ABSTRACT
Control has negative connotations for most of us -we don't want to be seen as out of control, we don't like control freaks, we resist being controlled. Yet, in groups, the issue of control will quickly emerge as people struggle for power. The outsider in the team or group will be operating similarly with unresolved inclusion issues and high control needs. The facilitator or facilitative manager needs to expect this issue of control to be active in their teams or groups and to know how to manage it when it does arise. When coaching someone on control, a good focus is to consider issues of competence. If we are facilitating others on the issue of control, we need to start with our own feelings of competence.
