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The Art of Retreat

May 2013

Authors:

Georgetown University

A retreat is a meeting designed and organized to facilitate the ability of a group to step back from day-to-day activities for a period of concentrated discussion and strategic thinking about their organization’s future or specific issues. Organizations will reap full benefits if they follow basic rules.

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The Art of Retreat

Olivier Serrat

2013

On Reflection

We learn when we absorb (read, hear, feel), do (activity), and

interact (socialize). We also learn when we reflect on

experience.

•Returning to experience

•Attending to feelings

•Evaluating experience

Reflection is the active process of

witnessing experience to examine

it more closely, give meaning to it,

and learn from it. Individually or

collectively, it involves three

elements:

•Reflection on action

•Reflection in action ("thinking on our feet")

Reflection can be of

two types:

On Reflective Practice

Taking

time for

reflection

Enables individuals to think more deeply and holistically about

an issue, leading to greater insights and learning.

Connects the rational decision-making process to a more

effective and experiential learning process.

Challenges individuals to be honest about the relationship

between what they say and what they do.

Creates opportunities to seriously consider the implications of

any past or future action.

Acts as a safeguard against making impulsive decisions.

Reflective practice is the application of the skill of reflection to

one's practice to improve performance. It revolves around asking

what, so what, and now what.

Forward, March

Retreats are for and about reflection. A retreat is a group

getaway, typically designed and managed to step back from

day-to-day work and reflect on specific issues.

Spiritual retreats are integral part of many Buddhist, Christian,

Hindu, and Islamic communities, among others. More

mundanely, corporate retreats characteristically aim to review a

company's core values, explore its mission, and examine

challenges and opportunities for the future.

A good corporate retreat works in three dimensions—the

practical, the ideal, and the political—ignore any one and you

are headed for trouble.

In order to understand the world, one has to turn away from it on occasion.—

Albert Camus

When to Hold a Retreat

There are as many reasons for conducting a corporate retreat as

there are challenges facing an organization. The most common

are:

Helping set or change direction

Fostering collective vision

Creating a common framework

Developing goals, objectives, and budgets

Discussing issues

Dealing with conflict or confusion

Generating creative solutions

Building trust and relationships

Encouraging conversations

Orienting new staff

Tips for Effective Retreats

Start at the End

Know what you want from the retreat,

"your intended outcomes," and how you

will follow up the event. Work with a

planning group and be clear about these

outcomes from the beginning. Be careful

not to predetermine results: instead,

choose a focus to guide work: "a plan to

implement x," "a new strategy for y,"

"actions to strengthen workflows and

business processes," etc.

Get Away

Allow physical or psychological distance

from the office. This is because (i) retreats

require lperiods of intense, uninterrupted

discussion; (ii) participants are less likely to

be interrupted by phone calls and other

staff if they are away; (iii) participants can

better focus on the topics under discussion;

(iv) participants are more like to stay for the

entire time; and (v) being "away on retreat"

conduces teamwork, creative thinking, and

consensus building.

Tips for Effective Retreats

Suspend the Rules

The workplace carries sets of unspoken

rules and implied norms of behavior,

especially in a hierarchy. At least during the

retreat, remove boundaries and encourage

broad ownership of the task as a team. Rein

in senior staff and let participants see that

all have a voice. Leave formal business attire

behind.

Work as a Team

Retreats are special: do not organize them

like a two-day staff meeting or a

symposium. Short briefings are useful as

background for an activity but time should

be spent in deliberation, preferably in

smaller groups, with large group discussion

of ideas.

Tips for Effective Retreats

Discuss the "Undiscussable"

All business units have concerns that are

not normally put on the table. A retreat can

be a time to work on them productively.

Small group discussions can help staff vent

frustration before they return to a larger

group with practical solutions. Do not miss

the chance to break through bottlenecks to

effectiveness.

Keep it Real

Avoid simulations, abstract discussions, and

lectures from experts. Real tasks energize

participants: they should be combined with

challenging matters that concern them most

in a process that lets them question,

deliberate, and propose. "Experts" can

serve as resource persons but the combined

expertise of staff is normally more than

adequate for the job.

Tips for Effective Retreats

Do Not Play Games (Just

Have Fun)

By design, a retreat is less formal than the

workplace: this engages people and creates

a safe environment. Game-playing may send

mixed signals, especially when the

organization's culture views it as silly.

Creative ways of presenting ongoing work in

small groups will allow the humor of

participants to break through

spontaneously.

Mix it Up

Variety will hold the interest of participants.

Try different size discussion groups,

different small group processes, and

different ways of sharing group outputs.

Avoid organizing things the way you do at

the workplace. What is more, people learn

(and plan) differently—create opportunities

for all participants.

Tips for Effective Retreats

Think Big

By stepping away from work routines,

participants have a chance to rediscover

meaning and motivation. Whenever

possible, allow them to envision the future

of the organization—they can build shared

understanding and this is powerful. Staff

must then move swiftly from a "bird's eye

view" of desired outcomes and goals and

translate them into concrete results.

Think Small

Staff and management want concrete

results. Discussing the "nuts and bolts" of

implementation means the difference

between good intentions and real follow-

up. There will not be time to consider all

details. But, draft basic timetables and

assign responsibility for follow-up before

you close the retreat.

Tips for Effective Retreats

Just Do It

Deliberation is great; deliberative action is

better. The climax of a good retreat should

be decisions for new action. A poorly

planned retreat will not leave enough time

for this and the lack of follow-up will be

obvious.

Get Professional Help

A facilitator with expertise in group

processes and dynamics and team and

consensus building can help plan a retreat.

During the event, he or she can facilitate

group discussions and capture key points.

After the retreat, he or she can provide a

report summarizing the discussions,

decisions made and actions to be taken. The

facilitator should have no stake in the

matters at hand: his or her sole interest

should be to make the retreat successful.

A Retreat Planning Checklist

•What is the purpose of the retreat?

•Who supports the idea of holding a

retreat? Who opposes the idea?

•Will all key participants be able to

attend? How much time are they willing

to spend at the retreat?

•Will specific tools, methods, and

approaches of reflective practice be used,

e.g., critical incident technique, effective

questioning, the five whys technique,

peer assists, rich pictures?

•What criteria will we use to determine

that the retreat was successful?

Purpose

A Retreat Planning Checklist

•Where will the retreat be held?

•Are the rules governing the use of the

room acceptable?

•Can the room be arranged as we want it?

•Are the chairs comfortable?

•Is there good control over lighting and air

conditioning?

•Can we have food, snacks, and

refreshments in the room?

•Who will provide food, snacks, and

refreshments?

•Can we hang flip chart paper on the

walls?

•How will breaks and meals be handled?

•Will overnight accommodation be

needed?

Location

A Retreat Planning Checklist

•Do we need an outside facilitator?

•Who will facilitate?

•How much experience does the facilitator

have with groups like ours?

Facilitator

•What equipment will be needed?

•Who will provide it?

•Who will operate it?

Equipment

•Do we want to record the meeting?

•What kind of retreat report do we need?

Recording and

Reporting

When Not to Hold a Retreat

Retreats will not help if the organizer has no intention (or

ability) to follow through or act on the suggestions of

participants or if the intention is to:

Fulfill a

covert

agenda

Make an

individual's

problem the

group's

problem

Talk at

participants

instead of

with them

Improve

morale

Treat the

retreat as a

reward

The Art of Retreat

Abstract

Recommended publications

Conducting Successful Retreats

Retreats That Work

Conducting Successful Retreats

Leading Organizations of the Future: A New Framework