Search Conference (Collaborating for Change) Book

Summary This booklet gives an overview of the Search Conference, a change strategy which uses open systems principles in strategic planning, thereby creating a well-articulated, achievable future with identifiable goals, a timetable, and action plans for realizing that future. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Description A Search Conference is a participative process in which a group of people develops a set of strategic goals and tactical action plans that it will later implement. Any group of people--a corporation, a government agency, a community or an industry--might use a Search if it needs to create a plan for the development of its system. Searches may also be conducted around issues of national or regional importance. SCs work best with groups of 20-35 people. The duration is two nights. Each Search is custom designed for the realities of each individual system. For large, complex systems, the choice is between a Multisearch (Searches running in parallel at the same time and place with new groupings for action planning) and a series of Searches with an integration event at the end. This booklet outlines the distinctive aspects of the Search Conference, details roles and responsibilities, includes a story illustrating how the Search Conference has been used, and answers frequently asked questions about how to put it into practice. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Synopsis The Collaborating for Change series offers concise, comprehensive overviews of 14 leading change strategies in a convenient, inexpensive format. Adapted from chapters in The Change Handbook, each approximately 48-page booklet is written by the originator of the change strategy or an expert practitioner, and includes * An example of the strategy in action * Tips for getting started * An outline of roles, responsibilities, and relationships * Conditions for success * Keys to sustaining results * Thought-provoking questions for discussion If you're deciding on a change strategy for your organization and you need a short, focused treatment of several alternatives to distribute to your colleagues... Or if you've decided on a change strategy and want to disseminate information about it to get everyone on board, the Collaborating for Change booklets are the ideal choice. Other titles in the Collaborating for Change series: * Appreciative Inquiry * The Conference Model * Future Search * Gemba Kaizen * Open Space Technology * The Organization Workshop * Participative Design Workshop * Preferred Futuring * Real Time Strategic Change * The Search Conference * The Strategic Forum * The Think Like a Genius Process * Whole-Scale Change * Whole Systems ApproachRead More