Preferred Futuring (Tr) [Paperback]

Lawrence L. Lippitt (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 1576750418 | ISBN-13: 978-1576750414 | Publication Date: October 1, 1998 | Edition: 1st

Leaders and managers will find Lawrence Lippitt's advice a refreshing change from the usual dry management guides. "Preferred futuring" involves an examination of an organization's status by all its employees, defining a "preferred future" state that excites everyone involved, and group planning and implementation. Because it begins the cycle of change by inviting all stakeholders to participate, preferred futuring enlists widespread support and serves as a powerful organizational tool.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"No concept of the last twenty years has been more useful to practitioners of social change than that of Preferred Futuring pioneered by Ron Lippitt and Ed Lindaman. Lippitt's clear, detailed change strategy based on this model is a valuable addition to the growing repertoire of alternatives to quick-fix problem solving." -- Marvin Weisbord, co-director, SearchNet, and coauthor of Future Search

From the Back Cover

Create the Future You Want

Facing, as we do today, chaotic, organic, continuous, and inevitable change-both in our organizations and in our communities-the challenge facing leaders, consultants, and other change agents is to discover new ways to focus our creativity, ingenuity, and energy to proactively create the future we want.

Grounded in sound change theory and a thirty-year history of successful practice, Preferred Futuring details the first strategic change model that shifted the emphasis from problem-solving to envisioning a preferred future. This proven process mobilizes everyone in a whole human system to envision the future they want, then develop strategies to get there. In Preferred Futuring, Larry Lippitt tells the never-before-told story of Preferred Futuring-exploring the history, thoeory, and philosophy of this highly accessible, widely applicable futuring methodology and provides the practical, field-tested tools needed to implement the process successfully.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 230 pages
• Publisher: Berrett-Koehler Publishers; 1st edition (October 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1576750418
• ISBN-13: 978-1576750414
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.2 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,202,660 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This book is a rare gem!, June 29, 2001

By 

Sharon Eakes "Voracious Reader" (Sewickley, PA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Preferred Futuring (Tr) (Paperback)

This book is a "must-read" for anyone serious about change. It is remarkable in several ways: 1) It introduces a process not only to facilitate change, but to identify the RIGHT CHANGES for the system. 2) This change process works with groups as large as global companies or whole communities and as small as individuals. 3) Lippitt pulls together the wisdom of history and many models into a coherent process. It integrates ideas as disparate as leadership theory, systems thinking, organizational development, quantum physics and Buddhism. 4) The book tells you HOW TO DO the process in rich detail. The conversational tone and level of detail are enormously helpful. More than once I thought, "maybe I could skip this step," and the next line would say, "You may be tempted to skip this step, but don't." Lippitt would go on to tell me exactly why. I began using the process immediately in my work as a consultant and executive coach, with excellent results.

This book is a rare gem. It is unequalled as a guide for shepherding change, for literally creating the "preferred future." Read it.

5.0 out of 5 stars The Optimistic Jew, August 31, 2007

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Tsvi Bisk - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Preferred Futuring (Tr) (Paperback)

The subtitle says it all: "Envision the Future You want and Unleash the Energy to Get There". Ostensibly a book about a particular method of organizational consulting, its underlying psychology and philosophy would be of great service to politicians and media pundits alike. First of all start with what works and what is great about your organization. Most consultants begin their jobs by getting people in the organization to make a list of problems. This creates such negative energy that at best lead to rather pedestrian solutions to the problems. Stressing the successes reenlists people into the legacy of the organization and stimulates pride. This in turn generates creative energy capable of creating and implementing a new vision of the future that does justice to past successes. The organization has been reinvented - or to be more up to date - rebooted. This was my attitude to 21st century Jewish life throughout the writing of my own book "The Optimistic Jew: a Positive Vision for the Jewish People in the 21st Century"

4.0 out of 5 stars Insightful!, August 15, 2001

By 

Rolf Dobelli "getAbstract" (Switzerland) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Preferred Futuring (Tr) (Paperback)

Lawrence L. Lippitt tells you how to create a future vision for your organization. You must assess your present reality and external threats, create a plan to get to your future, and monitor the results. The book's focus on a future vision distinguishes it from ordinary problem-solving guides. Lippitt cites a few examples of groups that have used this approach successfully over the course of 30 years and emphasizes using this technique in a group session. This nicely written, well-organized book clearly and simply presents its eight-step model and offers a complete implementation guide. We [...] recommend this book as useful to anyone working on planning or managing change - from CEOs to team leaders and trainers. One caveat: Its methods seem similar to those offered in other leadership and strategic change literature. The specific steps may vary, but the basic approach is much the same. What's different is the vision thing.