1.

 Planning involves deciding exactly what needs to be accomplished and how best to go
about it. Compare and contrast the planning process outlined in Chapter 8 with the future
search conference used by Susan Strong and her team from McMaster as described in the
case.

According to the chapter 8, a planning process comprises five steps, respectively: define your
objectives, determine where you stand, develop premises regarding future conditions, analyze
alternatives / make a plan and lastly, implement the plan / evaluate results.

In the case above, after a two-year research, Susan Strong and her team concluded that there were
problems on how functional assessments practices were being conducted on injured workers. They
decided to change an entire system of practice and share their results with the professional’s
community by developing a future search conference.

In the search conference, as the first step of the planning process, they defined the goals: to develop
a common understanding of the issues related to functional assessment practice, to develop an
awareness of the evidence that relates to functional assessment issues, and to develop strategies
for facilitating an evidence‐based functional assessment practice that provides excellence and
accountability. To evaluate where they were, as the second step, the heterogenous group analyzed
the past, present, what they were doing and what they needed and wanted to do better. As the third
step, on conference’s day 3, the group established a mutual ground of seven themes: research,
systematic process, prevention, collaborative approach, education, whole person, and assessor
competency. As forth step, the participants analyzed alternatives and made plans by discussing
goals and potential actions and listing a date and time for accountabilities. And lastly, as the fifth
step, a date was set to meet to follow‐up and assess progress. Also, the College of Occupational
Therapists of Ontario published the “Standards for Occupational Therapy Assessments” for Ontario.

2. Describe the type of plan (short‐/long‐term, functional/operational) that the people at

McMaster were attempting to create.

The conference’s participants created a long-term plan: a set of standards to be followed by other
professionals.

3. Future search is known as a participatory planning method that can facilitate voluntary
implementation of change. Why might people be more committed to implement change when
they are involved in the planning?

People are more dedicated to a process of a change once they know the reasons behind that
change and, especially, when they are involved and have the chance to give an opinion.