Case Study – Christian Aid
Background
Christian Aid is a Christian organisation that insists the world can and must be swiftly changed to one where everyone can live a full life, free from poverty. They provide urgent, practical and effective assistance where need is great, tackling the effects of poverty as well as its root causes.
SAMI had worked with Christian Aid on a number of assignments over the years, supporting the Director of Strategy and People Management, Martin Kyndt, to build futures thinking into the strategic approach of the organisation, through the Senior Management Group (SMG).
SAMI’s Role
Most recently, in 2014, we were asked to support the process leading to the semi-annual AwayDay in May 2014, and facilitate the event itself for the SMG – 35 people. Martin had come to a Cobwebs workshop, and been impressed by the power and simplicity of the Three Horizons model, and he thought the SMG could find it a useful tool to test and develop their strategy.
The process started in January with the Planning Group reviewing the SAMI deck of “drivers of change” cards, and deciding to mount them electronically on the internet, along with video clips from Sony and some futurists, to “socialise” thinking about the future.
The Planning Group also managed a series of interviews with stakeholders and insiders, using the SAMI 7 Questions. The material from the interviews was used to create a set of drivers of change specific to Christian Aid.
The process followed was a combination of syndicate and plenary working, with a sequence:
- Here are the drivers which came from the interviews – what have we missed?
- Assigning the drivers in the extended set to one of the Three Horizons
- Agreeing which were the most significant for Christian Aid
- Agreeing which were for Christian Aid to manage, and where partners could provide support
The process started in January with the Planning Group reviewing the SAMI deck of “drivers of change” cards, and deciding to mount them electronically on the internet, along with video clips from Sony and some futurists, to “socialise” thinking about the future.
The SMG Planning Group will meet shortly to reflect on the two days and determine how Christian Aid could take things forward.