At a time of unprecedented global focus on Africa and unprecedented growth across Asia, the World Bank and INSEAD are exploring ways to share experience and generate new, targeted resources to have a real development impact in both regions.

Many organizations today value Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives more highly than ever – not just as an example of the “goodness” of the business and a glossy addition to the Annual Report, but as a genuine reflection of a desire to be a responsible member of their community, a motivator for staff and an opportunity to demonstrate their skills and experience to the benefit of others.

The World Bank and INSEAD Open Space Initiative is a highly-interactive workshop in Singapore, and brings together three key groups of people, namely businesses and organizations, NGOs and business students, to answer a fundamental question -

"Creating sustainable, replicable, scalable projects - can it be done?"

Through dynamic discussion, the participants arrived at mutually beneficial decisions on projects to be implemented, expanded and funded. The workshop produced a clear strategic and actionable set of business plans.

This workshop opened to senior executives, CSOs and business students and followed an “Open Space” model. This approach utilizes an informal but structured process consisting of four steps:

1. Participant identification of the most important issues
2. Discussion and identification of key next steps
3. Recommendations, conclusions, questions for further study and plans for immediate action
4. Prioritization of key follow up steps

To view the session notes and action outcomes of the World Bank - INSEAD Open Space Initiative, please click here.