Hi!
Coming in late here, I'm not sure I'm clear about the precise issue your
exploring, but it seems that yyour speaking about large group
interventions, so here goes.. SearchNet, an organization founded by Marvin
Weidbord and Sandra Janoff - focused on Future Search conferences - is
building a data base on outcomes of future searches aroung the globe.
First, the prime purpose of a future search is to bring the whole system
of stakeholders into the room to discover common ground around an issue,
community or organization's future. Secondly, one measure of the success
of this "common ground" is whether it leads to ACTION based on what the
participants are ready, willing and able to do as a result of their
defining of the common ground.
A potential benefit of the future search or similar large group
intervention is that the focus on common ground, what folks are able to
agree on (and not, as some might suspect, the lowest common denominator)
can be a starting point for moving forward, since one major obstacle to
taking action in groups is the endless and frustrating tendency to get
stuck on resolving conflicts, differences or disagreements, trying to
change people's minds, etc. Common ground provides a large group with a
refreshing, inspiring opportunity to move forward.
Hope this was relevant!
Don
--Learning-org -- An Internet Dialog on Learning Organizations For info: <rkarash@karash.com> -or- <http://world.std.com/~lo/>