Why facilitation matters for research excellence

Posted on: 25 February 2025 in 2025

Alys Kay, Senior Researcher Developer, explores why facilitation matters, how it enhances research, and practical ways to integrate it into team practices.

Why facilitation matters for research excellence 

While expertise shapes discovery, the way research teams work together can be just as crucial as the ideas themselves.  

Facilitation is more than just a way to structure discussions; it’s a leadership practice that helps research teams maximise the value of their collective knowledge, strengthen rigour, and navigate complexity with greater efficiency. When done well, facilitation doesn’t just improve teamwork, it has the potential to produce better research. 

As a researcher developer with extensive facilitation experience, I have seen firsthand how facilitation can transform research discussions. Simple techniques like asking 'and what else?' can unlock deeper insights and bring out perspectives that might otherwise go unheard. 

Participants who took part in the Thrive qualitative interviews in Summer 2024, shared that facilitation made research discussions sharper, more focused, and more inclusive. They described how structured facilitation had helped surface hidden assumptions, challenge ideas productively, and lead to stronger research outcomes. A Clinical Academic and Principal Investigator (PI) put it simply: 

"We had the same people in the room before, but without facilitation, ideas just sat there. Now, we test them, stretch them, and make them better." 

In this month’s How-to article, I explore why facilitation matters, how it enhances research, and practical ways to integrate it into team practices. 

1. How facilitation can produce stronger collaborative research 

Collaborative research thrives in environments where ideas are tested, assumptions are challenged, and different perspectives shape stronger conclusions. Facilitation, where done well can ensure that the conditions for rigorous, high-quality research are in place. 

Facilitation strengthens collaborative research by: 

• Ensuring intellectual diversity: bringing together different disciplines and expertise leads can lead to deeper insights. 

• Making research more robust: encouraging structured debate can help to surface blind spots and refine methodologies. 

• Reducing inefficiencies: creating clear decision-making processes can prevent projects from stalling or becoming fragmented. 

Development insight: evidence from Thrive participants 

One Interdisciplinary Researcher (STEM & Social Sciences Collaboration) described how facilitation had helped them to better test ideas in their team: 

"You have to listen properly, not just wait for your turn to talk. Structured facilitation changed everything. Different viewpoints got tested instead of just coexisting. The ideas got better." 

Another Early Career Researcher (Life Sciences): 

"Without facilitation, things get stuck. People don’t challenge each other properly, and bad ideas hang around longer than they should. With structured discussions, we move faster and more effectively." 

2. Creating the conditions for deeper collaboration 

Collaboration isn’t just about gathering experts, it’s about structuring processes that allow ideas to flow, expertise to be integrated, and decisions to be made effectively and inclusively. Facilitation ensures that research teams co-create knowledge rather than just sharing it. 

Practical strategies for research facilitation: 

• Dialogue Mapping capturing and structuring conversations visually ensures discussions remain balanced and all perspectives are integrated. When done asynchronously with an online whiteboard, team members contribute their thoughts independently. The facilitator then groups similar ideas, identifies patterns, and highlights key themes. 

• Influence Mapping identifies how decisions are shaped across different roles. By recognising influence dynamics, facilitators ensure all team members feel included in meaningful discussions. 

• Rotating Leadership allows different team members to lead discussions or key conversations, fostering accountability and distributing leadership across the team. 

Development insight: harnessing the power of collective intelligence 

A biomedical researcher reflected on their shift to a more facilitative research environment: 

"At my previous institution, collaboration was surface-level—people worked together, but knowledge was guarded, not shared. Where I work now, there’s an expectation that we bring each other in. That shift, from seeing collaboration as a necessity rather than a risk, has transformed the way we generate ideas." 

3. The role of the facilitator in research leadership 

Facilitation isn’t just about managing discussions; it’s about creating an environment where every team member can contribute meaningfully. A skilled facilitator ensures influence dynamics don’t stifle innovation and keeps discussions productive. 

Key facilitation practices: 

• Balancing voices: ensuring discussions remain inclusive so all perspectives contribute. 

• Asking the right questions: encouraging enquiry that deepens thinking rather than shutting it down. 

• Navigating tensions: turning conflicts into productive debates that refine research directions rather than stall progress. 

Development insight: space for diverse perspectives 

A Clinical Academic and Principal Investigator (PI) described how facilitation changed their team dynamics: 

"Early on, junior researchers didn’t feel comfortable challenging senior colleagues. Through structured facilitation, we introduced anonymous idea-sharing, rotating discussion leads, and explicit rules about constructive critique. The result? A research process that truly valued everyone’s expertise." 

4. Research challenges → How to overcome them

Based on qualitative data from 64 participants in the Thrive project, several key challenges in research facilitation were identified. Below are quotes illustrating each challenge, along with the roles of the individuals who shared them. 

