Appreciative InquiryAppreciative Inquiry

Finding our Positive CoreFinding our Positive CoreA strength based A strength based

approach to just about approach to just about anythinganything

Ann Brown, MAAnn Brown, MA

                                     LearningAdvanceLearningAdvanceConnecting the knowledge in the organization: people, Connecting the knowledge in the organization: people,

process & informationprocess & information

Appreciate InquiryAppreciate InquiryFinding and Building on our Positive Core

– What is Ai: Power of the Question and the Power of the Image

– An Ai experience– The Ai Process– Appreciative Quality Practices– Foundations of Ai

What Do You What Do You Appreciate?Appreciate?

Tell your “best buddy” about something you appreciate in your life.

New Challenges Require New Challenges Require New Thinking FirstNew Thinking First

“The world we have made as a result of the level of thinking we have done thus far creates problems we cannot solve at the same level of thinking at which we created them” – Albert Einstein

Definition of InsanityDefinition of Insanity

Doing the same Doing the same things the same way things the same way

and expecting a and expecting a different resultdifferent result

The Power of the The Power of the QuestionQuestion

“It all starts with Inquiry…the questions we ask, the things we focus on, the topics that we choose determine what we find. What we find becomes the data and the story out of which we dialogue about and envision the future. And so, the seeds of change are implicit in the very first question we ask.”

Cooperrider, 1995

The Power of the The Power of the QuestionQuestion

• We get what we pay attention to, so the first question is fateful

• Measurements – another way of asking questions?

The Power of the The Power of the ImageImage Our image of the

future drives our ACTION!

Placebo EffectConstruct an image of how something might happen,

drives behavior which creates a change in that

direction

SociologyThe study of problems creates an increase in number & severity of

problems..

SportsVivid visualization of one’s

performance guides physical performance. Speed of learning when only correct images are

reviewed.

Internal ConversationsStudies of pre and post operativepatients. Difference in recoverybetween positive and negative

imagery.

Pygmalion EffectChange a teacher’s image of a

student, and their behavior changes

toward the student, improvingstudent performance

The Three Ages The Three Ages

What did you What did you seesee??

Another Look Another Look

Creating the Dominant Creating the Dominant ImageImage

Assumption

Conversation

Dominant Image

Exclusion

Reinforced Assumption

Challenge Challenge and and

examinationexamination

The Positive CoreThe Positive Core

• The Positive Core is all the capacities of the organization – past, present and future.

• Organizations are homes of infinite capacity and imagination

“The task of leadership is to create an alignment of strengths, making the

organization’s weaknesses irrelevant”Peter Drucker

Comparison to Problem Comparison to Problem FocusFocus

• What to fix• Underlying grammar =

problem, symptoms, causes, solutions, action plan, intervention

• Breaks things into pieces & specialties, guaranteeing fragmented responses

• Takes a lot of positive emotion to make real change

• Assumes organizations are constellations of problems to be overcome

• What to grow• New grammar of the true,

good, better, possible• “Problem focus” implies

that there is an unknown ideal. AI breaks open the box of what the ideal is first

• Expands vision of preferred future. Creates new energy fast

• Assumes organizations are sources of infinite capacity and imagination

Problem SolvingProblem Solving Appreciative Appreciative InquiryInquiry

Transformative Change Transformative Change in Organizationsin Organizations

The Power of the The Power of the Question Question

++

The Power of the ImageThe Power of the Image

= AI in organizational = AI in organizational changechange

What is Appreciative What is Appreciative Inquiry?Inquiry?

It is a philosophy, and mind set and an evolving

process that asks:

Who are we when Who are we when we are at our very we are at our very

best?best?

A Brief Appreciative A Brief Appreciative InquiryInquiry

• Tell me about a peak experience with a quality initiative, big or small. What was happening, who was involved, what was your role?

• What gave the experience it’s core energy for you?

• What do you value about yourself and your participation ?

Appreciative Inquiry Appreciative Inquiry

• Appreciate– Recognize the quality, significance or

magnitude of– To be fully aware of or sensitive to– To raise in value or price

• Inquiry– The process of gathering information for the

purpose of learning and changing.– A close examination in a quest for truth.

