Building Capacity
Overview
Building capacity is underpinned by the principle of ‘knowledge transfer’. Knowledge transfer is a dynamic process where participants and facilitators (of the scenario process) join in sharing ideas and experiences, developing a wide range of skills, and reflecting on the interactions during engagement with the scenario process. By doing so the intention is to empower individuals to be confident to understand and manage the scenario process on their own in their organisation.
Designing exercises within knowledge transfer workshops are central to building capacity. Providing an overview of such exercises and the stages of these workshops helps the participants to understand their journey at the outset. Guidance on the stages or steps of the process is provided, with participants given time and space to experience these steps. Issues that arise during the process are discussed to provide greater clarity helping participants develop deeper understanding and knowledge. It is important to understand that equality between participants (i.e. hierarchy is suspended) and that all ideas generated are equally valid and should not be disbelieved or disregarded at any time. No single participant will hold all the answers, and being open-minded to all ideas helps to surface new, novel and potentially insightful ideas. Building capacity with the scenario process is about stretching imagination which is central to the development of new and relevant knowledge. An openness disposition is important to enable individuals to absorb ideas and create new understanding of the opportunities and challenges that their organisation faces. A key aspect of building capacity is also to provide time for participants to share their experiences with other participants and are individually and collectively encouraged to question any element and aspect of the outcome of the scenario process. Presenting to each other and cross-group questioning is designed to reinforce knowledge transfer of all participants, with discussions and interactions helping to make aspects of knowledge transfer explicit and concrete.
Building capacity programmes
There are several programmes available to build capacity. First, a 2-day scenario practical workshop; second, a 5-day strategy and scenario practical workshop; and a 2-day facilitation workshop. Descriptions of each building capacity programme are now described:
2-day scenario practical workshop
In this programme participants will experience two iterations of the scenario process. First iteration is designed to experience and familiarise individuals with the steps in the scenario process. This will be the first half of day 1. The remainder of the workshop will be either a dedicated organisational scenario exercise, or a scenario exercise with mixed participants who will consider a complex contemporary issue and develop a set of scenarios set in a future date.
5-day strategy and scenario practical workshop
In this programme participants will experience developing scenarios for ‘the client’, developing ‘the client’s’ business idea, and exploring the implications of the set of scenarios for the ‘the client’s’ business idea. From this understanding, responses to the insights are designed to help the ‘client’ manage its future strategically. After the introduction to the 5-day workshop participants select ‘the client’ and this organisation will be central to the rest of the workshop. Participants will be briefed on the process of interviewing the ‘client’ to understand their assumptions, perceived threats and opportunities, and these will form the ‘scenario agenda’. Next will be the development of the scenarios, in some significant detail. Participants will then analyse the set of scenarios to make explicit strategic and scenario insights. Using these insights participants will develop ideas to help build an approach to manage the future strategically. The workshop will be designed to accommodate either a dedicated organisational scenario exercise, or a scenario exercise with mixed participants who will discuss and agree on ‘the client’.
2-day facilitation workshop
In this programme participants will explore a range of issues involved with facilitating groups. These issues include managing the dynamics of group workshops, understanding facilitator fundamentals, building sustainable agreements, and reflection on the workshop. Managing the dynamics of group explores the process of starting with recognition of divergence in thinking between individuals and the process of moving towards convergence in thinking. Understanding facilitator fundamentals includes issues such as listening skills, facilitating open discussions and debates, opening-up and exploring complex issues, clarifying ideas, and dealing with difficult dynamics.
Building sustainable agreements includes exploring and understanding multiple perspectives on issues, accommodating diversity of thinking, building common ground, and reframing the situation to develop new insights.