“We cannot solve our problems wearing the same shoes
we wore in creating them.”
– Leigh Weinraub
In 2012, Adam Kahane, who pioneered the development and use of transformative scenario planning throughout North America, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and Australia, published his book, Transformative Scenario Planning: Working Together to Change the Future:
“Transformative scenario planning is a powerful new methodology which enables us to transform ourselves and our relationships and thereby the systems of which we are a part. At a time when divisions within and among societies are causing so many people to get stuck and to suffer, it offers hope and a proven approach for moving forward together.”
The heart and foundation of the process is the sharing of story. When a Columbian guerrilla once asked Kahane if a ceasefire was required to participate in transformative scenario planning, Kahane answered, “No. The only thing that is necessary for the process is for you to show up, share your story and listen to others tell their story.”
And so it is for any organization — whether it be the parties in a country at war; at the United Nations; at a gathering of the Anglican Communion; the Anglican Church of Canada; a diocese or a local congregation — the process requires us to show up, share and LISTEN. Even to those with whom we radically disagree, even to our enemies.
For us, at the beginning of such a process, we might meditate on the words of Jesus, “Ephatha, be opened!”
Sixteen years after he received that question from the guerrilla, Kahane had the opportunity to speak with him again, after those many years had passed, and the man was released from prison. The man had spent much of that time reflecting on Kahane’s work and how it would apply to reconciliation in his country:
“If we keep telling the same stories and keep doing the same things, we will stay where we are.
We are addicted to our old stories — we need new stories.”
-Columbian Guerilla Warrior, reflecting on the path to transformative change and peace for the country of Columbia, 2012
WHERE WE FIND OURSELVES
According to Kahane, as we try to address the complexities of changing the future, where we find ourselves in intractable disagreements, on a planet in peril, filled with unfairness and injustice, we all find ourselves increasingly often in situations with three characteristics:
- Where we face problems that we cannot solve within our current context and where we need to transform our current context in order to be able to make progress on our problems;
- Where we cannot transform our context on our own or only with our friends and colleagues, where in order to transform our context, we have to find a way to work not just with friends and colleagues but also with strangers and opponents;
- Where we cannot do this work on forming our context with strangers and opponents directly and we cannot approach the work directly because there is neither agreement on the solution nor even agreement on the problem. And therefore, we have to find a way to work indirectly.
At the Creative Innovation Conference Asia Pacific in 2012, Kahane reflected on his experience:
“What I have seen is that in this kind of work where we need to transform where we can’t do so unilaterally and where we can’t do so directly, the transformative scenario planning process offers us a way. A way to retreat in order to advance. A way to construct stories about what is happening, what could happen, what this means and what we can do.
What I have seen is that telling new stories allows us or enables us to get unstuck and to move forward. Telling new stories enables us to work through our wicked problems and our great opportunities. Telling new stories enables us to create new futures.”
OLD AND NEW
I leave you with two questions for reflection:
- What are the old stories we’re still telling ourselves that are keeping us stuck?
- What might be some of the new stories we might tell of a changed future as church that is truly reflective of God’s dream for us and for the world God entrusted to our care?
Jesus asked, “Are you starting to get a handle on all this?”
They answered, “Yes.” He said, “Then you see how every student well-trained in God’s kingdom is like the owner of a general store who can put his hands on anything you need, old or new, exactly when you need it.”
– Matthew 13:51-52, The Message
READ
Adam Kahane’s 2012 book, Transformative Scenario Planning: Working Together to Change the Future.
WATCH
Adam Kahane’s Talk on Transformative Scenario Planning, “How to Change the Future”, delivered at a gathering of the RSA (The Royal Society for Arts, Manufactures and Commerce), 2012 www.youtube.com/watch?v=XiGS9Vq0FGA
I’ll see you back here in the November Issue, with more on the foundational work of transformative scenario planning.
Photo Credit: Hakon Grimstad, Unsplash
If you need any help, assistance or resource suggestions, contact me directly at [email protected] and find me on social media @vocapeace.
