations, including CenterParcs, daycare center Elmer en de Vleugels, a support center for people with a disability, the plastics processing company Engels and call center Callexcel. LiFT started from the results of the BLITS project (carried out by the same partners), which has already proven its value for teams. LiFT has the potential within organizations to grow from an effective learning approach with a high guarantee of assurance into a widely applicable instrument that can be used as an automatic reflex in all kinds of contexts. Bottom-up and sustainable.

LiFT's ESF process was concluded at the end of 2019 with a number of free training sessions for facilitators. During this training, the candidate facilitators were trained in an interactive and experiential manner to steer the LiFT process in the right direction within their organization. Organizations can still use this training today. Consult our website or contact us for dates and rates in 2020.

Project under ESF Transnational 2, call 357, no. 6274