Appreciative inquiry
May 12, 2015
“Appreciative Inquiry is the cooperative search for the best in people, their organizations, and the world around them. It involves systematic discover of what gives a system ‘life’ when it is most effective and capable in economic, ecological, and human terms.” Cooperrider, D.L. & Whitney, D
It is a methodology aimed at the development of the organization based on the assumption that inquiry into and dialogue about strengths, successes, values, hopes and dreams is in itself transformational.
The process used to generate the power of Appreciative Inquiry is the 4-D Cycle:
Discovery - Dream - Design - Destiny
Discovery: The Discovery phase is a diligent and extensive search to understand the "best of what is" and "the best of what has been."
Dream: The Dream phase is an energizing exploration of "what might be:"
Design: The Design phase involves making choices about "what should be" within an organization or system.
Destiny: The Destiny phase initiates a series of inspired actions that support ongoing learning and innovation - or "what will be."
School leaders and teachers are searching for a purpose and a sense of identity. We want more than just pay; we want a ‘sense of mission’. When you believe in a professional way of doing your job you have to be able to transmit this to all the people involved in teaching/learning process.
The Appreciative Inquiry methodology helps to create our identity and to transmit our values and beliefs. Educational institutions need to be knowledge rich, adaptable and permanently changing. We need to be able to design curricula according to our student’s individual needs.
It is a methodology aimed at the development of the organization based on the assumption that inquiry into and dialogue about strengths, successes, values, hopes and dreams is in itself transformational.
The process used to generate the power of Appreciative Inquiry is the 4-D Cycle:
Discovery - Dream - Design - Destiny
Discovery: The Discovery phase is a diligent and extensive search to understand the "best of what is" and "the best of what has been."
Dream: The Dream phase is an energizing exploration of "what might be:"
Design: The Design phase involves making choices about "what should be" within an organization or system.
Destiny: The Destiny phase initiates a series of inspired actions that support ongoing learning and innovation - or "what will be."
School leaders and teachers are searching for a purpose and a sense of identity. We want more than just pay; we want a ‘sense of mission’. When you believe in a professional way of doing your job you have to be able to transmit this to all the people involved in teaching/learning process.
The Appreciative Inquiry methodology helps to create our identity and to transmit our values and beliefs. Educational institutions need to be knowledge rich, adaptable and permanently changing. We need to be able to design curricula according to our student’s individual needs.
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Transcript
David Cooperrider
“It could be argued that all leadership is
appreciative leadership. It‟s the capacity
to see the most creative and improbably
opportunities. It‟s the capacity to see with
an appreciative eye the true and the
good, the better and the possible.”
Agenda
What Appreciative Inquiry is
The power of questions
Its basic principles
The 4D cycle
a philosophy of knowing
a methodology for managing change
an approach to leadership
a tool for human development
What’s Appreciative Inquiry?
It is the study and exploration of what gives lifeto human systems when they are at their best.
It is an organization development methodologybased on the assumption that inquiry into anddialogue about strengths, successes, values,hopes and dreams is in itself transformational.
8 Assumptions of AI
In every human situation something works
What we focus on becomes our reality
Reality is created in the moment and there are multiple realities
The language we use shapes our reality
The act of asking questions influences the outcome in some way
People have more confidence going into the future (unknown)
when they carry forward parts of the present (known)
If we carry parts of the past into the future, they should be what
are best about the past
It is important to value differences
Peter Drucker
“The task of leadership is to create an
alignment of strengths, making
our weaknesses irrelevant”.
it‟s simple and inoffensive in its tone
it has a purpose
it is influencing without being controlling
Characteristics of a great question
to gather information
to understand someone‟s value
to help someone appreciate another person‟s value
to help someone think about a situation
positively
to help someone remember something
more clearly
A beautifully timed, perfectly worded question can remove barriers, unlock hidden information and
surface potentially life-changing insights.
Controlling Neutral
Did you feel frustrated?
How did you feel about that?
What might you do to
help the situation?
What is it about it that you cannot deal with?
