OS and strategic planning

[Ralph Copleman]

Open Space does not work for strategic planning because almost nothing does.
Strategic planning, in my long experience, rarely works.

But that's a whole other story.

What's important is that Open Space works GREAT if a system wants to engage
in re-shaping its future or choosing a new one altogether.

What Peggy Holman's story about the Washington State (US) Arts Council says
to me is that people came together all across the state in 20 meetings to
choose how they wanted to be together around an important issue.  They did
not do a strategic plan.

What they did NOT specifically do was identify perceived threats and/or
opportunities in the current landscape and REACT with tactics for the FUTURE
with regard to what was going on in the PRESENT.  The latter has never been,
for me, an effective practice.

When my clients ask me to help with their strategic planning, I bite my
tongue (most of the time) to keep from saying what they want to do is silly
and wasteful, and then I ask them:

1.  Do you want an agenda everyone will agree to?
2.  Do you want action steps to help you move toward those agreements?
3.  Do you want everybody (who cares) going forward together in support of
these two items?

When the answers are "yes" to all three, and they usually are, then we can
open some space (for 2 - 2.5 days).  Of course, if they want to call what
they do a "strategic plan", that's up to them.  I wouldn't object.

I keep my focus on outcomes.

Ralph Copleman

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