I have responded privately to Ms. Probst, but thought I would share
information about a process known as Future Search with this list.
The wonderful response from Rick Corcoran describing visioning ties in with,
and is an essential part of the Future Search process. FS, as developed by
Marvin Weisbord, and described in Chapter 14 of his book Productive
Workplaces, is a participative, interactive large group process that brings
diverse people in an organization together to discover their common ground,
and to vision and plan their future together. It is very action oriented,
and provides a springboard for the organization's future development.
It is a process that may fit the needs of Ms. Probst's "assignment", if the
task is really to discover, rather than to impose, the positive values that
are operating in the hospital.
I know how important it is to get employees directly involved in managing
change in the organization. When I was Director of O.D. & Training in a
major medical center here, we used a technology known as Real Time Strategic
Change (very similar to Future Search) to generate quick, relatively painless
employee involvement in bringing managed care into the hospital along with a
new emphasis on customer service, including internal customer service, and to
get the new thinking disseminated throughout the hospital.
Future Search and Real Time Strategic Change are two excellent innovative and
democratic methods to bring employees into full participation to help plan
the organization's future.
Hope this is helpful.
Mila Begun, Principal, WORKWISE in N.Y.C., (
MMBegun@aol.com)