From the current state to a goal
“There are lots of new employees in the team, and a new operating year is about to start. How can I make the team’s goal-setting discussion efficient and inspiring? How to best bring out the expertise and strengths of each team member?”
Topic: group development discussion, managing change, managing strategy
Time required: from half an hour to an hour, requires preparation
Materials: an empty wall surface, flip chart paper, post-it notes or paper for taking notes, markers, pens, masking tape or sticky tack
Method description
Before the participants arrive, attach two flip chart papers (or even larger sheets of paper) to the wall. Leave enough space between them to later place another flip chart paper in it. Title the paper on the left side as Current state and the paper on the right as Goal. Cover the titles with paper so that you can easily reveal them later.
Tell the participants the working target, such as a new strategy or a change in process x.
Ask everyone to first think about the target they are working on. Encourage the participants to write down key words or draw them as pictures (if you use post-it notes > one thing per post-it note). Reserve 3–5 minutes for this. The perspectives in individual reflection are the following:
- What does the current state of things look and feel like? What is good about it? What doesn’t work or feels upsetting?
- And what should the goal state be like?
Collect the ideas that emerged during the reflection.
- In a small group
- Reveal the titles of the flip chart papers.
- If you used post-it notes, ask the participants to stick the notes wherever they want on the flip chart papers. If you used paper, ask the participants to share their reflections and write them down on the flip chart papers.
- In a large group
- Divide the group into small groups of 3–4 people. Ask each group to compile the things that came up during individual reflection.
- Follow the small group instructions above.
Add a third flip chart paper between the previous ones. Draw a mountain on it and a road over the mountain leading to the goal state. Together, think about the intermediate steps on the way from the current state to the goal. Write them down or draw them as roadside signs or directions.