The Search Conference: A Powerful Method for Planning Organizational Change and Community Action

ISBN-13: 9780787901929 / Angielski / Twarda / 1996 / 352 str.

Merrelyn Emery;Emery; Ronald E. Purser

Opis

A comprehensive introduction to a powerful new approach for planning organizational change and community action. You'll discover a simple framework for understanding the process and clear step-by-step instructions to guide you in conducting your own Search Conferences.

Recenzje

"Emery and Purser′s book provides a theoretical and practical knowledge base previously available only through direct contact with a few gurus. If you′re ready to move on to the next level of sophistication, then you must dig into the Search Confereence, and this book is the best place to start digging." (D. Douglas McKenna, general manager, Executive and Management Development, Microsoft Corporation)

"As Emery and Purser ably demonstrate, the Search Conference provides a powerful tool for making organizations flexible and responsive, Equally relevant for transnational corporations and community nonprofits, this book is a must–read." (Leo Burke, director, Center for Management & Organizational Learning, Motorola University, Motorola, Inc.)

Spis treści

THE POWER OF SEARCH CONFERENCES.

1. Learning and Planning Our Way to a Desirable Future.

2. Uses and Advantages of Search Conference Methods.

UNDERSTANDING SEARCH CONFERENCE PRINCIPLES.

3. Planning in Stable and Turbulent Environments.

4. Open Systems Thinking and the Power of Human Ideals.

5. The Strength of Democratic Learning.

6. Conditions for Creative Collaboration.

STRATEGIES FOR EFFECTIVE SEARCH CONFERENCES.

7. Planning for Success.

8. Designing the Search Conference for Effectiveness.

9. Managing the Search Conference.

10. The Search Conference Step by Step.

Conclusion: Beyond Stagnation.

Epilogue (Fred Emery).

O autorze

MERRELYN EMERY is internationally recognized as a leading proponent of Search Conferences. With her husband, Fred Emery, she developed the theory and methodology of the Search Conference at Australian National University in Canberra. RONALD E. PURSER is an associate professor at the Center for Organizational Development at Loyola University in Chicago. He has conducted numerous Search Conferences and has sponsored Merrelyn Emery′s Search Conference training workshops at Loyola.

Blurb

Planning pioneers Merrelyn Emery and Ronald Purser use a wealth of illustrative examples from the nonprofit, business, and public sector to define and illustrate the importance of The Search Conference as a versatile management tool. They offer a simple framework for understanding the process and clear step–by–step instructions to guide novice and seasoned facilitators in conducting their own Search Conferences.
To demonstrate the potential scope of their method, they outline a myriad of concrete applications, including: institutional policy making; corporate strategic planning; organizational development and renewal efforts; mergers of companies and hospitals; community–based planning and development; planning the future of cities, regions, industries, and professional associations; managing conflict between diverse interest groups; creating strategic alliances between organizations and networks; and developing long–term partnerships with customers, suppliers or government regulators. The Search Conference is a comprehensive introduction to a powerful approach for planning organizational change and community action.