Kenoli: In response to your first question re implementation of FS event. I always advise clients (sponsors) in my initial introduction of the process, that they will set their organization back about a decade if they go forward with the conference and do not empower stakeholder action teams. In fact, I have now tied a two-day training session as part of the FS event to train management and volunteer action teams how to successfully achieve their goals of each action item. I also keep in tough with the sponsors about their progress.
After all, the whole issue, to me, is that we are dealing with potential, which is quite intangible, and we must help the sponsors and stakeholders "muddle" through. If I don't get the kind of commitment for such follow-up, I recommend something of a more traditional nature until I can help the organization get up to speed on being open. ----- Original Message ----- From: "kenoli Oleari" <ken...@igc.org> To: <osl...@listserv.boisestate.edu> Sent: Sunday, August 26, 2001 2:45 PM Subject: Re: Central Asia > Jo and Kerry -- > > I just returned from Indonesia where two others and I trained 40 > Indonesian facilitators in Future Search methodology with the > intention of leaving them with the skill to carry on the work in 41 > districts in Indonesia. This work was done on behalf of UNICEF. > > Two of the questions that came up for us: > > 1. We got similar results as you, Jo, as far as commitment to > action. We are wondering how to best support this without a > continued relationship to the sponsor and, in particular, without > assurances that (in our case) UNICEF will overcome its tendency for > top down decisionmaking and ignore or abandon the action teams. Do > you have any agreements with the Red Cross? Did you present the > participants with any "givens" as far as expectations about continued > support. I know that there has been much discussion in the OS > community about whether or not to put forth a list of "givens" > (limitations on the influence of the group that can be realistically > expected) to the participants so they will not have illusions about > where their efforts stand. We were concerned, because FS (as OS) is > a model with the intent of empowering the participants to > self-initiated action. The relationship to the sponsor is critical > in that if the participants are abandoned or ignored, it can be a > very disillusioning and disempowering experience (of which most > people have already had too many). On another listserv, someone > mentioned that he thought these kind of self-empowering methodologies > should not be used in communities unless it is clear that the people > there have the resources and support to really accomplish the goals > they set out to accomplish. It's important not to disempower people > by assuming they won't be able to "muddle through" (as Harrison puts > it) but it is also important not to set people up with unrealistic > expectations. > > 2. How will you handle followup from a distance? Will you stay in > touch with these trainees? How? We know, for instance, that our > facilitators will have to work with groups that don't all speak the > same language or don't read or write any language. In these cases > they will have to adapt the process to meet these needs. The > advantage you have with Open space, is that it is a simpler > methodology to facilitate than Future Search and wouldn't need as > much adaptation in the cases I mentioned. Even so, there are certain > fundamental principles that need to stay intact for it to be most > effective. Like the issue of givens, for instance. > > It is fascinating to see these process models move into different > social and cultural contexts. > > Kenoli > > > > >Dear Jo Toepfer > > > >You may have a first there but check with Elwin just to be sure. I > >am opening space in Yerevan, Armenia on 25 and 26 September, > >hopefully leaving 10 people with enough training to be > >self-sustaining. > > > >Keep up the pioneering work! > > > >Best regards > > > >Kerry Napuk > >Open Futures > >Edinburgh > >Scotland > > > >www.openfutures.com > > > >* > >* > >========================================================== > >osl...@listserv.boisestate.edu > >------------------------------ > >To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options, > >view the archives of osl...@listserv.boisestate.edu, > >Visit: > > > >http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html > > -- > Kenoli Oleari, Horizons of Change, http://www.horizonsofchange.com > 1801 Fairview Street, Berkeley, CA 94703 Voice Phone: 510-601-8217, > Fax: 510-595-8369, Email: ken...@igc.org (or click on: mailto://ken...@igc.org) > > * > * > ========================================================== > osl...@listserv.boisestate.edu > ------------------------------ > To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options, > view the archives of osl...@listserv.boisestate.edu, > Visit: > > http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html * * ========================================================== osl...@listserv.boisestate.edu ------------------------------ To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options, view the archives of osl...@listserv.boisestate.edu, Visit: http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html
