CHALLENGES TO THE WHOLE ORGANISATION      

Unprecedented change and complexity are making organisations look at involving their people in framing the future.

Often, there is a need for the whole organisation to deal with one or more of the following issues:

• Change affecting the whole organisation.
• Complex and difficult system problems.
• Pressure to be creative and innovate.
• Strategic thinking and implementation.
• Facing a new future, achieve clarity and unity over direction.
• Adjusting corporate culture to new realities.
• Involve key outsiders such as customers, suppliers, funders and other interested parties.

How many annual reports repeat the incantation: "our most important asset is our people." How often is this a meaningless catch-phrase? Worse still, how many managers miss the opportunity to make this a reality by tapping into the collective knowledge, skills and energies of all their people?

Does management really appreciate how frustrated people can become when unable to contribute to the future of their organisation? What organisation can afford to lose the vital contribution of people at the coal face who deal with stakeholders every day?

People want to be involved and they have a lot to give, but many are alienated because there is no way to contribute. Do you have mechanisms to allow your people to really and truly contribute to the future of their organisation? Or, do you still believe in command and control with the captain broadcasting from the bridge to deaf people below?

ARE YOU AN ORGANISATION IN TRANSITION?      

Does your management often ask the following fundamental questions :

• Have you really developed the whole organisation's potential?
• Are people creative and innovative?
• Do people really like working there?
• Is everyone really committed?
• Are you getting the most from your organisation?
• Do people really feel they belong in the organisation?

People in many organisation, at the top and bottom, are frustrated because they are unable to involve large numbers in the future. Often managers and employees are victims of their own organisational structure, limited to contact within formalised cells called teams or chimneys called functions. Even when things are going well, problems might be bubbling below the surface and troubles can appear quickly from unexpected places inside and outside an organisation.

Many organisations are just plain stuck. Some are in crisis because problems have accumulated and change programmes have failed to deliver expected results. People are wary of more change, suffering from change fatigue and fearful that change really is a code word for something nasty. Others are good at planning but fall down on implementation and are looking for new ways to be more effective.

This entropy often stems directly from the inability of organisations to engage the hearts and minds of their people, who can become alienated, isolated or consumed by internal politics. Loyalty waivers and commitment erodes. The best people start leaving and it becomes more difficult to attract good ones. A negative downward spiral begins and an organisation may start to decline.

HOW CAN YOUR ORGANISATION ACCESS SYSTEM KNOWLEDGE?      

Many managers are unable to tap into the knowledge inside their own organisations, because they have no techniques to deal with large numbers of people in an interactive format.

Of all change impacting organisations, arguably the single most critical factor for the future is knowledge. It is said that the future will belong to learning organisations and ones driven by knowledge. But, where is that knowledge? More importantly, how does management access it?

These models have been used widely in America and 80 other countries. Ironically, half of them were derived from work done in the United Kingdom following WWII. These techniques have been validated over the last 40 years by all sorts of organisations and are called Large Group Processes or Interventions.

LARGE GROUP PROCESSES

WHAT ARE LARGE GROUP PROCESSES?      

Large Group Processes (LGPs) are proven techniques to involve from 20 to 500 or more people in dealing with a range of future challenges including strategy, project development, implementation, positive change, culture, innovation and countless other issues.

While we work with five different techniques, they all share common features and benefits. The most important factor uniting LGPs is total involvement of all participants on an equal basis. This participation leads to commitment and commitment leads to ownership. We can see this dynamic at work in the following diagram:

LARGE GROUP PROCESS MODEL

LGPs share the following common features:

• Total involvement on an equal basis
• Participants are the real experts.
• Dynamic, high energy, fun and passionate.
• Self motivated and self selected groups in which every voice counts.
• Focused, co-creative and productive.
• High commitment and follow through.
• Flexible, responsive and customised to each organisation.

LGPs are proven management tools to make things happen by involving all your people. A virtuous, sustainable circle can be created when participation leads to commitment and ownership, enabling positive change in attitudes and behaviour. You can use LGPs to improve cross functional working, involve different players like external stakeholders, implement strategic plans, focus on specific and urgent issues, change culture, develop new products and services and merge organisations

WHAT ARE PROCESS APPLICATIONS?      

LGPS have several different applications varying slightly by sector but mostly by language and labels. These applications by sector are as follow:

WHAT ARE PROCESS BENEFITS?      

While applications may vary slightly between sectors, the following major benefits are universal:

1. Whole system approach to complexity, conflict and change.
2. Access the collective knowledge of people close to customers and suppliers.
3. Ownership through participation and co-creation leads to sustainable implementation.
4. Create new networks and promote more innovation.
5. Higher productivity based on voluntary co-operation, not compliance.

WHAT ABOUT VALUES?      

As facilitators, we believe firmly in the following core values:

1. People are extraordinary sources of valuable information about the real world and their knowledge can be collectively and meaningfully organised.
2. People can help create their own future.
3. People want to engage their hearts as well as their heads and hands.
4. People want to contribute towards the future of their organisation, if the right environment is created.
5. All participants have equal status.
6. People would rather co-operate than conflict and it is our task is to structure opportunities for co-operatation.

CAN PROCESSES BE USED IN ANOTHER LANGUAGE?      

Another feature of LGPs is the ability to facilitate with a minimum of English. For example, Open Space requires only 25 minutes in introduction and guidance during a full day event. Accordingly, events can be conducted in the language of your choice without any loss of benefits or impact on outcomes.

WHAT'S IN OUR WEBSITE?      

If you want to explore Large Group Processes and look at mechanics, applications and benefits, please refer to the processes section of the web site. There are other sections on who we are (biographies), who we work with (chronological events database with customers/clients and customer feedback and media coverage). Finally, don't forget to register for our electronic newsletters, the most recent edition is posted.

Welcome to the innovative world of Large Group Processes

• OPEN SPACE TECHNOLOGY
  Involve from 20 to 500 people on issues, opportunities, actions and priorities with clear, definite outcomes over one half to three days, a very flexible technique with numerous applications.
  
  
• FUTURE SEARCH
  Involve from 16 to 96 people with diverse and conflicting views (whole system in one room) to find a shared vision for the future and decide how to make it happen over two and half days.
  
  
• VISION SEARCH *
  Involve up to 112 people to create a compelling vision for the future during a one day event.
  
  
• STRATEGY SEARCH *
  Take up to 96 people through a real time strategic planning exercise, reviewing the past, looking at the present and creating a new future over an evening or full day event.
  
  
• THE PERTH PROCESS *
  Creating a rapid response marketplace for up to 120 people to feedback on governmental policies, legislation and regulations in a three hour event.
  
  
• APPRECIATIVE INQUIRY (A.I.) *
  For groups of 20 up to 100s, half a day or more working in p airs and small groups on positively-framed questions. Developing a vision of the future based on what already exists and can be built upon.
  
  
• WORLD CAFE *
  For groups of 12 up to several hundred, capturing significant conversations from initial compelling questions, based in hospitable environments, hence the term café. Over any period of half a day upwards, collecting diverse perspectives and sharing collective discussions.

 

* © Copyright Open Futures Ltd.

 

Remember that all the above processes can be facilitated in your language of choice.

If you want further information about Open Futures Ltd., please contact Eddie through one of the following channels: