Case Study: Developing a Shared Vision of the Organization

For several organizations we have developed exercises designed to begin or shape a conversation about building a shared vision of an organization, both its present and future.

One simple but elegant exercise asks the participants to choose a color and then “paint a mark” on a square piece of paper in response to a question about how they “see” the organization. The facilitator is purposefully vague about defining the word “mark.” Marks may be quite simple or elaborate. The participants are next asked to write or paint a word that describes how they “see” the organization. Third, they are asked to draw a circle, a square, or a triangle around, through, or next to the other visual marks, also in response to the same question. And they are asked to assign meaning to the chosen shape.

At this point, the participants pass their work to another person, and the process is repeated on the same sheet of paper, but in response to a different question. The new question is how they “see” the future of the organization or in what direction they would like to “see” it move. When this is complete, the paintings are passed to a third person who is then asked to interpret what he or she has received in terms of the present and future of the organization. At the very least, this process is used to initiate a conversation about the various visions, where they differ and where they are the same. However, the exercise can be taken much further. A large, single painting can be made by collaging the individual elements to create a cohesive, unified vision.

We had one workshop where the team members constructed a collective visual poem using the painted words as the major cohesive element. In another workshop, the differences in the individual visions were highlighted on a single painting with lines drawn between the various elements. The resulting “art” became more unified with the lines. And, remarkably, it demonstrated that what had been perceived of as differences ended up looking more like potential strengths.