International Workshop on
Results-based Management, Appreciative Inquiry and Open Space Technology:

July 12 - 16, 2010

Why You Should Attend?

New approaches are challenging the way we think and do our work. Results-based Management is shaping the way Government, the private sector and Non-governmental organizations conduct business. In a period of shrinking public sector revenues being able to demonstrate the effectiveness and results of programmes and services has never been more important. Managers are increasingly being asked to design, manage and assess the results and performance of their organization and projects.

Appreciative Inquiry has shifted traditional thinking from a problem-focused approach to seeking out what works: the strengths, the innovations, the achievements and building on the passion that is generated. Appreciative Inquiry has been used world wide to help organizations reach a new level of vitality and creativity. Industry has used Appreciative Inquiry to improve work relations & productivity in the workplace. Imagine Chicago saw a city come together to imagine a future based on the best of the past. 24 countries around the world have used Appreciative Inquiry to successfully combat childhood malnutrition.

Finally, this workshop will introduce you to Open Space Technology a process that taps into the energy and creativity of an individual, group or organization and assists them in dealing with complex issues in a short period of time. By participating in an Open Space event, you will witness first hand how a group can self-organize around issues of importance to them. At the end of the day, you will be armed with an action plan that seeks to put into practice your passion. This part of the workshop will teach you how to facilitate an open space event and how it can be used in the workplace with large or small groups.

What Results to Expect?

The workshop will take you beyond traditional thinking and will introduce you to new and innovative approaches that are changing the workplace. The following themes will be part of the workshop:

1. Results-based management and its implications for your organization;
2. Building results-oriented logical frameworks;
3. Defining gender-sensitive indicators;
4. Creating monitoring and evaluation systems that are results-based;
5. The appreciative inquiry cycle;
6. Doing Appreciative Inquiry;
7. Using Appreciative Inquiry in the workplace;
8. Experiencing Open Space.

Who Will Be There?

The workshop is designed for:

• Professionals & Managers who work with different stakeholder groups at the government, intermediary and community level;
• NGOs and aboriginal facilitators who need to learn about new innovative approaches to programming and organizing workshops;
• Policy, programme and project officers who make decisions about programme and project design, monitoring and evaluation;
• Consultants who are looking to broaden their approaches and strategies vis a vis clients;
• Individuals seeking new & innovative approaches to their work.

Workshop Structure

This is an intensive five-day workshop that combines group work with community work to maximize the hands-on learning in a short time period. Sessions begin at 8:30 in the morning and run all day including some evenings. Registration the first day begins at 8:20 a.m.

Day 1: Introduction to Appreciative Inquiry and Results-based Management (RBM)

• 8:20 a.m. Registration
• Introduction to RBM: principles, practices and historical roots;
• Developing the results-chain using real-life projects;
• Witnessing the cause and effect relationships;
• RBM and Appreciative Inquiry.

Day 2: Using Appreciative Inquiry

• Doing an Appreciative Interview;
• The Four Phases of Appreciative Inquiry: Discovery, Dream, Design and Deliver
• Creating provocative propositions and metaphors;
• Using RBM to build on Appreciative Inquiry;

Day 3 & 4: Results-based Management

• Risk management Strategies;
• Building performance measurement frameworks;
• Quantitative and Qualitative Indicators;
• Reporting on Results;
• More group work; short exercises, plenary and discussion.

Day 5: Open Space Technology

• Introduction to Open Space;
• Law and Principles of Open Space;
• Experiencing open space;
• How to report back in Open Space;

How Will This be Achieved?

This is a practical, hands-on workshop. We expect that each participant will bring his/her individual experience, questions and issues to the table. We anticipate that the combination of group and team work will bring about real learning around innovative approaches to development and organizational change. The workshop is experiential and seeks to solidify participants learning and understanding of the concepts through small group work and discussion. Learning Projects will also accelerate the integration of appreciative inquiry & RBM concepts.

Workshop Site:

The workshop venue has been changed to take place at the University Of Ottawa at 90 University Street in the heard of Ottawa. This is in the neighborhood of Sandy Hill in downtown Ottawa, minutes away from the beautiful market.  For accomodations check out our web page under briefing.

Participants are responsible for arranging their own accommodations and meals. Accommodations range in price from CAD $ 20- $ 120 per night depending on your budget and taste. Accommodations listed on our enclosed information sheet and the web site Briefing page are all within walking distance of the workshop. Reservations should be made early to avoid disappointment.

Registration Fees:

July 12 - 16, 2010. Results-based Management, Appreciative Inquiry & Open Space Technology. 1) Government, UN system, Multinationals: 

$1500 CAD or USD; 2) NGO/Consultant rate:  $ 1200 CAD or USD which represents a 20% discount; 3) Full-time student:  $ 995 CAD or USD.

The Facilitators

Philip Cox specializes in performance management as it relates to international and local social development initiatives. He applies participatory approaches to evaluation, project/program planning and to training on the methods of results based planning, management and reporting.

In the past four years, Philip and his colleagues at Calgary, Canada -based PLAN:NET have pioneered a training/coaching approach to assist project managers grapple with new results-focused funding requirements. The approach centres on the image of a person dropping a rock into a pond, creating a splash and ripple. The image is used to demystify the vocabulary of performance management and to help people visualize and document their activities and intended results. Philip and colleagues offer hands on training and post training coaching/advice as needed. To date, he has delivered more than 50 such trainings to participants of more than 500 non-profit organizations, university teams, and government departments/agencies.

Françoise Coupal is Director of Mosaic.net International, a private consulting firm. She was instrumental in introducing Results-based Management to CIDA and has served as an RBM technical advisor for the Asia and Canadian Partnership Branches of CIDA. Françoise has been involvedin building the capacity of hundreds of development practitioners working in the field of international development. Françoise co-authored the RBM Handbook on Developing Results Chains: The Basics of RBM as Applied to 100 Project Examples. She holds graduate degrees from John Hopkins University and an M.A. from Carleton University in International Development. Françoise has championed Appreciative Inquiry in her evaluation work & in a variety of settings.

Helen Patterson is a partner at Mosaic. She is an organizational development consultant and with over 15 year experience in international development. She has worked with various organizations, including the World Bank, UNDP, CIDA, GTZ , OXFAM, World Vision as well as many local NGOs in Canada. She has lived and worked in Malawi, Madagascar, Costa Rica and Egypt. Helen has used her skills in Open Space, Appreciative Inquiry and Results Based Management in a variety of themes and sectors (ie. HIV/AIDS, poverty reduction, water, soil and waste management, community health, homelessness, leadership and capacity building etc.). She has carried out training in participatory methods for project planning, implementation, monitoring & evaluation with a wide variety of organizations and community groups. Helen holds a B.A. in Economics from McGill University & a M.S.c. in Agricultural Economics from the University of Wales and an M.A.in organizational development from Concordia University.