The Genuine Contact ™ (GC) approach provides a perspective and practical tools that assist organizations to find solutions and build their capacity to perform in environments of constant change. The approach can be applied to many areas, including:

• Organizational and team development,  

• Leadership development, 

• Capacity building, 

• Participatory strategy development, 

• Meeting facilitation, 

• Project design and organization design.  

At its core is the understanding that meetings are valuable, powerful ways for people to take on even the most daunting challenges. Attention is placed on making sure that all meetings are valuable spaces to work and learn together. One of the underlying beliefs guiding the approach is that simple frameworks and processes enable success when addressing complex issues.  As a result, activities facilitated using the Genuine Contact Approach relies on simple tools and methods that are often experienced as an invisible ingredient in getting great results.  The approach is valuable when working with people who need to reach agreements together to because the meeting framework encourages many options to emerge and provides a clear structure for finding the best recommendations quickly, easily, and with the ability to channel conflict into breakthrough learning.

Hallmarks of the approach

• Highly participative and interactive, tapping into the creativity and ingenuity of participants. I will use the meeting method called Whole Person Process Facilitation, you can find a description of this method in appendix 2.

• Result oriented, focusing on identifying desired outcomes and finding solutions 

• Opportunities for participants to learn and connect the dots with one another, bridging differences of perspective and professional disciplines  

• Structured yet flexible, meaning that meetings will lead to end results and next steps,  while giving adequate time and space to explore and uncover emergent issue in each session

• The meeting designs will provide a simple framework for people to engage.

• Comfort and ease in how people come together directly affects the quality of work that people are able to do.  I place a great deal of care in the meeting environment, both online and in person.  

• A key element of my approach is to maintain open, ongoing contact with the sponsors to allow for course correction when necessary.

Working like this places a focus on allowing “learning” to take place that allows for you to take next steps in implementing the strategy once it has been agreed upon. , The process description below has been created with the knowledge that this is an evolving process, therefore I am laying out a high-level description of what will take place. 

Roots of Genuine Contact

Developed over 20 years ago by Birgitt Williams, the Genuine Contact approach has been used by professionals worldwide in different cultural and organizational contexts.  The approach has been developed upon the foundation of the following beliefs:

• Every organism (including the organization) has within it the blueprint for its own optimal health and balance. We trust the people in the organization to know what is needed for optimal effectiveness. Building on the strengths within the organization is a key to optimal effectiveness.

• Focusing on genuine contact enables individuals and organizations to achieve the individual and organizational health and balance that is needed for optimal effectiveness. Positive change in the organization is directly linked to positive change in individuals. Both are required for sustainable new ways of working.

• Spirit or spirit matters that through spirit or Spirit all creation is connected, and that people are precious. Our experience is that strategies based on these values have exciting, tangible results.

• Change with its accompanying loss, grief work, and conflict is constant. Individuals and organizations that develop skillfulness in working with change can sustain optimal effectiveness. These leaders and organizations recognize that change cannot be managed, that energy spent trying to manage change is wasted energy, and that productive use of individual and organizational energy is achieved by working with change rather than against it.

• Simple frameworks and processes enable success with complex situations. In keeping it simple, we recognize that any sustainable change must begin from the inside and cannot be externally initiated or driven.

These beliefs are not meant as dogma. Instead, they are intended to provide transparency about he foundation upon which the approach is built. In Doris Gottlieb’s work, these beliefs translate into deep respect for the wisdom of the people in groups that she works with and trust that they can find solutions together. It also means that she is conscious and respectful of how any change in the organization will also imply a need for capacity development of those people involved, and that work is solution focused tapping into the potential of people to find their own way to address their unique challenges. 

You can find out more on the Genuine Contact Organization website.