Search Conference A participative process that enables a large group to collectively create a plan for the future that its members themselves will implement. Search Conference is an innovative planning process that has been used by companies and organizations around the world to create desirable futures. It works by creating a participative community that works together to reach common ground. Together participants create plans for the future, based on shared ideals that they can live and work for. Because the resulting vision is created collectively, commitment and enthusiasm for action is very high. Search conference involves puzzle solving rather than problem solving, which typifies most strategic planning. Today's world is too chaotic to accurately specify all the variables required for problem solving. Instead, the search conference brings together the people who hold critical pieces of the puzzle regarding the organization's future. Participation Focus Overall Design Length Format Search Conference Managers Participaton Ideal group size is 20-35 participants who are responsible for the planning and management of the organization. This would include all supervisory, management, and executive staff members as well as key board members. The balance of participants would be drawn from a cross section of staff. The search conference is a participative democracy in which all perceptions are valid pieces of the puzzle. It is not about giving input to higher authorities that are responsible for planning. Participation here means that the group actually develops and carries out the plan without a plethora of task forces. Top Length The conference is normally scheduled for two and a half days and two evenings. It's not the number of hours, but the spacing of the learning -- "soak time" -- that leads to ownership, commitment and action. People meet under optimal working conditions, becoming immersed in a "social island" setting in which new relationships and commitments are formed. Top Focus Focus is on future possibilities, not past problems. The idea is to invest in ideal future scenarios rather than problem solve, trying to fix past mistakes. Everything about the search conference is designed to create a community that learns and plans together. It is structured to provide an environment in which participation is equal and open, regardless of hierarchy or position. All information is spoken out loud and recorded on paper for everyone to consider. Top Format People work together either as a total group or in small self-managing groups for specific tasks. Groups are given a structure for managing their own work output. They assign their own facilitators, timekeepers, recorders and reporters. This self-management increases the sense of ownership and responsibility people have for outcomes. It also creates a rich context for higher levels of learning. There are no lectures, speeches or presentations. Participants are the experts and share expertise either prior to the actual session or within the context of conference activity. The environment created supports people doing real work on important tasks. Top Overall design The design of the conference event incorporates four main segments -- open systems exploration, desirable future, action planning, and implementation design. Open Systems Exploration. Initial conference activities explore the external world -- the organization's relationship to changes and events in the world. Participants look out at the turbulent global environment and discuss what these changes mean for the future. Then they analyze changes in the world affecting their particular industry, geographical region or community. Next people search through their system's past and present to find out what effective programs and events to carry forward. Participants evaluate the present system and propose what should be kept, changed, or created. Desirable Future. Problem solving keeps people stuck on "the way it is;" whereas visioning moves them to planning and commitment. This series of activities engages people in working creatively to develop a consensus on their desired future for the organization or community. Alternatives are explored and constraints are addressed. The result is a prioritized list of goals that everyone understands and is committed to working toward. Action Planning. During these activities participants identify concrete next steps for bringing their vision to reality. They self-select into small groups and work on action plans that reflect their excitement and commitment. Groups identify constraints and develop concrete plans for goal achievement. Implementation Design. During the last phase of the conference, participants design structures for implementation of their action plans. Typically, groups strive to carry forward the same sense of self-management and participative democracy they experienced during the search conference. Rather than formal task forces, the participants establish coordinating structures that are open and informal. Usually, the outcome is self-managed groups implementing action plans, plus a coordinating committee chosen without regard for formal positions. A Funnel Design. Although each search conference is unique, the general design resembles a funnel. It begins with the widest perspective, outside ourselves and our task, to explore possibilities. Then it narrows to specific strategies and actions, widening again as the group disperses and implements the plans within individual functions and across the organization.     Top Search Conference managers Consultants with the Vaughan Consulting Group who serve as conference managers have completed advanced training on search conference theory and methodology by the Fred Emery Institute of Melbourne, Australia. Prior to the event, conference managers will coordinate planning and preparation with the organization's planning committee, or executive staff and board. This will include selection of participants, orientation to participants, and coordination of needed research. During the search conference event, the managers serve the search conference community by monitoring time, ensuring that all perceptions are treated as valid, by handling conflicts, and by integrating group reports. The managers do not undermine the group's self-directed activities by offering "expert opinions" or by interpreting data generated by the participants. Conference managers focus on protecting the boundaries so participants can maximize their learning. Top