Future Solutions
Search Dialogues

A future solutions search dialog is an approach for bringing together interested participants with disparate viewpoints to examine an organization or a movement and to reach consensus on breakthrough steps to achieve a higher level of success.

Phase 1 – Trends Scan
The process starts with a scan of what's happening in the world surrounding the organization. This stage may be done as pre-work with a small group of people who identify key trends that have an impact on the organization.

Phase 2 – Historical Overview
Create a timeline for key events that define the organization’s history -- critical events that affected the course of the organization.

Phase 3 – Brainstorm Strengths and Weaknesses of Organization
Identify the organization’s current character, including events that made people both proud and uncomfortable to belong.

Phase 4 – Stakeholder Scrutiny
Identify stakeholders who have a special interest in probable outcomes of the work done by the organization. This includes organizational decision makers, implementers of decisions, employees, customers, vendors, and other agencies.

Phase 5 – Vision of Greatness
This represents a beacon, vision of what the organization has the potential to be, a preferred or ideal state, an expression of optimism and hope.

Phase 6 – Strategic Actions
The group brainstorms and then prioritizes actions to make the vision become reality. Champions are selected for each strategy.