Visioning

"Visioning" has become a buzzword. It is used in two related but different senses. It can be used narrowly, to refer to establishing goals for the future-in other words, where you want to go.

"I skate to where the puck is going to be, not where it has been." - Wayne Gretzky.

Alternatively, "visioning" can be used broadly, to refer to an entire process.

Visioning is more than painting an idealistic picture of the future-it is a process of evaluating present conditions, identifying problem areas, and bringing about a community-wide consensus on how to overcome problems and manage change.

The Words and Language of Visioning:

Vision Statements Mission Statements Goals and Objectives Values Voting-Dots Nominal Group Process Visual Preference Surveys Scenarios Surveys Visual Preference Surveys Forums Town Meetings Committees and Task Forces Focus Groups Video-Based Techniques Computer-Based Polling in Meetings

Vision Statements:

Vision statements have become popular, not only as a part of the strategic planning of cities, companies and organizations, but as part of community planning. A community vision is an expression of possibility, an ideal state that the community hopes to attain. The vision provides the basis from which the community determines priorities and establishes targets for performance. It sets the stage for what is desired in the broadest sense, where the community wants to go as a whole. It serves as a foundation underlying goals, plans, and policies. Only after a clear vision is established is it feasible to effectively begin the difficult work of outlining and developing a clear plan of action.

Vision statements be reached by consensus, include strong visual descriptions, and be directed toward a period stretching at least 10 years into the future. We recommend a brainstorming exercise to warm up a group; then breaking the group into smaller working groups to develop vision themes, which then get reported back to the larger group and integrated into a statement. We suggest a weekend visioning retreat as an effective format, but note that typically the vision statement can be developed over two non-consecutive evenings. When coupled with an administrative strategic plan a strong plan for action has been devised.

Key issues:

Vision statements should be broad, but they should set a direction. Finding the right level of generality can be difficult.

Getting the right mix of people to develop a vision statement is challenging but crucial. It will affect the credibility and usefulness of the statement for later planning.

People's views and visions won't always agree. Looking for areas of agreement can be time-consuming, and important differences may be papered over.

Vision statements, and visioning more generally, may seem cheap but have hidden costs in terms of staff and participant time. To justify time investments, vision statements should clearly set the stage for action.