“Confronting the Brutal Facts” Or Preparing for the Future: Foresight to Insight to Action

Reference: -- Good to Great, by Jim Collins, HarperCollins Publishers, Good to Great and the Social Sectors, by Jim Collins, 2005

 How transfer the vision of the strategic plan to the classroom level?  How tap the capacity within our school?  How embed continual improvement into our thinking?

Reference: Get There Early, by Bob Johansen, Berrett-Koehler Publishers, 2007

 “This process of sifting, grouping, synthesizing, and evaluating is very important to sort out what is possible an to begin to think through the virtues and constraints of the various possibilities. Typically, a Foresight to Insight to Action Workshop is not focused on deep consensus or decision making. Rather, the focus is on generating possible insights and beginning to prioritize them. Full evaluation of the insights typically comes later, with a smaller leadership group.” p. 132

 Small, diverse group (around 20)  Target outcome  Content facilitator  Chunks of provocative foresight—stimulus  Current pain points  Intent of leadership  Destination of organization  Biggest challenges  Outside forces  From foresight, generate insight. From insight, generate action steps

Simple process, modeled on strategic planning Annual review and goal setting process with staff Forum both to hear “the truth” and to communicate the vision

 Base Camp  Setting the rules, background  Summit Sessions  Three sessions  Follow up  Publication, review, reporting

Broad discussion of strategic plan and mission An annual “cycle of understanding” Focused priorities for action Weight of consensus Morale improvement Mobilization of in-house talent Mechanism to integrate new staff

When the task is accomplished, the work done, throughout the country the people say, “We did this ourselves.” 道德经 #17