This text is provided by courtesy of Peggy Holman, Tom Devane, and Steven Cady, The Change Handbook.
Search Conference
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Purpose:
To create a well-articulated, desirable, achievable future with action plans for implementation within a definite timetable by a community of people who want to and know how to do it.
Outcomes:
• A well-articulated set of goals.
• Coordinated action plans for achieving the goals.
• A community of people who have learned how to actively and adaptively plan.
• A shared commitment to, and energy for, implementing a plan to achieve the desired future.
When to Use:
• Strategic planning and the basis of policy making
• Creation of new systems to manage emergent or neglected issues
• Rationalization of major conflicts within a strategic context
When Not to Use:
• When guarantees are not present to abide by the conditions governing the effective use of the method
• When the task is only about means to a preordained conclusion
• When there is not at least one trained and experienced Search Conference manager who knows their theory
Number of Participants:
• 20–35 people for a single Search Conference event. To involve more people, conduct a series and integrate the results.
Types of Participants:
• Members of the system
Typical Duration:
• Preparation: 1–18 months recorded so far
• Event: 2 days and 2 nights consecutively
• Follow-up: Self-sustaining
Brief Example:
Two national industrial relations Search Conferences held in 1972 and 1977 set the ground for the first national accord governing new directions for the democratization of work and revitalization of industry and business in Australia through “award restructuring” and other national processes.
Historical Context:
The method was conceptualized and designed by Fred Emery and Eric Trist in 1959. Fred and Merrelyn Emery and others have continued its development.
Search Conference
