ABSTRACT
What do systemic practitioners and constructionist consultants do when they are faced with offering consultation to clients in situations that are new to them, not only technically but culturally, and clearly involve high risk—to the clients if things go wrong, and to the practitioners themselves in terms of reputation and personal confidence? This chapter describes the design and running of an "axvayday" event for the board of directors of a new NHS Trust hospital. It explores some of the important issues that are raised when a new group involving executives from the private and public sectors first come together to clarify the key principles that are to govern the operation of a highly visible public service unit. As the first of the three cases in Part II, it illustrates how during the early stages of development of a systemic way of working, consultants can usefully apply systemic thinking to plan and design strategic and development events. This systemic design process helps consultants develop a contingency capability for handling potentially difficult situations and a variety of possible outcomes.
