Future Search - Future Search Conference

Future Search Conference

People follow a generic agenda, regardless of topic. It consists of 4 or 5 half day sessions on the Past, the Present, the Future, Common Ground, and Action Planning. The techniques used — time lines, a mind map, creative future scenarios, common ground dialogue — are all managed to support the principles. People need no special training, orientation, vocabulary, or background to participate. They work in small groups, make reports to the whole, and join in whole group dialogues on what they are learning.

Future Search managers practice a “hands-off” approach to facilitation, encouraging people to share information and draw their own conclusions. They rarely become involved except to help people clarify goals or to head off situations that might result in conflict or flight from their task.

There is a vast literature documenting successful Future Searches. There also have been notable failures that people need to be aware of. The most common causes of failure are:

• Non-interdependent groups (people who do not need each other).
• Issues on which most participants do not wish to act.
• Key actors missing.
• Allowing too little time for the size of the task.
• Overactive/controlling facilitation.

Details of the method can be found in the book Future Search: An Action Guide to Finding Common Ground in Organizations and Communities, by Marvin Weisbord and Sandra Janoff, 2nd edition (Berrett-Koehler, 2000).