Strategic Planning in Open Space

[kerry napuk]

Dear Jay, Andrew, David et al

Having followed the dialogue on strategic planning, there are two
significant reasons for using large group processes, especially OST:

1. You get input from the whole system which otherwise would not enter the
planning process.

2. You get ownership from real time participation, otherwise whoever does
the planning has to sell the plan to everyone else which is damn difficult.

OST is excellent for generating input to a planning team and can be used at
the back end to set and implement priorities.  It's still best, however, if
everyone does the whole thing together and transparently.

I created a planning model in a book published by McGraw-Hill.  Using the
model, I also facilitated planning exercises with scores of senior teams in
organisations from all sectors throughout the UK.   The one limiting factor
always was getting the rest of the people to own a plan in which they were
not involved.  Now all I do is real time planning events with 20 to 165
people that have strategic outputs.

Cheers

Kerry Napuk
Open Futures Ltd.
Edinburgh
Scotland