Something stirred in the tranquil and elegant setting of Bath Spa. Something that may continue to run and run for AMED. Some 15 OD practitioners, consultants and academics were seen to be engaged in animated conversation, small group inquiry and wider circle insights. The engaging topic of discourse was developing, managing and improving performance.

Piles of discarded coffee cups and flip chart paper gathered with increasing pace as participants sought to explore theoretical perspectives, existing paradigms and the realities of corporate life.

The event also considered the role of advocacy, the value of performance targets and the responsibility & contribution of individual choice and action to organisational existence.

One participant visually captured every word and nuance on a huge landscape drawing as we had the efforts of our day reflected back at us. This process made for interesting sense making and created a segue into our next day long adventure in Bath,  a white knuckle ride of collaborative inquiry into what is unsaid about performance management and how we might use these insights to inform a more participative, relational and sustainable way of developing performance.   Subsequently, we plan to hold quarterly meetings in Bath.