"A future search," write Weisbord and future search
co-developer Sandra Janoff, "is a large group planning meeting
that brings a 'whole system' into the room to work on a task-focused
agenda.... In a future search, people have a chance to take ownership
of their past, present, and future, confirm their mutual values,
and commit to action plans grounded in reality."
By "whole system" Weisbord and Janoff mean 30-64 diverse
stakeholders -- a cross-section of people concerned with the activities
of the organization or community undertaking the search. About
one-third of them come from outside the system. For example, if
a local community is doing the future search, then the outsiders
might include officials and citizens from nearby cities, state
and county officials, representatives of national organizations
or businesses involved in the community -- key people who don't
normally work together.
Once the diverse stakeholders are gathered together, they begin
exploring their shared past: What are the patterns of the last
several decades? What are the stories? What does it all mean?
Diverse participants often come up with clashing perspectives.
In future search, differences like this are simply understood
and acknowledged, not "worked through." Like a meditator
who brings her wandering attention back to her rhythmic breathing,
future search participants continually return their attention
to their common ground -- in this case, the shared milestones
in their history.
Moving to the present, participants explore the trends -- including
global forces -- at work in their lives. Together they create
a detailed "mind map" of these trends on a giant sheet
of paper. They discuss concerns, prioritize the trends they've
identified and explore common ways of viewing the "mess"
they've charted together. They tell each other what they're proud
of and what they're sorry about. Often their perspective on themselves
and each other shift dramatically during these exercises.
Diverse stakeholders then gather in subgroups to imagine themselves
5, 10 and 20 years in the future. They generate concrete images
and examples of what's going on in their chosen future, and the
barriers they imagine they've had to overcome to get there. After
coming together to share this information, participants develop
lists of common futures (what they agree they want), potential
projects (how to get there) and unresolved differences. After
some reflection and second thoughts, each participant figures
out what they personally want to work on. They get together with
others of similar passion to plan action. Follow-up has suggested
that people in such groups tend to continue working together.
Simply by changing the conditions under which people interact,
future search procedures enable participants to bridge barriers
of culture, class, age, gender, ethnicity, power, status and hierarchy
to work together as peers on tasks of mutual concern. Unlike many
community organizers and organizational consultants, future search
facilitators offer no diagnosis of problems, no prescriptions
for fixing things, no preconceived issues, frames of reference
or action ideologies. They "don't judge information as good
or bad, complete or sketchy, useful or futile, appropriate or
redundant. Whatever people do or say -- their words, their behavior,
their wishes, and their reactions -- belongs to them," write
Janoff and Weisbord. Not knowing what issues and obstacles will
arise, facilitators simply set a workable process in motion and
let the system come up with its own information, meanings and
motivation. In short, they help participants self-organize.
You can read about an example in "Future
Search in Kansas City."
See also
Moving Beyond Power Plays to Collaboration by Kenoli Oleari
Marvin Weisbord and Sandra Janoff, Future Search: An
Action Guide to Finding Common Ground in Organizations and Communities
(Berrett-Koehler, 1995)
Marvin Weisbord & 35 International Coauthors, Discovering
Common Ground: How Future Search Conferences Bring People Together
to Achieve Breakthrough Innovation, Empowerment, Shared Vision
and Collaborative Action (Berrett-Koehler, 1993)
Tapes
Marvin Weisbord has been documenting future searches on videotapes
which are available through Blue Sky Productions, 5918 Pulaski
Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19144.
Network
Marv has also set up SearchNet, a network of consultants learning
to run "future search" conferences by donating their
services to non-profits in their own communities. Network members
work on issues such as the environment, homelessness, AIDS, education
and housing. Contact Workplace Revolution, (215) 951-0300. http://www.futuresearch.net/