In our business, we get to see the insides of all kinds of retreats. The basic intent of a retreat is to be in an environment and context that gets people out of autopilot. But in places where retreats have been happening for years, they become part of the master “To Do” list and can lose their trans-formative power. In any case, the nature of a retreat often reveals what an organization truly values, or doesn’t value, at that time.
To plan a powerful retreat, first consider: what outcomes do you want to see for your organization as a result? Is there a problem, decision or new path that requires deeper engagement to address?
One organization with multiple sites used a retreat to build communication skills and pathways between departments and locations. Another fast growing company that was seeing conflict happening between long standing employees and new ones, planned for a retreat that would focus on both sets of employees redefining the key values and then re-imagining their company culture together.
When planning the retreat, good questions for the planning committee and stakeholders to ponder include:
- What do we want to be different as a result of this retreat?
- What supports do we need to help us move toward that outcome?
- Who would best be able to facilitate the group?
- What kind of atmosphere is most conducive to full engagement?
- What do the attendees need to fully participate?
- Where and for how long should we plan the retreat towards achieving the desired outcome?
- How will we follow up on action planning, suggestions and ideas expressed in the retreat?