Editorial

WELCOME to the pilot edition of "Zed template, a magazine for facilitators".

Recent conversations have highlighted that it may be beneficial to provide a format by which facilitators can regularly share and store ideas and activities in a creative and innovative way. After talking over this possibility with my family, my teenage son, James, immediately expressed interest and offered to assist with the technical side of an e-magazine and design a logo as well, but said that the e-magazine would first need a name and asked what it might be?

On having then begun preparation to co-lead Module 4 of the Technology of Participation (ToP ™) Facilitative Leadership Program, one of my favourite quotes came to mind: 

"Enlightened organisations seek out their spiral wizards, protect them from dress codes, political games and bureaucratic constraints and allow them to scan a large horizon for developing trends. This constitutes the think tank for an organisation, what he later calls the Z template - X template involves the work that a company does, Y template are those people who can facilitate, encourage, and support the X template -- managers in the old sense."  

Z template folks can be encouraged with highly creative environments such as the:
* wild duck pond, where nonconformists can swim and
* play field, a loose and creative environment where teams wrestle with tough challenges.

Don Beck and Christopher Cowan. (2004). Spiral Dynamics: Mastering values, leadership, and change. Oxford: Blackwell.
Excerpt from a summary paper by Steve Dinan, Esalen Institute based on Beck and Cowan's work, initiated by Clare W. Graves.

Thus began the concept of "Zed template, a magazine for facilitators".

The horizon of the title of the e-magazine is left broad in keeping with the concept of the Zed template.

The logo is inspired by the wild duck pond of the Zed template in the centre, spiralling to a dromenon. A dromenon is a form of spiral and a type of labrynth in that there are no dead ends, only shifts in direction both to and from the centre. The time in the centre of the dromenon can be utilised for receiving, reflecting, and experiencing.

So, I invite you to some time at the centre enjoying the pilot edition of "Zed template, a magazine for facilitators" and:

* hear from a diversity of facilitators, 
* scan the horizon for developing trends,
* be refreshed by a highly creative environment.

Joan Firkins, June, 2007

"Zed template, a magazine for facilitators" is a free service provided by "Facilitation Works."

Warm thanks to James for enabling this state-of-the art production.