Search for a Common Future and Other Interventions

Goals:
Participative and interactive formulation of the strategic intent of the company: its core values, mission and strategic vision - i. e. our common future - and of action programs for its implementation.

Process:
A large group of selected employees of the company, working in small teams and then as a large group:

1. Analyze the past: i.e. the key events that affected their lives, global situation, their country and their company. Common realization of "what we have been through" usually rapidly unifies the group, builds the atmosphere of mutual trust, openness and cohesion. Analysis of the company history and generalization of its success and failures can be used by group members as a source of learning for the present and for the future.
2. Analyze the present: i.e. company’s strengths and weaknesses, "unwritten rules of the game" (company culture, values and subjective opinions about what should and should not be done) and company external environment. In this phase of Search for a Common Future the results of Strategic Audit and of other audits and surveys with a follow-up feedback can be used very effectively.
3. Prepare for the future: i.e. identify the driving forces that could influence their company in the future and analyze the way in which the company should prepare for them. Using structured discussions, every group member gets very well acquainted with the opinions of other group members and receives feedback on the agreement or disagreement between one’s own opinion and those of the others. In this phase of Search for a Common Future strategic scenarios developed by the strategic scenario planning group can be used very effectively. 
4. Formulate strategic intent of the company: its core values, mission and strategic vision - i.e. our common future - and develop action programs for its implementation.

Interactive and participative program Search for a Common Future, which will enable a large group of people to formulate the strategic intent of the company and motivates them towards its implementation lasts several days. Selection of participants, preparation and organizational support for the entire program is the responsibility of preparatory team set up for this purpose.

Search for a Common Future is a very effective large group intervention for participative and interactive formulation of the strategic intent of the company. Choice of a specific intervention for its formulation and implementation will be influenced by situation in the company. If the company employs a large number of highly qualified "knowledge workers", different type/s od strategic and organization development intervention/s should be used (e. g. combination of company-wide discussions on intranet portal, discussions and/or workshops within its individual divisions, sections and departments, The World Café, Open Space Technology - maybe even road show type events held for as many employees as possible). Discussions focusing on design of involving all employees into participative and interactive formulation and implementation of strategic intent (using a "bottom-up" approach) should be held at the end of both strategic audit and strategic scenario planning exercises.