Future Search

Tue Jun 13 05:27:45 PDT 2006

Erich, good point, about situations where people aren't ready for OS  
because certain conditions don't yet exist. Other participatory  
methods may loosen the "old" structures, leading to a point where the  
conditions do exist.

We used Future Search in 1997, and it was a major innovation that we  
had a 3-day conference with (shock) NO SPEAKERS!!! No lectures, no  
books to read.... just the 64 people talking to each other from Wed.  
evening, through Th all day, and for most of Friday. It was  
revolutionary at that point, in our little region here, with a mix of  
leaders from schools, healthcare organizations, governments, agency  
leaders, senior citizen organizations, youth organizations, etc.,  
looking at the broad topic of what all wanted to do for the well- 
being of the people of our region. And action groups did form (across  
traditional boundaries), and projects coming from them continued for  
the past 9 years, with over $3 million of grant funds brought in for  
collaborative projects.... and we've since used AI and World Cafe  
style meetings, and I think we are past due for introducing OS! (One  
of our Coalition Executive Board members uses and leads OS in his  
organization (U. Maine Extension), so we do have a resource person at  
hand.)

All to say -- different tools seem appropriate for different  
situations and different developmental stages.

Diane

Diane Brandon, Coordinator
KEYS Coalition (Community Wellness Coalition)
Landmark Hill, 518 Rte One, Kittery, ME 03904
207-438-9100
Fax: 207-439-8764
diane at keysregion.org
www.keysregion.org

On Jun 13, 2006, at 6:00 AM, Erich Kolenaty wrote:

> Dear Tree and Agneta,
>
> whatever you may have experienced and whatever you might think  
> about other ways of bringing change into life except open hearts  
> and open space - there is one little thing I want to remind to  
> you:  Open Space always works, if you can fulfill some conditions -  
> we discussed this many times.
>
> Unfortunately sometimes you find yourself in a place where you  
> CANNOT fulfill these conditions for specific reasons and you know,  
> that open space WILL NOT work properly. So you have to look for  
> other options and future search sometimes is one of them.
>
> Paul Watzlawick once wrote a very nice aphorism: "I you only have  
> got a hammer, every problem appears to be a nail"
>
> Erich from sunny and lovely Vienna
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: Tree Fitzpatrick
> To: OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU
> Sent: Tuesday, June 13, 2006 2:21 AM
> Subject: Re: [OSLIST] Future Search
>
> Thank you, Agneta, for writing what you did.  This is how I feel  
> about most large-scale change methodologies:  they try to make me  
> think about what they think I should think about, they try to start  
> and stop conversations, when I should talk, with whom I should  
> talk.  There can be lovely exchanges but, fundamentally, somewhere,  
> in any tool but OST, there is someone, somewhere, deciding what  
> people should think, do, say, and, even want.  Pish posh.
>
> The only change tool I have ever come across that truly welcomes  
> the emergent, the evolutionary, is open space.  Well, I take that  
> back:  an open heart is an excellent change methodology, also.
>
> Thanks, Agneta.
>
> On 6/12/06, Agneta Setterwall <agneta.setterwall at telia.com> wrote:
> Hello!
> Some years ago I attended a couple of future search conferences,  
> and also a training in the method. I don´t know if I was perhaps  
> not the right person, but I got angry and frustrated many times,  
> not to say worse words. They tried to make me think about what the  
> facilitator told me to think of, and they tried to make me stop  
> think when the time was out, they tried to make us start  
> conversations, and to stop conversations, they decided which group  
> we should talk in, and they sliced the gruops and put us in new  
> constellations not when we wanted but when their method so  
> required. We then had to agree on what was left or at least keep  
> our mouths shut. That was the "common ground".
>
> Still, it was much of the time nice, interesting and a creative  
> clima - I  thought that it was an interesting method, giving much  
> more room for participants than many other. But after that I met  
> Open Space...and I understood that I will never never recommend  
> Future Search to anybody, if Open Space is an option.
> This is my opinion. Perhaps I am wrong.
> Agneta,
> in a too hot Uppsala, Sweden
>
> Vliex, Carla (cvl) wrote:
>> Hi Lenore
>>
>> We are doing with soem people in the netherlands a research and an  
>> article on Future Search and one on Open Space. There are many  
>> differences but to keep it simple.  If you want to know waht  
>> people really think, want, wish, go for use Open Space but hen  
>> your never know with what tey will come....  (it is often a  
>> concern of sponsors). Future Search is, I think a more structured  
>> process, you go form one predefine step to another. It will bring  
>> the participants sure to a common ground on what they want. As for  
>> Open Space you also get the diversity, the differences ans the  
>> disputes..... I think a three day Open space is more fun and gives  
>> a more complete picture.
>> my two cents
>>
>> Carla
>>
>>
>> Met vriendelijke groet,
>>
>> drs. Carla Vliex
>> Adviseur Organisatie Ontwikkeling
>> ------------------------------------------------------------------
>> Twynstra Gudde Adviseurs en Managers
>> Stationsplein 1, 3818 LE Amersfoort
>> Postbus 907, 3800 AX Amersfoort
>> 033-4677761
>> 06 53927407
>> Internet www.twynstragudde.nl
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> From: OSLIST [mailto:OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU] On Behalf Of  
>> Lenore Mewton
>> Sent: zaterdag 10 juni 2006 14:26
>> To: OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU
>> Subject: Future Search
>>
>> Hello All;
>>
>> I have an OS related question- I've only recently come across the  
>> Future Search process and training. While it has several  
>> components similar to OS and World Cafe- and perhaps other  
>> participative processes- I'm wondering if any uses this process-  
>> and if so, does it dovetail with OS? Do you use it differentially  
>> - in specific situations? One major difference that I see,  
>> initially, is the length of time for these workshops, 2-3 days.
>>
>> Thanks, in advance, for any thoughts/info. on this!
>>
>> Best Regards,
>>
>> Lenore
>> _______________________________________________
>> Lenore Mewton- Organizational Consultant
>> Executive, Leadership and Career Management Coaching
>> (ph) 781-639-2659
>> lenore at lenoremewton.com
>> _______________________________________________
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> -- 
> Warmly,
> Tree Fitzpatrick
> Hearthkeeper * *  
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