What is facilitation? Why is it important?

Facilitation is the set of activities carried out before,during and after meetings to help a group achieve its own outcomes.There is a need for team facilitation because team members' varying beliefs,experiences,education,personalities and work styles can hinder a team's ability to get work done.Also,even with the most talented and motivated individuals,teams with contrasting viewpoints-and organizational pressure to meet deadlines-can find it impossible to find common ground or even agree upon the rules of engagement.