Future Search

Definition: Future Search is a 3-day planning meeting that enables people from diverse backgrounds to cooperate in complex, uncertain, and/or crisis situations. The method typically involves groups of 40 to 80 people in one room and as many as 300 in parallel conferences.
There are 4 outputs from such a meeting--shared values, a plan for the future, concrete goals, and an implementation strategy.
The name FS was coined by Marvin Weisbord and Sandra Janoff.
FS is used to help people collaborate despite differences of culture, class, gender, age, race, ethnicity, language, and education.

More on future search. More on organizational development: 14 Principles of Management, 7S Framework, Action Learning, Action Research, Ambidextrous Organization, more...