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The Future Search Network defines Future Search as "an inclusive strategic planning process used world-wide in diverse cultures to achieve shared goals and fast action. Future Search leads to cooperative planning, the impact of which can last for years."
While Future Search formats differ slighly by industry and need, the basic tenets remain the same. For over a decade, HCI has facilitated Future Search planning for health care clients, for service lines, physicians and faculty, and for hospitals and health care systems.
Stakeholder: n. One who has a share or an interest, as in an enterprise.
HCI: Someone who can forward, stop or stall a project.
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The HCI Future Search is a fairly simple planning process that can propel organizations into cohesive action. However, it is not for every organization. Future Searches are highly participative, and work best when foundational data are available already, and when internal and external stakeholders have a sound--and often very different--experiential database.
There is a relatively short planning process that takes advantage of existing organizational databases. The Future Search facilitator and participations use data and information to build consensus, set priorities, and generate discrete tasks which actively support the strategies of the service line, hospital and health care system and partners, such as physicians and other service lines. Future Search is databased, energized by people and their insights, and both outcome-and task-oriented.
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What does it look like?
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Future searches have been held all over the world, with organizations that are completely diverse. The meeting design comes from theories and principles tested in many cultures for the last half century. Participant learning becomes a catalyst for consensus, voluntary action and follow-up. Participants devise a new basis for their relationships and new forms of cooperation that can continue for months or years.
Throughout the process, data, information and stories are shared. Through new relationship and dialogue, participants discover their common ground. Building on this foundation, they can make concrete action plans.
There are three distinct phases to a service line Future Search:
- Thoughtful preparation
- The Future Search planning session
- Implementation.
Preparation takes six to eight weeks, depending on how quickly you can pull together a compelling, succinct database and get your stakeholders together. Careful preparation is critical. A core team, with accountability and responsibility for outcome, meets every one to two weeks during this time with the lead HCI consultant, in person or by conference call.
Typically, the Future Search itself brings together 60 to 80 people in one room for a highly participative, high energy planning session. Getting the right people in the room is half of your success. Future Search should bring together people from all walks of life into the same conversation - those with resources, expertise, formal and informal authority and need.
While a three-day Future Search is ideal, in health care we're lucky to get two days, so use those two days very well. And, ideally, every participant should be there for the full two days. We bend that one a little to get as many physicians and other providers there for at least some of the proceedings, but your core team and key physician and hospital/system leadership attend for the whole Future Search to ensure the visible consensus that is the foundation of successful implementation.
The HCI service line Future Search is two full days for the core team, hospital and system leadership, and key project leadership (including physician leadership), and 8 to 9 hours--spread out over two days--for external stakeholders, such as physicians. A typical agenda:
- Wednesday
- 9am to 11am: Premeeting of core team with key physician and hospital/system leadership to review goals and anticipated process and outcomes, particularly in light of any recent events or politics which might influence the process.
- 12 to 5pm: Buffet lunch for all participants, followed by the Future Search starting at 12:45pm. Most of Wednesday will be spent on information and data to set the stage for Thursday's action plan.
- 5 pm: At least a wine reception, if not dinner. This is a critical piece: Many or most of the participants will seldom get to see each other, and one of the four underlying principles of enrollment (getting people to engage in your goals) is relationship.
- Thursday
- 8am to 12 noon: Continental breakfast, followed by the Future Search session starting at 8:30am.
- Thursday afternoon or Friday morning: Two hour core group and key physician and hospital/system leadership debriefing, with clarification of tasks and timelines.
Implementation begins with the debriefing and is continued by the core team. HCI assists with telephone or onsite coaching, problem-solving and redirection when needed.
| Formula for Enrollment
- An honest relationship
- The immediate opportunity. Answers "What's in it for me?"
- Greater possibility. Speaks to what will make a difference in the world.
- Desired action. Make the "ask."
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What are the underlying principles?
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There are five underlying principles that are critical to the success of any Future Search:
- Prepare thoughtfully and well; once people are in the room, you won't have another chance. Make sure you involve, at some level, all stakeholders. It is as critical to have those who are not supporters involved as it is to have those who are.
- Think from 30,000 feet, not four inches. Context is more important than yesterday's events. Know the whole before addressing an isolated part. Get everyone talking about the same world. Think "How do we improve health care for all?," and also "What's in it for the people around the table...what will motivate them to participate when they are already stressed, over-extended, and working harder than they and their families want?"
- Transform "they" into an "it." Put common ground and future focus front and center while treating problems and conflicts as information, not action items. Assume the best, not the worst, of people. No one wakes up in the morning and says, "How can I make life miserable for everyone around me?" A Future Search allows time to step back and listen from a different perspective.
- Encourage self-management and responsibility for action by participants before, during, and after the future search.
- Implementation is all. What makes Future Searches work is participation, education and motivation. Have a clear plan for implementation, and keep involving, educating and motivating.
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Key Components
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Keep pagers and part-time participants to a minimum. Remember that if the core team and project leadership--physicians and hospital/system execs--do not stay through the afternoon and morning events, they may signal that the Future Search is not important or that they do not agree with information or direction.
We're in health care (although you'd never know it at times). Show concern about the health and well-being of your Future Search partners. Meet under healthy conditions. Consider everything from how comfortable the conference center is to whether people can wander around in a nice setting for breaks. Look for windows and good air conditioning/heating. Enough room to feel comfortable. Smooth audiovisual support. Healthy snacks and plenty of breaks. Encourage casual attire.
Many hospitals go off-site to a resort. At a minimum, consider a great conference center.
Don't be tempted to cut down on meal, break or reception time, or to put more meeting time into the day. Participants need time to absorb new information. Relationship is key to enrollment (engaging others in your goals); relationship occurs during meals and breaks. Don't see those times as downtimes, or extra cost.
Before you end, make sure you ask for voluntary public commitments to specific next steps. You don't need every vote; you just need consensus. It is a critical last step--like telling the audience at a wedding that it's time to speak up or forever hold their peace. Public consensus and committment is your green flag for action.
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