For decades, organizations and communities have sought ways to look into the future
and plan for the desired future. And the need continues. The approach advocated in
this article by Dr. Malone is one that involves the entire community and is based on the
belief that, by having the entire community in the room, the organization (or city, or
entity) can obtain a broad range of useful perspectives on the past, present, and future
of the organization. Based on the initial work of Marvin Weisbord and Sandra Janoff,
this engaging process typically lasts three days or so, is built on months of preparation,
and results in an impact that may last a lifetime. If you or your organization are
considering how to approach the future, this highly readable article is a great first step.
