Calling the Circle

[Susan Travers]

Don,

I appreciate the question about open space and traditional strategic planning
goals, and Birgitt's suggestion for a workable theme.  I do some work with
state agencies that are now mandated to do strategic planning in order to
secure annual budget allocations.  Since bureaucratic guidelines have very
little "give" when it comes to meeting mandates, what happens when an
organization chooses to use open space as the planning methodology, and the
outcomes don't quite fit the required response format?  The risk of not
getting exactly what the guidelines stipulate may cause sufficient anxiety
that an organization will choose to hold a less productive, but more
acceptable, process.

Anyone had this experience?  Any creative approaches to suggest to clients, in
terms of quelling this kind of anxiety?

Thanks,
Susan Travers