We were commissioned to design and facilitate a three-day retreat for 260 employees from one of the most prominent sectoral departments of a multilateral organization. The identified need was to strengthen the common vision and sense of belonging, align priorities, and generate a greater understanding of the work and challenges of the different teams. At the same time, the goal was to
identify concrete opportunities for collaboration and foster a gathering that combined strategic reflection with exchange and camaraderie. The challenge was to achieve these objectives through a highly participatory experience, differentiating it from sessions dominated by a series of presentations.
We co-designed the retreat alongside the organizing team and facilitated it with a team of four consultants. We combined participatory dynamics, group conversations, interview-style panels, brief presentations (supporting the speakers in their preparation), and team-building activities that promoted mutual understanding and active participation.
The first two days focused on aligning priorities, gaining a better understanding of the work of the different teams, and identifying collaboration opportunities, which were recorded to facilitate subsequent follow-up. The third day was organized so that each division’s team could work separately on their own challenges, using tailored guides and dynamics.
