Strategic planning workshops often focus on documents, targets, and action lists.
But when facilitation is grounded in te ao Māori, the process often begins somewhere different. It begins with people, connection, and ensuring the strategy reflects the identity and values of the group involved.
Recently we worked with a team to develop an 18 month workplan that would guide their priorities for the year ahead. Over two days the group moved through a process that allowed them to reshape how they understood their organisation and how their work connected.
The outcome was a clear action plan, but the path to get there was not exactly what we originally planned.
Starting With Structure
The workshop began by mapping out the organisation’s existing business structure.
This helped the team understand how the organisation currently operated and where responsibilities and priorities sat within that structure.
From there, the group was supported to explore whether that structure reflected how they wanted to work together moving forward.
Through facilitated discussion, the team began to design a model that made more sense to them from a Māori perspective.
Rather than focusing solely on roles or hierarchy, the conversation centred on shared purpose, collective responsibility, and the relationships between different parts of the organisation.
Designing a Model That Made Sense to the Team
From this discussion, the team developed four pou that would guide their work.
Each pou was given a Māori name and represented a key priority area for the organisation.
The team also created a shared symbol that connected the pou together. While the ideas ranged from a fern frond to a pāua shell to a bowl of fried bread, the exercise helped the group visualise how the different parts of their work related to each other.
Through this process, the structure of the organisation shifted in an important way.
Instead of positioning leadership at the top, the Chief Executive moved to the centre of the model, with the wider team surrounding and supporting the work across the pou.
This helped reinforce the idea that the organisation’s workstreams were interconnected rather than operating in silos.
From Model to Action Plan
Once the team could clearly see themselves within the structure they had created, the action planning process became much easier.
Using the new model as a foundation, the group developed an 18 month workplan that aligned with their existing business priorities and key performance indicators.
The workstreams connected naturally to the four pou, allowing the team to map out the functions and responsibilities required to deliver on the plan.
By the end of the two day workshop, the team had achieved everything they set out to do and left with a clear roadmap for the year ahead.
The Importance of Reading the Room
Interestingly, redesigning the organisational model was not part of the original workshop plan.
The intention had been to move directly into action planning.
However, during the whakawhanaungatanga at the beginning of the workshop it became clear that several members of the team had never been involved in strategic planning before and were feeling overwhelmed.
Moving straight into action planning would likely have created confusion and disengagement.
Instead, the workshop flow was adjusted to allow space for the team to surface their strengths and draw on their own knowledge to design a structure that made sense to them.
Once that foundation was in place, the rest of the planning process flowed naturally.
A Lesson in Facilitation
Facilitation is not simply about delivering a pre designed workshop agenda.
It is about sensing the needs of the group, trusting the process, and being willing to adjust the design in real time when necessary.
When participants can see themselves reflected in the structure and direction of the organisation, strategy stops being abstract.
It becomes something they understand, support, and are ready to bring to life.
