Dutch civil servants from a number of different departments and ministries met in The Hague, 1-5 October 2007, for a week of dialogue studios -- highly interactive dialogues with learning journey, interview, and studio components. The week was hosted by the Algemeine Bestuurdienst (an organization within the Dutch civil service) and was designed and implemented by Reos Partners. We ran a number of studios for different groups of civil servants, focusing on both learning methodology and tangible addressing the themes of sustainable development and collaboration within the Dutch civil service. The meetings involved in-depth learning about practical initiatives, team building, idea creation, and planning next steps in the areas of collaboration and sustainable development in the civil service and the Netherlands.

The underlying aim of all the studios was to give participants experience and working knowledge of a complete cycle of a U-process, a social technology for innovation in complex social situations. Several tracks were created to give each group an experience of a U-process to address its unique issues.

During the week, the teams with whom we worked, who represented various levels of power, influence, and implementation within the Dutch civil service, addressed adaptation to climate change, protein supply chains, and neighborhood rejuvenation. We visited neighborhoods, a farm, and other related sites around The Hague as we explored the environmental and social current and future realities facing Holland.