The aims are to realize a sense of community by focusing on shared experiences and values and to create a foundation for common ground for envisioning the future. The middle portion of the workshop focuses on the present. By analyzing the current environment from the diverse points of view represented in the workshop, participants clarify their assumptions and develop a framework of the constraints and possibilities facing the system. The highlight of the workshop comes as small groups co- create their ideal futures. Groups share their hopes and dreams in a detailed vision of the organization's accomplishments five to ten years in the future.
Small groups change during the workshop.
For some activities, greater diversity of interests and expertise is valuable. In other assignments, participants with similar responsibilities come together to make meaningful input. Typically, a future search workshop ends with planning action. In the Cooperative Extension System future search workshops, two major challenges led to design innovations. The first challenge was the use of writing teams.