The “5 D” ProcessThe “5 D” Process

Continuing the inquiry with micro AIs into aspects of the change

Define the intentFrame the questionIdentify the core teamPlan the approachDevelop the interview protocol

Conduct interviewsShare storiesHighlight the themes

Provocative propositions of what could beVision, mission, purpose and values

Micro propositionsBuild the social architectureCreate action plansContinue the conversations

Repeat the AI processes Take action on the plans and monitor progress

Define: Choosing

the Positive Discovery:

Appreciating that which gives life

Dream: Envisioning the Impact;

shared images for a preferred

futureDelivery: Sustaining the Change.

Design: Co-

constructing the

future

AI FoundationsAI Foundations– In every human system, something works.– What we focus on becomes our reality.– Reality is created in the moment and there

are multiple realities. – The act of asking questions influences the

group in some way.– People have more confidence & comfort to

move to an unknown future when they carry forward parts of the past.

– What we carry forward should be what is best about the past.

– It is important to value differences– The language we use create our reality

Appreciative PracticeAppreciative Practice

Bringing an appreciative approach to what we do

Fishbone for Classroom Fishbone for Classroom BehaviourBehaviour

Environment

Eliminate behaviour problems

InstructionalMethods

MaterialsPeople

Fishbone for Good classroom Fishbone for Good classroom

BehaviourBehaviour Marilyn Redmond, Roland Michener, OttawaMarilyn Redmond, Roland Michener, Ottawa

Environment

Good ClassroomBehaviour

InstructionalMethods

MaterialsPeople

No karate orPlay fighting

Be nice toEach other

Keep your handsAnd feet to yourself

Keep things sorted

Don’t take otherPeople’s things

Do not touchPaper cutter

Do not go nearThe fan

Don’t touchTeacher’s things

Work quietly

Garbage in The can

Appreciative PracticeAppreciative Practice

• How could an appreciative approach be applied to your function in the organization?

• What benefits might you expect to see?

Users of Appreciative Users of Appreciative InquiryInquiry

• Dalai Lama and 20 World Religious Leaders

• City of Chicago

• City of Dallas

• South Carolina

• United Way - Denver

• Motorola

• AVON

• Paine Webber

• GTE

• Body Works

• Hunter Douglas

• Nutrimental Foods

Carol Sutton, Carol Sutton, CommunicationsCommunications

• I think it makes several differences. One that delights me is the look of surprise on people's faces when asked to think of something "good", rather than a problem. I get a real kick out of that!

 • Taking an AI approach to the initial exercise in my

workshop ("Not by words alone!") enables participants to reframe their attitude toward workplace communication into a positive perspective. It takes us toward what we want, rather than pondering how to fix what we don't want. There also is personal benefit in that I feel the AI focus lifts my energy and revitalizes my facilitation of the session.

Thomas White, Thomas White, President GTEPresident GTE

• In the long run, what is likely to be more useful: Demoralizing a successful workforce by concentrating on their failures or helping them over their last few hurdles by building a bridge with their successes?

• When you get survey results that tell you that 94 percent of your customers are satisfied, what do you do? Do you conduct additional research to find out what makes those 94 out of 100 people so happy – or do you send your entire research department out to gather as many negative stories as you can from the miserable 6 percent? “

Things that make you Things that make you go….hmmmmgo….hmmmm

What is Quality?What is Quality?

In simple terms is quality the…

• Absence of problems

• Presence of something else?

AI ResourcesAI ResourcesBooks• Appreciative Inquiry:Change at the Speed of Imagination, Jane

Magruder Watkins & Bernard J. Mohr, 2001, Josey-Bass/Pfeiffer• The Power of Appreciative Inquiry, Diana Whitney and Amanda

Bloom• The Encyclopedia of Positive Questions, Whitney, Cooperrider et al.Links• AI Commons ai.cwru.edu• Writes of Passage www.learningadvance.blogspot.comWorkshops• In Vancouver and Fraser Valley – AI Introductory ½ day in

January/February• AI Virtual Group starting in April• AI Intensive, Vancouver 2 day March 2005 • AI Group - Langara - ongoing

Our Inquiry Must Be the Our Inquiry Must Be the Change We Want to Change We Want to

See in the WorldSee in the WorldThere are two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is

a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.

-Albert Einstein

                                     LearningAdvanceLearningAdvanceConnecting the knowledge in the organization: people, Connecting the knowledge in the organization: people,

process & informationprocess & information

Please get in touch if I can help you with your appreciative process.

Let me know how you are applying your appreciative thinking and how it works out!

If you have a question or need a quick review of your inquiry question or “plan of attack”, email it to me and I would be happy to take a look.

Ann

Email: arbrowninc@telus.net

Tel: 604 921 1135