Main features of the training programs
Our training programs create an enriching, productive dialogue between the participants’ professional practice and the agenda of the organizations with which they are associated on the one hand, and between relevant theory and philosophy on the other. The idea is to enlarge the pool of ideas and knowledge that form the basis for situation analysis, planning, and action. Part of the program is devoted to acquiring tools, such as the ability to map out and analyze an area of activity; to define a problem for policymaking purposes; to plan measures for effecting change in an organization or region; to work in organic teams; to build and lead teams and strategic alliances between interested parties; and to shape, plan, and implement policy.

The programs are made as flexible as possible and as compatible as possible with the needs of the participants and the organizations with which they are associated. We avoid planning the programs very precisely before they start; instead, we develop them in dialogue with the participants and in accordance with the needs that arise as we progress.

A typical training program includes three main components:
1. Designing a vision based on a process of clarifying values, formulating a professional worldview and clarifying the main goals in the organizational context and in respect to the program participant’s professional position.
2. Surveying and analyzing the main professional topics and issues facing program participants; identifying, surveying, and analyzing hardships in the participants’ area of responsibility; and defining the problems that have to be solved in order to bring about a significant change in the situation. At this stage we use the “open mapping” process that we developed, which allows us to adopt a multidimensional perspective on relevant information for training and planning purposes.
3. A planning activity (a program, proposal, policy paper, etc.) as a way of solving specific problems. In some cases we offer to help groups that have undergone an intensive leadership program conduct a program devised in the training process, with the scope and form tailored to each individual case.

Training principles
•  Create an enriching, productive dialogue between theory and practice.
• Formulate a mission statement that includes goals and strategy and is based on value and a professional worldview.
•  Focus on finding logical, relevant, applicable and lasting solutions to problems defined by the group.
•  Develop a process for identifying, presenting, clarifying, and reviewing data.
•  Create agreements and remove obstacles.
•  Build a team that will bring about change.
•  Create a common direction.
•  Design a detailed plan and methods of implementation.
•  Adopt an integrated perspective relevant to the locality and the region and to all positions and systems.
•  Make sure that all activities that take place in the locality and the region (on matters related to the participating staff) are compatible with one another.
•  Strive to achieve viable solutions by creating a structured, developmental, and participatory continuum befitting the change.

Training Methods
The training programs include discussions, lectures, reading of texts, case analyses, individual and group assignments, study and writing in pairs, workshops, and individual and group practice.
 
The practical orientation is evident in all components of the program: in tailoring the content to the participants’ needs and environments, in translating the vision into an action plan suited to the environment in which the action will be taken, in designing practical plans with reference to implementation in the relevant environment.
 
Our aim is to influence the participants’ professional conduct during the course of the training program, and to see the change in conduct positively manifested in the participants’ environment of activity.