PUTTING WHOLE-SYSTEM DISCOVERY TO WORK

The technique of bringing a large number of people together to assess the situation, define a future, and talk about action goes by many different names. Because it can work with several hundred people in the room, it is often called large-group methodology. Other proponents focus on the involvement it provides and call it a high-interaction approach. Because it tries to embrace all the players at once, it also can be called a large-scale method. The name isn’t important, really, as long as it gives a sense of the intent of whole-system methods.

Whole-System Process

The number of people is limited mostly by the size of the room. The sessions usually last for two or three consecutive days. A design team, usually guided by a consultant, typically plans the large-group event, but they focus only on the process and do not get into statements of the problem or solutions. They deal with questions of whom to invite, the right focus for the meeting(s), and how to manage the logistics and stage the activities. For specifics on how to do it, there are some good books by Kathie Dannemiller, Marvin Weisbord and Sandra Janoff, Barbara Bunker and Billie Alban, Dick Axelrod and Emily Axelrod, Harrison Owen, and Juanita Brown. They are listed in the Further Reading section at the back of this book.