What caused you to do that?
Why did you act in such a hostile manner?
they refocus thoughts – from problem to solution
they can help someone feel more powerful and constructive about a situation
they tap into creativity and create options
they can make a problem feel more like a challenge or an opportunity
they create forward movement – out of the problem state and into solution
or action
Powerful questions – potential benefits
I‟m really struggling with this job, and my boss doesn‟t support me – he doesn‟t even know what I do!!
Why can‟t my boss help me?
How can I get my boss to know more about what I‟m doing?
How can I make sure my boss understands more about what I’m doing, and encourage him to give me more support?
5 principles of Appreciative Inquiry
Constructionist Principle
5 principles of Appreciative Inquiry
Principle of Simultaneity
These become the stories out of which the future is conceived, discussed, and constructed.
5 principles of Appreciative Inquiry
Poetic Principle
Human organizations are
an open book
An organization‟s story is constantly being co-authored.
The organization‟s past, present and future are endless sources of learning,
inspiration, and interpretation
5 principles of Appreciative Inquiry
Anticipatory Principle
Collective imagination and discourse about the future are the most important resource for generating constructive
organizational change or improvement
5 principles of Appreciative Inquiry
Positive Principle
When we feel good we can think more strategically, absorb information quicker, we are more creative, we reach decisions faster, we recover more quickly from setbacks, and even our
health improves
How it works
Organizations move in the direction of what they study.
It focuses the attention on an organization‟s most positive
potential - its positive core.
The positive core is the essential nature of the organization
at its best – people‟s collective wisdom about the
organization‟s tangible and intangible strengths,
capabilities, resources, potentials and assets.
The Appreciative Inquiry 4-D cycle unleashes the energy of
the positive core for transformation and sustainable
success.
The 4D Cycle
Discovery
“What gives life?”
(The best of what is)
Appreciating
Dream
“What might be?”
(What is the world calling for)
Envisioning Results
Design
“What should be--the ideal?”
Co-constructing
Destiny
“How to empower, learn,
and adjust/improvise?”
Sustaining
Affirmative
Topic Choice
DISCOVERY
It is an extensive search to understand the "best of what is"
and "what has been."
It begins with the collaborative act of crafting appreciative
interview questions and constructing an appreciative
interview guide.
These questions are written as affirmative probes into an
organization‟s positive core, in the topic areas selected.
They are written to generate stories, to enrich the images
and inner dialogue within the organization, and to bring the
positive core more fully into focus.
Listening Skills – a good listener
cares
explores your thoughts and feelings
seeks to understand you
goes beyond what is actually said
begins to notice what is „unsaid‟
focuses
Listen, talk, think, listen, think, talk and so on
Pretend to listen
More effort to listen and process information
The balance between talking, listening and internally processing information varies from person to person
A natural activity for most people
The person may or may not be aware of the way you are listening to them
Nod, make „listening noises‟ such as „hmm‟ or „yes‟
Focus on what the other person is saying
Seek to understand
Listener mostly quiet and calm
Listener entirely focused on the other person.
Totally present to the person speaking
Feel as though you are experiencing „being‟ the other person
Levels of Listening
DISCOVERY A complete interview guide includes:
A formal introduction to explain the project and the purpose of the interview.
The questions: Opening questions
Questions on the affirmative topic or topics selected
Concluding questions – generally about future
A summary report sheet
Remember:
We seek, fundamentally, to build from our past and present capacities:
achievements, assets, unexplored potentials, innovations, strengths, elevated thoughts, opportunities, benchmarks, high point moments, lived values, traditions, strategic competencies, stories, expressions of wisdom, insights into the deeper corporate spirit or soul-- and visions of valued and possible futures.
When interviewing, please: Maintain a caring a affirmative spirit
Here are some possible questions to use to probe further: Tell me more. Why was that important to you? How did that affect you? What was your contribution? How did the peer teachers/institute/team support you? How has it changed you?
