There’s another lively buzz in the world of change that has been bubbling away and has come right to the fore over recent months and seems to be everywhere (how does that happen?). The thing we are talking about is “relational practice” or relational approaches. At its heart it is the idea that progress in complex systems or indeed any human system, depends on the quality of relationships that hold people together and that it is worth spending time and attention on cultivating better relationships in order to achieve more successful outcomes. That’s the one sentence summary and there is much more to learn, however…
Marvin Weisbord and Sandra Janoff, when creating Future Search drew deeply from traditions that placed relationships at the heart of human systems including open systems theory, Gestalt psychology, and the simple but radical idea that people support what they help to create, (thank you Kurt Lewin). The Principles underpinning Future Search “the whole system in the room,” “common ground before action,” “self-management,” and “commitment to the future” create the conditions for relational work.
In that sense, Future Search isn’t catching up with the relational mindset, rather it was built into its DNA. When we name the differences in the system that make a difference and bring them together to share perspectives as individuals, as different stakeholder groups, and then as a whole group, we are embodying the act of exploring, creating and developing the key relationships that underpin change. We are structuralists and that gives a beautiful architecture that helps create the conditions for humans to work together to do what is needed, at any scale.
Relational working adds another layer of explanation as to why Future Search succeeds where other approaches struggle. For Future Search practitioners, the challenge and invitation now are to become more conscious of this. To see our work as cultivating the relational infrastructure of collaboration - the commitments to be with each other over the long terms and to continually work on dialogue and task driven purpose with the right people!
Join us and learn more insights like this in the city of brotherly love, Philadelphia, November 17–19, 2025 and learn all about the process that has transformed systems worldwide. Email for a discount code. fsn@futuresearch.net
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Thank you.
Sandra Janoff and Michael Donnelly