Aligning on group direction: how to decide what you want & how you'll get there

The following responds to questions raised in our structure and strategy workshops from members of groups that are either newly formed, or have not adopted alignment on a clear direction. This resource was developed from recommendations included in organizer-developed resources, and from activist insights. Included in the below article are suggestions for formulating a vision and mission, determining your group values and conduct, forming a theory of change, pointers for holding meetings and community testimonials for holding a strategy process.

Starting the alignment process

A great place to start is agreement that your group wants to collectively build something.

Responsibility for facilitating this process should be shared by at least 2 people. Throughout the process, you should think about leadership development in addition to the process of building your group. Rotate responsibilities where possible to skill up members.

The following conditions support alignmenthttps://atctools.org/wp-content/uploads/toolkit-files/creating-group-alignment.pdf: 1. Alignment on purpose and vision Alignment at this deeper level creates a field of agreement and unity that can be drawn upon in helping groups align around other issues. Where there is a lack of alignment on purpose or vision, almost any issue can become a battleground. 2. Clarity on decision-making power Clarity and agreement on who has the authority to make which decisions is critical to aligning groups. 3. Focus and boundaries Leadership should provide focus for the alignment process. Exactly what are we trying to align around? What are the decisions that need to be made? What’s on the table? What’s off the table? 4. Trust Different viewpoints and concerns become increasingly hard (or even impossible) to resolve when trust is low in the group. Issues around trust need to be dealt with directly and proactively, rather than allowing them to contaminate and impede the group’s work. 5. Ground Rules Clear and agreed upon ground rules for group process and behavior are fundamental for supporting alignment work. Make sure to clarify these before initiating an alignment process. 6. Attention Leaders often fail to pay attention to subtle signs of lack of alignment. There’s so much to do. It might be time-consuming and messy to acknowledge these. We may hope misalignment will just go away if we ignore it. Unfortunately, lack of alignment at the beginning of a process usually grows with time. Obstacles are encountered. There are increasing demands for effort from group members and competing priorities. Places of misalignment are like fault lines: when pressure grows, cracks and fissures start to appear – maybe even tremors and ruptures in the group.

Alignment step 1: Visioning where we want to go together

A vision statement explains what your group is aspiring to achieve. They are short phrases or sentences that convey your hopes for the future.

A good vision statement is  :

• Understood and shared by members of your group
• Broad enough to include a diverse variety of perspectives
• Inspiring and uplifting to everyone involved in your effort
• Easy to communicate (i.e. no more than 3 sentences).

For example...

“A world of fair, inclusive and caring societies, where white supremacy and patriarchy are things of the past and where people can live free from colonialism, exploitation and inequality, in all of its forms.

A world where our societies operate in respect of the resource limits of the earth and support the survival of all forms of life. Where no population extracts and consumes an inordinate amount at the expense of others and one where all people, wherever they live, are protected from the effects of climate change and resource depletion.”

-The HUB’s vision statement

For example...

“A world with sovereign and thriving Indigenous Peoples and cultures leading climate justice for all.” 

-Indigenous Climate Action

The following exercise by Mob Lab can be used to formulate your vision statement as a group:

1) Give everyone a sheet of paper and things to write/draw with (or asked folks to take notes or draw in front of them if virtually meeting). Have each person draw their vision for the future. This is intentionally left vague, with no time frame, to allow participants to define the scope of the vision. Maximum 10 mins for the drawing exercise.

2) Everyone presents and talk about their drawing or writing (2 minutes each). While this is happening a facilitator takes notes on flip chart or virtual post-its capturing the highlights of what people say.

3) Once everyone has presented all images are posted on the wall (or virtual board) together. Ask participants what similarities they see. These should be big picture themes related to the long term vision.

4) From discussion, identify biggest themes and write them as statements that describe the long term vision for the campaign where everyone can see and access it.

Want an alternative to the above exercise? Check out the following exercises by ACT tools: 'future travel' exercise & magazine article exercise.

We suggest revisiting your vision at least once a year to reflect on how your team is engaging with it. See the following vision assessment tool from ACT.