Our Work.....

Our focus is on “re-humanizing” ourselves and people working in communities and organizations by enabling humans in leadership to engage their colleagues and stakeholders in partnerships or co-creative efforts and together create the wise solutions that work.

We have helped to give birth to and sustain communities of practice, networks and partnerships that can function as living organizations or humane systems.

Our means include personal practise, process design and process hosting, using a large range of social technologies, large-scale conversations and group processes to enable the emergence of  the collective intelligence and clarity necessary to create change and wise action.
Each process is tailored to meet the needs of the particular context, challenge, purpose and outcomes.

We deploy the methods or combinations of methods we deem appropriate in each case.  We have  co created some of the participatory methods ourselves and have  learned some of them from practitioner colleagues across the world.

We want to thank our many practitioner colleagues and friends around the world - co-creators in this field of work for their love, generosity and willingness to explore their practices and learnings with us.....

 Examples of application 2004 - 2014.

 Looking back to the beginnings of European Forum Alpbach, the founders would have been pleased to see the energy and engagement surrounding the Summer School on Facilitation & Participatory Leadership.
Why is it important to focus on this now? “We live in a world of extreme complexity, a world in which ordinary citizens feel they are losing touch with decision makers and hierarchies. Mistrust is a trend,” says Philippe Narval,EFA’s Managing Director.
“If we want to overcome multiple crises we need to go into active conversation on all levels. In organisations internally, on regional levels, national levels, European-wide. We want to get people ready and we believe we have no time to waste.
“Basically we need to scale capacity on participatory processes, on collaboration, on facilitating complex problem solving. Perhaps 10% of our problems need specialists. 90% can be solved by people who are involved in their organisations and start tackling the problems that face them.
“Art of Hosting  has one big advantage: In a very condensed fashion you can train people very quickly and give an immediate chance to move into practice. And one can learn from peers and exchange experiences. You don’t need to go to an expensive business school to learn about positive leadership. 
All it takes is 4 days, an open mind and the opportunity to practice.”
Art of Hosting  practitioners can be found all over the world and in all types of environments from local government practitioners in Sweden and Scotland and officials within the European Commission, to people at all levels of business organisations, and peace practitioners in Côte d’Ivoire — wherever people need powerful conversations that matter to create wiser action together.

 How can we, individually and together, contribute to living in peace in Cote D’Ivoire for ourselves, our children and our grand children?

This is story of a sincere and heartfelt call from concerned citizens and elders in Cote D’ivoire, West Africa to bring more peace to their country after the civil war that took place 3 years ago. It is an exploration into the wise blending of personal and collective practice peace and basic wisdom for citizens of Cote D’ivoire and it has begun to unfold during 2012 and 2013 and will continue into the coming years.
The first conversations for building peace and training of facilitators to host many gatherings for Practicing more Peace in Cote D’ivoire took place in Abidjan 24 – 27 January 2013, with 30 participants.
This initiative is called by Amani, Goli, Zehi and several other conscious citizens from Cote D’ivoire.
They have formed an associative for peace and well being for all to support this Work.

The purpose is to help citizens be ready to host conversations to build peace in Cote D’ivoire and beyond.

A story of application....from downtown Copenhagen
26. Januar 2008 mødes  200 parents, teachers, pupils, leaders and guests to co create form 2 school one new school for Nørrebro. The purpose was to co create ideas, project and principles as the basis for the new school. -

- An intentional Learning village at Vallekilde Folk High school - From Crisis to possibility. What is ours to do today? What are the seeds for change and possibility that lie in the present crises?
Video-link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WxgUkKBk_c0

The European Commission uses the Art of Hosting and Harvesting Conversations That Matter over the last 9 years, to engage stakeholders and train leaders in participatory leadership understanding and practices. See example of an engagement process of 350 European citizen from all 27 nation states co creating input to policy making for the European Parliament: See harvest document here: http://www.interchange.dk/download/Volunteer_conference_Newsletter_6withoutTC_654.pdf

AoH practice have begun to infuse civil society in Columbus, Ohio over the last 10 years, informing high-impact projects in education, health care, and social services. See some examples here: http://www.goodhealthcolumbus.org - http://ouroptimalhealth.org/intro.html 

How will we together create our solutions for the future challenges of Europe?, Directors meeting, European Commission Autumn 2008.

How can I create full ownership of the learning and action with people I work with? 
How can I tap into the collective intelligence in my organisation and networks?
How can I develop confidence in working with the chaos and fear I experience in groups? - Sept. 25 - 28, 2008 Melbourne, Australia - see video harvest here

 How do we practice the chaordic path and the art of hosting and harvesting - day to day in our organizations ? Action for Children and The Columbus Medical Association and Foundation, Ohio, USA

How do we practice the art of hosting and harvesting at The Ohio State University, Columbus, USA - see harvest here

What could good food also do in the USA ? - a strategic conversation for 3 days  to take  the USA  food system to its next level of service.

This year’s gathering conneted 550 people in leadership and community within the Good Food Movement who are strivingto co-create and sustain this growing movement for healthy, green,fair, and affordable food in the United States. 

We were asking the Food and Society 2008 participants to gather and become a collective body  to address the following questions: 
What is cooking in Good Food ?
What can Good Food also do beyond the food system?
What can we do together, beyond our personal agendas and this conference, to grow the Good Food Movement?

The Good Food community is moving into the national consciousness.  It’s time to work together to enhance the strategic work happening across the country locally and nationally to grow, inspire, learn from,and help lead the movement.

See the harvest from the conversations:  newsletters  from  the 3 days.

Open Space Harvest working on the question: What could good food also do ?
Harvest from each session.  These notes were taken by session participants themselves.

Public sector - What now ?, Workshop in Open Space on innovating the Public sector in Denmark with 50 academic innovators forming a agenda around this question for MindLab/

The Ministry of Taxation, Denmark. See the harvest report here 

How will we co create sustainable and affordable Health Care for all in Columbus ? 

Access Health Columbus  Columbus, Ohio, USA.  

The Community’s Purpose Statement on Health Care 2.0 

The purpose of the health care system is to provide affordable & sustainable health care     that supports optimal health &wellness for everyone in our community.  

Video on the story  -  Latest newspaper article    - for more info

- see Our Optimal Health - Executive summary  & documentations 

How do we learn and practice sustainal be leadersip for to create healthy and vibrant communities ?

What is the Art of Community leadership ?

Kufunda Learning Village, Zimbabwe - Art of Hosting training, Gender Flow Game, Aikido Dojo

Leaving a Mark of leaderhip - A Retirement Ceremony at The ABN AMRO Bank in Amsterdam 

How do we co create our future as a Theater of the future ? Aarhus Theater, Denmark  

How will we - the stakeholders - co create the plan for the best use of prime land in the center of Minehead ? Minehead - Somerset County Council, England 

How to meet across the boundries in personal healing and collective reconciliation ?  

CIRR  - Center for Individual Recovery and Reconciliation, Israel and Palestine 

Pathways for Change - Prinary Care Trust Wiltshire, UK  

How will we create a Wiltshire fit for our children ?  Wiltshire strategic plan process, 2003 - 2004 Wiltshire, UK  http://www.wiltshire.gov.uk/council 

What is our collective, emerging future as an organization? , BPA

Business Psychology Associates - Boise, Idaho, USA 

KMD - Private Softward Company, Denmark 

The Dane Age Association, Denmark 

The Royal  Danish Theatre, Denmark