1. Dominant voices in multidisciplinary teams

✅ Evidenced by: Governance Structures: Inclusivity (95 mentions) 

"It’s about creativity, challenge, and feeling empowered to have a voice. However, there are still too many dominant voices, making it difficult for those who prefer a collective approach. This can be intimidating and hinder true diversity." 
— Senior Academic (Social Sciences) 

Multidisciplinary teams often struggle with imbalanced participation, where dominant voices steer discussions while others remain unheard. Thrive participants highlighted governance structures as a key challenge to inclusivity in discussions. 

Solution: Establish discussion norms that emphasise balanced participation (e.g., structured turn-taking, facilitated speaking order, anonymous contributions) to ensure all perspectives contribute to decision-making. 

2. Lack of engagement from Early-Career Researchers

✅ Evidenced by: Leadership Qualities: Collaboration (86 mentions) 

"Facilitation often requires extracting information from junior researchers who may be hesitant. Ensuring their timely engagement and showing that their input shapes decisions is key." (Research Development Manager) 

Some early-career researchers hesitate to contribute to discussions dominated by senior figures. Thrive participants highlighted leadership approaches that either enabled or discouraged collaboration, affecting the extent to which early-career researchers engaged. 

Solution: Create a culture of inquiry by explicitly inviting early-career researchers to contribute, fostering peer-led facilitation, and demonstrating how their insights directly shape decisions. 

3. Tensions in interdisciplinary research

✅ Evidenced by: Reflexive Triggers: Team Dynamics (87 mentions) 

"In a flatter structure, challenges are viewed from diverse perspectives. This is essential in interdisciplinary teams, though it requires active management to harness differing viewpoints productively." (Interdisciplinary Researcher) 

Interdisciplinary research teams face tensions when integrating different methodologies, assumptions, and disciplinary perspectives. Thrive participants frequently cited team dynamics and reflexivity as challenges that needed to be actively managed. 

Solution: Frame disagreements as opportunities for learning. Facilitate structured debates that encourage respectful challenge and consensus-building, ensuring conflicts refine research rather than hinder it. 

4. Time constraints in research meetings

✅ Evidenced by: Impact of Policies: Institutional Policies (107 mentions) 

"Having structured support to set deadlines and coordinate discussions alleviates time pressures. This allows teams to focus on problem-solving rather than administrative tasks." 
— Principal Investigator (PI) 

Institutional constraints and bureaucratic structures often lead to inefficient meetings that derail research discussions. Thrive participants highlighted institutional policies as a barrier to effective time management in research meetings. 

Solution: Prioritise key discussion points, circulate preparatory materials in advance, and use time-boxing techniques to ensure conversations remain focused and productive. 

5. Over-reliance on facilitators

✅ Evidenced by: Stakeholder Influence: External Stakeholders (133 mentions) 

"Facilitators play a crucial role, but over-reliance can create bottlenecks. Developing facilitation skills across the team ensures resilience and shared ownership of the research process." 
(Research Development Manager) 

Facilitation is often concentrated in the hands of a few individuals, which can create dependency and limit broader team ownership of research processes. Participants in the Thrive project noted that external stakeholder influence sometimes reinforced this dynamic by expecting a single leader to manage discussions rather than fostering shared facilitation. 

Solution: Rotate facilitation roles among team members to develop facilitation skills across the team and distribute leadership, ensuring resilience beyond the presence of a single facilitator. 

Ways to practice facilitation 

• Facilitate small group discussions – Volunteer to guide a team meeting or working group discussion. Use structured techniques like dialogue mapping or round-robin contributions. 

• Experiment with different methods – Try using whiteboards for idea clustering or post-it notes brainstorming. Test different questioning techniques, such as open-ended prompts: “What perspectives or possibilities have we not explored yet?" or "What else?" questions. 

• Role-playing and simulations – Run practice sessions with colleagues where you take turns being the facilitator. Simulate difficult facilitation scenarios and practice handling them. 

• Seek feedback and iterate – Ask for feedback after facilitating a session —what worked? What could improve? Keep a journal of facilitation experiences to track progress. 

Conclusion: facilitation as a research superpower 

Facilitation isn’t just about running smooth meetings; it’s a way of leading that strengthens research itself. As noted earlier, when done well, it enhances intellectual rigour, fosters deeper collaboration, and creates a culture where research teams produce their best work. 

As research becomes increasingly interdisciplinary and complex, facilitation will be one of the most important leadership skills collaborators can develop. By embedding facilitation into research culture, teams can ensure their work is not just innovative, but also inclusive, efficient, and impactful. 

All the insights and feedback were gained from qualitative interviews carried out by Alys Kay in Summer 2024. During the interviews, Alys created an open, honest and transparent environment. To protect the anonymity of participants, no names have been attributed to quotes. These voices provide a rich understanding of the lived experiences and perspectives that shape team-led research practices and are invaluable to the success of the Thrive project.  

The next article in the 'How-to' series – Co-ordination: the leadership of progress, will be out in March 2025.