Future Search: Getting the Whole System in the Room for Vision, Commitment and Action

by Marvin Weisbord, Sandra Janoff

Key Features Offers a bold solution to our recurring economic crises: innovative new forms of institutional ownership Takes the reader on a global journey to meet the people and organizations that are pioneering new forms of life-sustaining ownership By the author of the classic The Divine Right of Capital About the Book: Owing Our Future Looking around at the wreckage left in the wake of the worldeconomy's latest crisis, veteran business journalist Marjorie Kellynoticed that some institutions were left relatively unscathed. Whatdid they have in common? The key, Kelly realized, is seeminglyobscure: ownership. Prominent among the survivors wereorganizations that combined the flexibility of traditional privateownership with a focus on the common good. As long as businesses are set up to focus exclusively onmaximizing quarterly returns for a limited group of individuals,the economy will be plagued by destructive boom-bust cycles. Butnow people are experimenting with new forms of ownership. We are inthe midst of the most creative period of economic innovation sincethe dawn of the Industrial Revolution. Kelly calls these new formsgenerative: aimed at creating the conditions for life for manygenerations to come. They are in contrast to the dominant ownershipdesigns of today, which can be called extractive: aimed atextracting short-term financial wealth. To understand these emerging ownership alternatives, Kellyreports from all over the world, visiting a community-owned windfacility in Massachusetts, a lobster cooperative in Maine, amultibillion-dollar employee-owned department-store chain inLondon, a foundation-owned pharmaceutical in Denmark, afarmer-owned dairy in Wisconsin, and other places where an economythat works for all is being built. This is not a moment for old solutions and tired approaches. Aswe enter a new era of limits, alternative ownership designs canhelp it become an era of fairness, sustainability, andcommunity. About the Author: Marjorie Kelly Marj

Genres: Business

Paperback

First published January 1, 2010

Reviews

[Sanne Roemen · Rating 5 out of 5]

After reading it on Kindle I bought the paper version and reread it from cover to cover. This is a fundament for facilitating change.
Integrating the 'don't just do something, stand there!' mindset into a Large Group Intervention methodology. Based on dialogic principles. Ranges from the basic principles to a practical, day to day format with work- and planning sheets. In the final section they go into how this method relates to other methods like Appreciative Inquiry, Open Space, World Cafe and how they can be used in conjunction. Also with a rarely seen open mind they touch on different ways the Future Search methodology has been adapted. I love this one. I predict it's going to become a grimy, thumbed, wrinkly companion for life.

[Ryan Barretto · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a book with which you can help others create their own miracles.

The authors have been extremely generous in sharing their knowledge, much more than most others. It's a must read for those in the facilitation, community building world.

I will revisit this book more times than I initially thought when buying it.

[Austėja Žvaginytė]

Very practical book to read for all Future Search practitioners!