Where: Hutchinson Public Library Auditorium, 901 N. Main St.

Contact: Wendy Skellenger | wendy@hutchcf.org | 620-663-5293

Hutchinson Community Foundation is pleased to welcome back Kathleen A. Zurcher to Hutchinson for the second year to continue community education on systems thinking.

Understanding the difference between a reactive orientation (solving problems) and a generative orientation (creating the future) is only the first step toward achieving systems change. Knowing how to apply that understanding is critical to achieving outcomes. In this workshop, you will learn to lead conversations and work sessions that shift participants’ focus from immediate problems to long-term possibilities and outcomes.

We will practice staying in the generative orientation by looking at the concept of a “one-stop shop” for people seeking assistance in Reno County. For many years, multiple conversations have been occurring and continue to occur around what the most effective and efficient system for people in need should look like. And because this conversation is focused on people (and even organizations) in crisis, it is natural and easy to get stuck in the reactive orientation, fixing problems, rather than working toward the vision—the system—we truly want to create for people in need our community.

Ideally, workshop participants will have some familiarity with systems thinking. This workshop builds from a basic understanding of The Core Theory of Success, which says that as the quality of relationships rises, the quality of thinking improves, leading to an increase in the quality of actions and results. Achieving high-quality results has a positive effect on the quality of relationships, creating a reinforcing engine of success.

Registration is required by filling out the form below and clicking on the RSVP button.

About Kathleen A. Zurcher

Kathy works with communities around the country on applying systems thinking to transform systems and create the future they truly want for children and families. She is the former Director of Program and Organizational learning for the W.K. Kellogg Foundation. Before joining the Foundation, Kathy worked in health care, at University of Minnesota Extension, and as a high school teacher.

Kathy uses active, engaging, practical methods to teach applied systems thinking to diverse community members and people in every role in organizations from the United States, southern Africa, Latin America, and South America. From rural Iowa, California, Montana, and Kentucky to urban neighborhoods in Detroit, Brooklyn, and Oakland, she has facilitated communities as they sought to improve their local food system, create communities that support healthy eating and active living, develop a more sustainable local economy, improve education, develop community systems that support educational and life success for all children, and assure health equity. What all of these have in common is their use of community engagement and a systems-thinking approach to creating their future.

[captainform id=”1196212″]