And Now for the Good News: Appreciative Inquiry Maureen Sullivan Gene Spencer ALA Annual Conference - June 30, 2008.

And Now for the Good News:

Appreciative Inquiry

Maureen SullivanGene Spencer

ALA Annual Conference - June 30, 2008

Agenda and Format

This will be an interactive working session: Set the Context for Appreciative Inquiry in

Assessment Introduction to Appreciative Inquiry The “Art” of the Positive Question Application of Appreciative Inquiry

Setting the Context

"The most serious mistakes are not being made as a result of wrong answers. The truly dangerous thing is asking the wrong question." Peter Drucker

Focus of Assessment

What are we doing well?

What’s broken or ineffective?

(within some +/- “gap”)

Maintain or Tweak?

Fix or Abandon?

Significantly Better Results

Asking Different Questions

Introducing Appreciative Inquiry (AI) A Whirlwind Tour

What is Appreciative Inquiry (AI)?

Appreciative Inquiry is the study and exploration of what gives life to human systems when they function at their best.

This approach to personal change and organization change is based on the assumption that questions and dialogue about strengths, successes, values, hopes, and dreams are themselves transformational.

(from The Power of Appreciative Inquiry by

Diana Whitney and Amanda Trosten-Bloom)

The Essence of Appreciative Inquiry (AI)

Positive Core

AI’s Origins

Research from the Weatherhead School of Management at Case Western Reserve University

David Cooperrider is Professor and Chairman of the Case Center for Business as an Agent of World Benefit

Study at the Cleveland Clinic

A Positive View of Organizations

“Organizations are, first and foremost, centers of human relatedness and relationships come alive where there is an appreciative eye, when people see the best in one another and the whole, when they share their dreams and ultimate concerns in affirming ways, and when they are connected in full voice to create not just new worlds, but better worlds. By making it possible for every voice to be heard, a life giving process is enacted.”

(from The Appreciative Organization by Harlene Anderson, David Cooperrider, et. al.)

Appreciative Inquiry - Simply Put…

If we look for what is best and learn from it, we can magnify and multiply our success

If we continue to search for problems, we will continue to find problems

Imagine the difference…

Starting with 2 very different questions:

What works well in this organization?

vs.

What problems do we need to fix to make this organization better?

4-D Cycle of Appreciative Inquiry

From The Power of Appreciative Inquiry

Positive Core

Design“Determine

what should be”

AffirmativeTopic Choice

Dream“Imagine

what might be”

Discovery“Appreciate

what is”

Destiny“Create what

will be”

One example of a Formal AI Process

Problem Solving vs. Appreciative Inquiry

Identify problems

Conduct Root Cause Analysis

Brainstorm Solutions & Analyze

Develop Action Plans

Metaphor: Organizations are problems to be solved

Appreciate “What is” (What gives life?)

Imagine “What might be”

Determine “What Should Be”

Create “What Will Be”

Metaphor: Organizations are a solution/mystery to be embraced

The Art of the Positive Question

Focus Again on the Positive Core

Positive Core

MISSED COMMITMENTS

CriticalThinking

Gap Analysis

Failure Rate

Root Cause Analysis

Emergency

TROUBLE REPORT

CUSTOMERCOMPLAINTS

PERFORMANCE REVIEW

WARNING

Evaluation

Language of Assessment: Deficit

From the Appreciative Inquiry Handbook

Error Report

Post-Mortem

Deadline

Fire Fighting

VarianceReport

“Missed Opportunity”

“Satisfaction” Surveys

The Art of the Positive Question

To be compelling, assessment topics should be: Positive – Overwhelmingly affirmative Desirable – You want more of it Motivational – Will take you where you want

to go

Taking Aim at the Extraordinary

Examples: Describe a peak experience or high point with

your library. Identify a time in your experience when you

felt most effective and engaged. What are three wishes you have to enhance

the health and vitality of your organization?

Exercise – Appreciative Questions

Reflect on the sample questions in the

handout Form some new questions that you might use

to assess your own organization Share with a neighbor

When can you use these questions?

At the beginning of internal or external assessment efforts

To “jump-start” weekly meetings In thought-provoking messages to staff In one-on-one conversations with staff or

community members At the conclusion of any activity to assess the

experience

Encyclopedia of Positive Questions

The questions in this book are intended to move the focus to positive possibilities

A Great Resource:

Encyclopedia of Positive Questions

Sample positive questions are provided for: Seamless service Customer loyalty Exceptional partnership Compelling communication Integrity in action Quality moments Participatory decision-making Joy in a job well-done Ownership

Application of Appreciative Inquiry

Underlying Benefits

Appreciative Inquiry unleashes power by: Building relationships Creating opportunities for people to be heard Generating opportunities for people to dream Allowing people to choose how they will

contribute Giving people the support to act Encouraging and enabling people to be

positive and affirming

4-D Cycle of Appreciative Inquiry

From The Power of Appreciative Inquiry

Positive Core

Design“Determine

what should be”

AffirmativeTopic Choice

Dream“Imagine

what might be”

Discovery“Appreciate

what is”

Destiny“Create what

will be”

Exercise – an Appreciative Interview

It starts with an Appreciative Interview: Choose a partner Interview him/her based on the second

handout Take notes Reverse roles

4-D Cycle of Appreciative Inquiry

From The Power of Appreciative Inquiry

Positive Core

Design“Determine

what should be”

AffirmativeTopic Choice

Dream“Imagine

what might be”

Discovery“Appreciate

what is”

Destiny“Create what

will be”

Rapport & Empathy

Trust

Mutual Understandin

g

Resources for Getting Started

Discussion

How can this approach be applied proactively to assessment in/for your library?

How would your stakeholders respond to questions that helped reflect on the “best of what is”?

How might this energy get beyond “assessment fatigue”?

Questions for Personal Reflection

How does the “appreciative approach” differ from typical techniques used for assessment?

Can you see how this approach (used regularly) would increase energy, creativity & momentum?

How would your stakeholders respond to a “strengths-based” assessment process?

Can you think of examples of how AI might be applied to internal and external assessment of your organization?

Closing Thoughts

“No problem can be solved from the same level of consciousness that created it. We must learn to see the world anew.”

“There are only 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

Thank You!

Maureen Sullivan: [email protected]

Gene Spencer: [email protected]

Bibliography

The Thin Book of Appreciative Inquiry, Sue Annis Hammond (Thin Book Publishing Co.)

The Power of Appreciative Inquiry, Diana Whitney & Amanda Trosten-Bloom (Berrett-Koehler Publishers)

Encyclopedia of Positive Questions, Vol. 1, Diana Whitney, et. al. (Lakeshore Communications)

Appreciative Inquiry Handbook, David Cooperrider, et. al. (Lakeshore Communications)

The Promise of Appreciative Inquiry in Library Organizations, Maureen Sullivan in Library Trends (53(1) Summer 2004, page 224)

Using Appreciative Inquiry in Evaluation, Hallie Preskill, Anne T. Coghlan, editors

Reframing Evaluation Through Appreciative Inquiry, Hallie Preskill, Tessie Tzavaras Catsambas

Other AI Resources

The Appreciative Inquiry Commons (www.appreciativeinquiry.org)

The Taos Institute (www.taosinstitute.net) The Appreciative Organization by Harlene Anderson,

et. al. (Taos Institute Publications) Appreciative Leaders, edited by Marjorie Schiller, et.

al. (Taos Institute Publications)