What is Future Search?Future search brings people from all walks of life into the same conversation - those with resources, expertise, formal authority and need. They meet for 16 hours spread across three days. People tell stories about their past, present and desired future. Through dialogue they discover their common ground. Only then do they make concrete action plans.The meeting design comes from theories and principles tested in many cultures for the past 50 years. It relies on mutual learning among stakeholders as a catalyst for voluntary action and follow-up. People devise new forms of cooperation that continue for months or years.Future SearchFS ID-a117e403-ad64-4502-aa99-dc9072b97ed6Future search is a PLANNING MEETING that helps people transform their capability for action very quickly. The meeting is task-focused. It brings together 60 to 80 people in one room or hundreds in parallel rooms.Sandra JanoffCo-Director -- Email sjanoff@futuresearch.netMarvin WeisbordCo-Director -- Email mweisbord@futuresearch.netJennifer NeumerProgram Manager -- Email fsn@futuresearch.netRonald LippittFuture Search derives from well-researched theories on the conditions under which diverse groups will cooperate (Weisbord, et al 1992). Our main sources of inspiration are two. One is Ronald Lippitt's and Eva Schindler-Rainman's large-scale community futures conferences in 88 cities, states, counties in North America. During the 1970's they assembled as many as 300 people at a time, a vertical slice of an entire community. In a day or two people would commit to many new projects considered unthinkable a few days before (Schindler-Rainman & Lippitt, 1980).Eva Schindler-RainmanEric TristA second major source is the work of social scientists Eric Trist, an Englishman, and Fred Emery, an Australian. In 1960 Emery and Trist made a major breakthrough in meeting design working with the merger of two aircraft engine companies in England. They sought to apply the research of the late social psychologist Solomon Asch (1952), whose studies pointed to a set of conditions for effective dialogue. People would accept each other's reality, said Asch, if they could all talk about the same world and experience that all had the same psychological needs, for food, shelter, security, and meaning. They could then begin to treat "my facts" and "your facts" as "our facts", opening the door to effective planning.Fred EmeryKurt LewinFrom Lippitt and Schindler-Rainman we learned to get the whole system in the room and focus on the future, not problems and conflicts. From Trist and Emery we learned the importance of getting everybody to talk about the same world and having people manage their own planning (Weisbord, et al, 1992). The name "future search" honors both sets of ancestors. We also share with all of them a commitment to democratic ideals and their embodiment in the action research tradition of the famed social psychologist Kurt Lewin (G.W. Lewin, ed. 1948). Future Search NetworkFuture searches affect every part of society - social, economic and technical. Future Search Network is an active participant in the following sectors ... * Business -- Banking, Manufacturing and Technology... * Communities -- Including Housing, Employment, Transportation * Congregations -- Religious Communities * General Education -- Private, Public, Elementary and Secondary Schools * Higher Education -- Colleges, Universities and Technical Institutes * Environment -- Agriculture, Conservation and Land Use * Government -- County, State and Federal Agencies * Healthcare -- Hospitals, HMO's, Nursing and Mental Health * Human Services -- Aging, Child Care, Cultural Institutions, Domestic Violence, Family Planning, Museums, Welfare Reform, Youth InterAmerican Development BankKahuku HospitalOahu, HawaiiFuture Search SponsorsHundreds of organizations, institutions and communities have sponsored future searches. This list provides their names and locations: http://www.futuresearch.net/method/applications/sponsors.cfmTo help people transform their capability for action very quickly ID-1f0ec153-081b-45ef-b821-8c9bf6bed869Whole SystemsGet the "whole system" in the room. Invite a significant cross-section of all parties with a stake in the outcome.Whole ElephantsExplore the "whole elephant" before seeking to fix any part. Get everyone talking about the same world. Global ThoughtThink globally, act locally.Local ActionCommon GroundPut common ground and future focus front and center while treating problems and conflicts as information, not action items. Future FocusConflicts as InformationSelf-ManagementEncourage self-management and responsibility for action by participants before, during, and after the future search.Responsibility for ActionFull AttendanceAnd Conditions for Success... Urge full attendance - Keep part-time participants to a minimum. Meet under healthy conditions - This means airy rooms with windows, healthy snacks and meals, adequate breaks. Work across three days (sleep twice) - People need "soak time" to take in everything that happens. Ask for voluntary public commitments to specific next steps before people leave. Healthy ConditionsThis means airy rooms with windows, healthy snacks and meals, adequate breaks.Soak TimePeople need "soak time" to take in everything that happens.Public CommitmentsAsk for voluntary public commitments to specific next steps before people leave.Key EventsMake time lines of key events ID-ca522bfa-52d6-4347-8f16-98495407803fDay 1, Afternoon, 1st SessionFocus on the Past -- People make time lines of key events in the world, their own lives, and in the history of the future search topic. Small groups tell stories about each time line and the implications of their stories for the work they have come to do.TrendsMake a "mind map" of trends ID-3ba12a73-301a-4b83-9bd6-e7fc16444c52Day 1, Afternoon, 2nd SessionFocus on Present, External Trends -- The whole group makes a "mind map" of trends affecting them now and identifies those trends most important for their topic.ActionsDescribe what is being doing now and what should be done in the future ID-dfb43cbf-b909-460c-a4fe-a68584187813Day 2, Morning, 1st SessionFocus on Present, External Trends -- Stakeholder groups describe what they are doing now about key trends and what they want to do in the future.Pride & SorrowReport sources of pride and sorrow ID-25877f77-d97e-4fce-a7e6-06d2a55e302bDay 2, Morning, 2nd SessionFocus on Present -- Stakeholder groups report what they are proud of and sorry about in the way they are dealing with the future search topic.Future ScenariosDescribe the preferred future ID-968e3c0d-ab4f-4562-8521-c7d3de7a3885Day 2, Afternoon, 1st Session Ideal Future Scenarios -- Diverse groups put themselves into the future and describe their preferred future as if it has already been accomplished.IdentificationPost themes believed to be common ground for everyone ID-2ce0f9dc-1c5a-487a-ae3d-7d433ca68cdeDay 2, Afternoon, 2nd SessionIdentify Common Ground -- Diverse Groups post themes they believe are common ground for everyone.Confirmation[Engage in] dialogues to agree on common ground ID-3c958585-162d-48f0-876f-b398bd18dfb0Day 3, MorningConfirm Common Ground -- Whole group dialogues to agree on common ground.Action PlansSign up to implement action plans ID-f3fd3e04-6392-4d5f-b6db-62aa5a0b56b7Day 3, Early AfternoonVolunteersAction Planning -- Volunteers sign up to implement action plans. 2014-01-07http://www.futuresearch.net/method/whatis/index.cfmOwenAmburOwen.Ambur@verizon.net