CLIENT:
CBI – Transforming Trade Together
Question:
Can you guide a Future Search for the IT Outsourcing sector in Morocco?
Process:
Results:
- An activated ecosystem
- Broadly shared ambitions
- Concrete collective action plans for strengthening the sector
What actions can we – the IT Outsourcing (ITO) ecosystem in Morocco – initiate to develop the talents and skills of young people, for their sustainable employability and to support the growth of SMEs in the sector?
This was the central question for a two-day Future Search in Morocco. Approximately 50 ITO stakeholders met at the end of November 2024 in Skhirath, halfway between Casablanca and Rabat. A colorful mix of SME entrepreneurs, youth, education professionals, NGOs, Business Support Organizations, civil servants and donors. All with a stake in the healthy growth of this sector.
Participants work together on writing ambition statements.
Shared ambitions and action plans
In an intensive journey of two and a half days, they jointly explored the past, present and their future dreams, to end with broadly supported ambitions and concrete action plans.
- Focus on the past (day 1) – Exploring the past and following the development of the IT sector in Morocco from 2000 to the present.
- Focus on the present (day 2 morning) – Mapping the important trends that influence the employability of young people and the growth of SMEs in Morocco. And reflecting in stakeholder groups on what they are already doing (proud) and not doing (regret) in response to the trends.
- Focus on the future (day 2 afternoon) – Visualizing the ideal future of the sector in 2030 and distilling the ‘common ground’ themes, what everyone wants for the future.
- Action planning (day 3): Consolidating the common ground and formulating shared ambitions and developing action plans on this basis.
“What I absolutely love about formats like Future Search is how they revolutionize the way we connect, learn and create together. No endless presentations or passive listening. It’s all about the energy of diverse, passionate, and brilliant minds, uniting from different backgrounds and perspectives to elevate the collective experience. It’s vibrant, it’s messy, and it’s FUN. In this beautiful chaos, something truly transformative emerges.”
Process facilitation
Perspectivity guided the process, in close consultation with the local CBI consultant. From setting up a steering group with local stakeholders, finetuning the central question and identifying the players in the ecosystem, to facilitating the Future Search conference and writing the final report.
“It was my first time experiencing the Future Search Format, and I couldn’t have asked for a better introduction than with Perspectivity leading the process under the guidance of Petra de Boer and Eline Rogaar. I was truly amazed by the creative ideas we generated and the structured yet dynamic process we followed.”
Local ownership
The sponsor of this process was CBI, part of the Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO) and carries out projects commissioned by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. CBI contributes to a transition to inclusive and sustainable economies by focusing on specific sustainability challenges.
One of CBI’s nine spearheads is local ownership. The Future Search methodology is ideally suited to activate the local ecosystem, by bringing ‘the entire system’ – diverse stakeholders with an interest in and influence on the issue – into one room and jointly searching for shared interests. The focus on self-management, right from the preparation, helps participants take ownership of the process and the outcomes.
“Being in a room full of change-makers, collectively shaping the future, is a reminder that real impact starts with conversation but doesn’t end there.”
Preview pages of the final report.
More information?
- Final report (French/English)
- Read the blog about prides and sorries by Diana Gapak-Hughes
- Questions: Petra de Boer and Elien Rogaar
- Read more about Future Search