Future Search, 3rd Edition

CHAPTER 8Planning to Succeed

Future Search, like all change strategies, is subject to what economist Frank Knight called “the sheer brute fact that the results of human activity cannot be anticipated” (Paumgarten, 2009). You can’t predict what your Future Search will accomplish. You can, however, plan it so as to greatly increase the probability of superior outcomes. In this chapter and the next, we tell you what it takes to succeed.

Steering-committee Meetings

Typically, we schedule two days or more with a steering committee of six to 10 people with diverse stakes. The committee’s crucial job is to frame the purpose and get the right people. They also see to documentation and plant the seeds for sustainable action. We need more time to plan ...