Creative Organizational Vision Building Through Collaborative, Visual-Metaphorical Thought
✍ Scribed by DON AMBROSE
- Publisher
- Creative Education Foundation
- Year
- 1998
- Tongue
- English
- Weight
- 819 KB
- Volume
- 32
- Category
- Article
- ISSN
- 0022-0175
No coin nor oath required. For personal study only.
✦ Synopsis
An organization needs a strong, compelling vision of its future in today's complex, unpredictable socioeconomic environment. A college faculty recently used collaborative metaphorical discussions, mind mapping, and imaginative visual thinking to prod u c e a n unusual, idealistic vision of the college's future. This vision took the form of a fanciful metaphorical drawing, which was surrounded by a n elaborate mind m a p a n d accompanied by a story that connects the symbolism in the drawing with the processes and products of the college. This unique initiative clarified connections between the everyday work of college personnel and their vision of a n attainable, optimistic future. lNTf3ODUCTlON In today's chaotic, ever-changing socioeconomic environment a n organization must clarify its purpose and establish a compelling sense of direction for the future. Developing a shared organizational vision is a n effective way to clarify purpose and direction. An organizational vision is a forward-looking statem e n t of destination that expresses a n ideal for the future development of the system (Kouzes & Posner, 1995).
Attempts to clarify a n organization's vision can encourage the members of that organization to more clearly define their collective purpose, their priorities, and the nature of their preferred market niches in competitive environments. Clarity of purpose and priorities can enable them to proactively s h a p e their futures instead of reactively dealing with chaotic environmental conditions.
Many organizations attempt to clarify their purposes, goals, and initiatives through strategic planning, which is a n effort to combine long-term and short-term planning. In most strategic 229