Preferred Futuring

Facing, as we do today, chaotic, organic, continuous, and inevetiable change-both in our organizations and in our communities-the challenge facing leaders, consultants, and other change agents is to discover new ways to focus our creativity, ingenuity, and energy to proactively create the future we want. Grounded in sound change theory and a thirty-year history of successful practice, Preferred Futuring details a change model that is radically different from the "medical...
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Facing, as we do today, chaotic, organic, continuous, and inevetiable change-both in our organizations and in our communities-the challenge facing leaders, consultants, and other change agents is to discover new ways to focus our creativity, ingenuity, and energy to proactively create the future we want.

Grounded in sound change theory and a thirty-year history of successful practice, Preferred Futuring details a change model that is radically different from the "medical model" of old (diagnose what's wrong and try to fix it). In contrast, this proven process mobilizes a whole human system to envision the future they want, then develop strategies to get there. Preferred Futuring provides the practical tools needed to develop clear action plans that link vision to action and spirit, with bottom-line results.

A lifetime of deeply rooted connections in the field of organization development makes Larry Lippitt eminently qualified to bring together this never-before-told story of Preferred Futuring-the powerful tool for bringing deeper meaning and spirit into the workplace and creating the future we desire. For the first time, Lippitt fully explores the underlying research, theory, and philosophy of this futuring model , and details the tools to make it work for you.

Numerous real-life examples illustrate the practical applications of the process and how it can be used successfully as a leadership tool, a management and supervisory tool, a process improvement tool, an organization alignment tool, or a tool for restructuring. In large and small organizations-from Fortune 500 companies and health care organizations to school systems and city governments-Preferred Futuring involves everyone directly in whole system, rapid, strategic change, process improvement, and even personal planning.
For organization redesign and transformation, and as a necessary foundation for strategic planning and action, Lippitt details the three critical phases of this whole system change process:
o define your now state, including how you got where you are, your accomplishments and disappointments, your core beliefs, and the trends you see over the horizon
o define your Preferred Future state that capitalizes on your strengths and details the kind of organization or community that excites everyone involved
o engage in a logical and predictable action planning process with specific steps that connect the planning to the doing

Lippitt offers sage wisdom for those new to the process as well as those with some experience on traps to avoid, how to deal successfully with resistance, and, most importantly, steps in the process that are the most critical to success.