Vision Workshop Notes: Text Description of Briefing Charts
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The following is a text description of briefing slides that can be used to direct a Vision Statement Workshop.
Slide 1
Inside the Box :
The goals of the workshop are to:- Jointly develop and define the key themes for a Vision statement
- Develop Vision statement
There are bullets that define the premises of this workshop that say:
- The premises of facilitated workshops are that...
- Participants will reach agreement
- Issues will be documented; resolved off-line
Slide 2
This slide defines the ground rules of the the workshop.
- These ground rules will be enforced by the workshop facilitator.
The box on the left define the participant's responsibilities - they are:
- Active participation is key to collaboration
- Actively listen to other participants, don't interrupt -- everyone will have a chance to speak
- Only one conversation/topic at a time
- Be open, there is no such thing as a dumb idea or question
- No zingers, heat-seekers or punching hot buttons
- Be present at all times
- Be punctual, return from breaks on time
- Silence means consent
The box on the right define the facilitator's responsibilities - they are:
- Be objective
- Allowed to challenge participants
- Clarify discussion
- Encourage participation
- Synthesize and help document the discussion
- Maintain lists of issues and assumptions
Slide 3
The top of this slide asks the question - What is a vision?
Inside an arrow pointing to the right is the quote
"Unless you change direction, you are likely to arrive at where you are headed"- Chinese proverb
Then there are word that help define a vision, they are:
A Vision...
- Inspires action and helps shape the future
- Is a realistic, credible, attractive future for the organization
- Is an idea so energizing that it jump starts the future
- Is a signpost, a great hope held in common... meaningful to and owned by all levels
- Is a mental model based on plausible speculation, reasonable assumptions about the future, and influenced by our judgments of what is possible and worthwhile
Slide 4
Top of chart:
- A clear, shared Vision can help to focus the energies of a continuously changing organization.
A picture - starting at the lower left - showing a well defined box labeled 2001
Then a set of arrows pointing up and to the right labeled 2001, 2001
And then a cloud containing a large question mark labeled
on the top - Vision - where do we want to be
On the bottom 2003___2004
This picture represents our knowing where we are today and developing a vision of where we want to be in the future - 4 to 5 years from now.
Lower right side of slide
Benefits of a Vision:
- Gives us
Direction so that - All departments know where they are headed - Gives us
Context so that - Project sponsors and teams can make decisions/prioritize with a target in mind - Gives us
Level-Setting so that - Managerial assumptions are established and held in common, not individually - Gives us
Touchstone so that - When experiencing pain from change, reminds us "why"
Slide 5
(there are 4 boxes on the upper left of the slide to signify outcomes.)
We will break into groups and then report back.
We are now going to set up an exercise to understand our outcomes: What are the major challenges of the next 3-5 years that our Vision should address?
The first step will be to spend about 60 minutes in breakout groups.
Each group will:
- Review 8 questions and develop themes (the 8 questions are on later slides)
- Determine degree of importance of themes
- Elect a spokesperson (not the facilitator!)
- Report back your results to the full group
And then we will return and spend about 30 minutes in the full group. We will :
- Compare the results of each group
- Reconcile differences
- Develop Vision
Slide 6
(there are the same 4 boxes on the upper left of the slide to signify outcomes.)
This is a work sheet for the exercises.
The question at the top of the page is:
- What Are the Major Challenges Our Vision Should Address?
There is a large box in the center of the page titled
Summary of major challenges:
To the left of the large box are small boxes labeled
High, Medium, and Low
Each group will list their major challenges in the work sheet, and then rank each challenge as high, medium or low.
Slide 7
(there are the same 4 boxes on the upper left of the slide to signify outcomes.)
The title of this slide is
We will develop the Vision by asking: "How will we be different 3-5 years from now?"
There are eight questions (these are the eight questions we referred to in the earlier slide). Each question in in its own box. The questions are (going clockwise from the bottom left):
- How will we organize to hold it together?
- How will we produce value for our customers?
- How will our products/services be different?
- What will be the role and level of authority of IT with regard to how we do business?
- How will we respond to expansion and contraction of customers and competitors?
- How will Federal mandate and regulatory oversight affect how we do business?
- How will we contribute to/be responsible for cost savings?
- How will we make this a good place to work?
These eight question boxes point inward to two boxes in the center of the slide
The upper box says:
Combine the essence into statements that...
The lower box says
- Describe the future state
- Stretch the organization
- Make it clear that some new ways of doing things are needed
- Identify possible future roles for people
So we will combine the answers to the eight questions in a way that will aid us to:
- Describe the future state
- Stretch the organization
- Make it clear that some new ways of doing things are needed
- Identify possible future roles for people
And then at the bottom of the slide it says:
What are the key themes of the vision?
So we are looking for the key themes from the answers to the eight questions.
Slide 8
(there are the same 4 boxes on the upper left of the slide to signify outcomes.)
This is the final set of directions for the break out groups.
The top says:
Break-out/report back: What are the main themes of the Vision and what do they mean?
In break-out groups follow these three steps.
1 - This shows the chart with the eight questions and says
Brainstorm your answers to the eight questions
2 - This shows three lists, (question 1, question 2, etc.) each with specific answers circled and says: Identify the emerging themes from your answers to the questions.
The example for 2 says:
"Decision making will be closer to the customer." 3- Identify the most critical themes
Define what each critical theme means, using scenarios as examples, if desired. Be sure that key business goals/subgoals and challenges are addressed.
This means...
"Employees will have the information and authority to apply the appropriate business rules within set limits."
The time for this exercise is 2 hours and 15 minutes
There is a note at the bottom that reads:
Don't worry about wordsmithing, but use words carefully!
[At facilitators' discretion]
Slide 9
(there are 4 boxes on the upper left of the slide to signify outcomes.)
This is the directions for the full group as each subgroup reports back
Top of slide:
What Are the Critical Themes for the Vision?
Center of slide:
At the report back:
- Elect a spokesperson (not the facilitator!)
- Each group will report back its critical themes and definitions
- As a full group, we will review the results and discuss...
- Commonalities
- Differences
- Agree to the set of themes that will be used to develop a draft vision statement
The time for this is 45 minutes
Slide 10 (Last Slide)
(there are 4 boxes on the upper left of the slide to signify outcomes.)
We will now complete the vision
Top of slide
Develop the Vision?
Center of slide
As an entire group:
- Consolidate the themes
- Develop single statement encompassing themes
- Facilitator confirm consensus of vision statement
Time 45 minutes