Get everyone talking about the same world.

“What actions can we - the IT offshoring stakeholders in Morrocco - implement to increase youth employability and support the growth of ITO SMEs?”. Perspectivity led a dynamic 2.5-day co-creative process, in which diverse stakeholders worked together on shared ambitions and action plans.
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Jan 28, 2025

By Diana Gapak-Hughes

As I observed the dialogue at Future Search Conference in November 2024, these words echoed in my mind. The Centre for the Promotion of Imports (CBI) organised this initiative with stakeholders across the Moroccan IT Outsourcing ecosystem with the goal of enhancing the employability of young people in the country’s ITO sector.

Bringing a “whole system” into the room, Perspectivity’s Petra de Boer and Elien Rogaar facilitated this Future Search conference, which focused on the central question:

What actions can we – the IT offshoring stakeholders in Morrocco – implement to increase youth employability and support the growth of ITO SMEs?

Future Search is a participatory planning method that enables diverse stakeholders to create action plans for the most desirable future of their community, organisation, or, in this case, sector. One of the core principles of the Future Search methodology is self-management and self-responsibility for action. It encourages people to manage their participation and take responsibility for acting on what they learn.

In this piece, I would like to reflect on the “Prouds and Sorries” technique. It enables stakeholders to take ownership of their actions, which is vital for committing to joint local action plans grounded in reality.

Sense of ownership

Achieving a sense of ownership and self-responsibility is essential before identifying a common ground for future actions. The Prouds and Sorries technique is a powerful exercise to help groups take responsibility for their actions and gain insight into each other’s motivations on issues of collective importance. This exercise provided space for everyone to honestly reflect on what they are “proud of” and “sorry about” with what they are doing in relation to current trends affecting the central question. It was a significant trust-building moment for everyone. I felt that the vulnerability shared in the presentations by the different stakeholder groups was fundamental for finding common ground and desirable futures later in the Future Search journey.

 

Stay responsive to the changing world

The “Prouds and Sorries” exercise creates a space where all perspectives contribute to outlining a shared reality before visualising future scenarios. Throughout two and a half days, I observed a shift in group dynamics during this exercise. As stakeholders shared their proud moments and regrets, this learning process altered their perspectives on themselves and one another. When the system can reflect on the same reality, we remain open and responsive to each other, which is essential for initiating the transformations in need.

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