Processes for Strategy Development

Click here to read the article by Geof Cox "Planning is Dead - Long Live Strategy"

New Directions uses innovative, large group participation processes to ensure rapid and dynamic development and implementation that overcomes much of the resistance experienced with traditional methodologies. These processes include Appreciative Inquiry. Open Space Technology and Future Search Conferences.

A large group intervention is a participative conference, event or meeting where a large number of participants comprising a diverse cross-section of an organisation's stakeholders, come together to work on real organisational issues of strategic importance. They facilitate the organisation's response to the ever-changing environment in which they operate.

Large group interventions enable hundreds, even thousands, of people to gather together for the purpose of planning strategic change and exploring its implications. Having the `whole system' in the room creates a broader information base and improves cross-functional working.

Large Group Intervention methods have some major advantages over conventional meetings and conferences

• Ability to accommodate very large numbers in a participative process, allowing everyone in the organisation and key external stakeholders (customers, suppliers, collaborators, partners, community) to be covered by one, or a small number of events
• Short lead times
• Very fast results
• Participation by stakeholder groups facilitating whole systems change
• Maximum involvement, high motivation
• Creative forces are unleashed
• Events designed by a team that is a microcosm of the whole, so change begins even before the event
• High degree of self management
• Identification of common ground and alignment with a shared vision
• Participants take ownership of their problems and find their own ways forward
• Commitment to implementation
• A database of strategic information is built
• Power issues are reduced to a minimum
• The event sends a strong message to the organisation that things are really changing

Key Benefits of developing strategy with New Directions

We work in partnership with you and focus on your goals

We design and implement the right set of processes for your organisation and timescale

We have network links with people and organisations to provide professionally staged events

We are not confined to one methodology or process

Capabilities

Some example case studies will give you some idea of our capabilities and successes in group facilitation and strategic change. (see also our pages on Organisation Change and Strategy)

• First European Summit on Wholehearted Customer Management
• Facilitating a series of strategic dialogue events
• Developing a vision for a regional sales team
• Facilitating organisation change in a professional institute
• Processes for the Millennium Open Space events
• Researching criteria and facilitating agreement on contracts of service
• Organisation development in a Scottish local authority
• Developing a strategic plan for a division of a government agency
• Developing a strategic plan for criminal justice services in Dundee City

More information on Large Group Interventions

Click on the approach to find out more about its origins, process and application

Appreciative Inquiry

 

Open Space

 

Future Search

 

Last modified: June 23, 2007