Let the interviewee tell his/her story. Take notes and listen for great quotes and stories.Be genuinely curious about their experiences, thoughts, and feelings.Some people will take longer to think about their answers. Allow time for silence.The questions should be used as guidelines.
PEOPLE – COOPERATION - TEAM SPIRITThe foundation of any great organization lies in the
strengths of its people. The experiences and diverse backgrounds are assets
that any organization has. It is important to foster personal growth through teamwork, two-way respect, communication and
creativity.A cooperative team spirit is essential.
Important initiatives usually depend on the support and good will of others within work groups and/or
between groups. Cooperation requires trust, open channels of
communication, responsiveness to other‟s needs, and interpersonal competence
PEOPLE – COOPERATION – TEAM SPIRIT
Can you think of a time when there was an extraordinary display of cooperation among diverse individuals or groups?What made such cooperation possible? (Explore: planning methods used, communication systems or process, leadership qualities, skills, team development techniques and others).
Give an example of the most effective team or committee you have been part of. What are the factors/ skills that made it effective?
Describe the most memorable event that illustrates your contribution to the success of a team or organization. What strengths did you bring to that success?
Interview Summary Sheet
What was the most appreciative quotable quote that came out of this interview?
What was the most compelling story that came out of this interview? What details and examples did the interviewee shared?
Overall, what was your sense of what was most important to your colleague?
Quotes, stories, concepts
‟
DREAM Discovery
Dream
Design
DestinyAffirmative
Topic
Dream
“What might be?”
(What is the world calling for)
Envisioning Results
challenge the status quo
working relationships
create synergy
think out of the box
create excitement
DESIGNDiscovery
Dream
Design
DestinyAffirmative
Topic
Design
“What should be--the ideal?”
Co-constructing
“Organizational transformation is much more than the critical mass of personal transformation. It requires macro level changes in the very fabric of organizing, the social architecture.” Diane Whitney
The Requests, Offers and Commitments
approach
The Whole System Design approach
We will be working on two Approaches to the Design Phase
II. The Requests, Offers and Commitments Approach. Each participant is given
the opportunity to publicly state a simple commitment, make an offer or articulate a request.
Simple Commitments describes actions that can be easily taken, typically
within one to two weeks and are within the existing authority and resources available to the person making the commitment.Offers may be made in response to a request for collaboration. Offers
can come in any shape or form - specific is better.Requests are the other side of offers - but focused on what one
person or group needs from another person or group.
I. The Framework ApproachWe will be working on the strategic design on the following topics:Talent development and retentionAlliances and PartnershipsOrganizational Structure
We will be working on the operational design on the following topics:Business ProcessesPoliciesCommunicationTechnology
How should we work together?
What roles do everyone long to play?
What are the leadership roles and functions, preferred
behavior?
How can we best support each other?
What should be our relationship to the community?
What are the practices for improvement, for bringing out the
best in people, and for creating meaningful work?
What should the spirit in the group be like?
What support does the group need?
Who else should be invited?
Team Working
DESTINYDiscovery
Dream
Design
DestinyAffirmative
Topic
Destiny
“How to empower, learn,
and adjust/improvise?”
Sustaining
ongoing learning and innovation
focuses specifically on personal and organizational
commitments and paths forward
the processes, structures, and relationships from the design phase are put into
action.
look for ways to improve and expand the AI process
Appreciative Inquiry Handbook – David L. Cooperride, Diana
Whitney, Jacqueline Stavros (2003) Lakeshore Publishers
What Great Managers Do – Marcus Buckingham (2005) Harvard
Business Review
Appreciative Inquiry: A Positive Approach to Building Cooperative
Capacity – Frank Barret & Ronald Fry (2005) Tao Institute
No+Pálidas: Cuatro Actitudes para el Éxito. Enrique Baliño con
Carlos Pacheco (2011) Xn Publishing
Appreciative Inquiry: Change at the Speed of Imagination -
Magruder Watkins,Bernard J. Mohr (2001) Jossey-Bass/Pfeiffer
El cambio del Comportamiento en el trabajo – Santiago Lazzati
(2008) Granica
REFERENCES
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