Action Inquiry

1. Action Inquiry Presented by Kenny Kury

2. This week’s plan • Focus on consulting projects • Today: use consulting projects to discuss action inquiry • Wednesday & Friday: Dr. B. will debrief consulting projects in detail • Friday: we meet here as a whole group, so please inform any students that are missing

3. Today’s Objectives • Action what? • Why study action inquiry? • What is this action inquiry stuff? • Action Learning • Mental Models • Tools for Use • Parts of Speech • How do you apply this stuff?

4. Action what?Action Inquiry • Action --> In use; practice; doing • Inquiry --> Questioning; asking • Action Inquiry --> Simultaneous inquiring and action

5. Why study action inquiry? • It is a tool to place in your toolbox • Useful in both • Everyday life • Professional life

6. What is this action inquiry stuff? • Action Learning • Feedback Loops • Mental Models • Argyris & Torbert • Tools for Use • Ladder of Inference & Left Hand Column • Parts of Speech • Torbert Method

7. Action Learning Governing values Action Consequences (master program) Strategies Single-Loop Learning Double-loop Learning From Argyris (1993)

8. Mental Models • What are they? • Governing values • World view • Arsenal of strategies • Where do they come from? • Socially Constructed • Problems?

9. Mental ModelsArgyris Model I • Governing Values • Achieve your intended purpose • Maximize winning & minimize losing • Suppress negative feelings • Behave according to what you consider rational (Argyris, 1993)

10. Mental ModelsArgyris Model I • Prevalent Action Strategies • Advocate your position • Evaluate the thoughts & actions of others (as well as your own) • Attribute causes for whatever you are trying to understand (Argyris, 1993)

11. Mental ModelsArgyris Model II • Governing Values • Valid information • Informed Choice • Vigilant monitoring of the implementation of the choice in order to detect and correct error

12. Mental ModelsArgyris Model II • Prevalent Action Strategies • Advocate • Evaluate • Attribute • Illustration

13. Hierarchy Stages inclusive of lower levels but not levels above 45% of managers at Expert level 36% at Achiever Action Logics Opportunist Diplomat Expert Achiever Individualist Strategist Magician Mental ModelsTorbert’s Action Logics

14. Tools for UseLadder of Inference • Belief Professor is prejudiced against athlete. • Conclusions Professor picks on Jane because she is an athlete. • Selective Data Professor is chewing Jane out • Observable Data “Jane, your performance is not up to standard”

15. Examples of the Ladder • Comment made that Chet’s section received higher scores on assignment. • “I also thought it unfair that the judges who did show up were almost all from the football team, except for the TAs how can we expect to compete with a team who is presenting to judges who are their clients and have a vested interest in the presentation.” • “do you think prof. B will give an explanation to the class as to how the judges reached their decision?”

16. Tools for UseLeft Hand Column • Tool to explore past conversations or situations • Means of reflection • Enables you to take a step back

17. What I’m thinking/feeling Student: Why am I here, this is stupid.. Student: I don’t see what the big deal is, I think the paper is fine Student: The Prof. is so demanding, I wish this is over. What is said Student: I’m confused about this meeting Professor Professor: I wanted to review your paper and the assignment. Student: What’s your concern? Professor: Your argumentation is weak. I want you to review these theories. Student: uh, huh…. Left Hand Columnan example

18. Parts of SpeechTorbert Method • Framing • Assumptions or boundaries • Advocating • Asserting an option, perception, or feeling • Illustrating • Telling the story • Inquiring • Questioning others

19. Examples of Parts of Speech • Framing “I have compiled the information on the listserv onto a powerpoint presentation. I will bring my computer to class tomorrow and hopefully we can check it out. Think about the structural holes and the culture of the organization (that is where it is still vague).”

20. Examples of Parts of Speech • Advocating “Everyone (the whole section) needs to look professional for the presentation. Guys, collared shirts, ties, and khakis or dress pants. Girls, dresses, skirts, or dress pants. The whole section needs to be there at 7:45pm.” “We need some good quotes from the interviews that we could use in our presentation.”

21. Examples of Parts of Speech • Illustrating “I think that A did a good job but I also thought that it was a little bit too much and that they were kind of all over the place, they obviously put a lot of time and effort into it just as we did!” “I thought A was pretty good - they put in the time no doubt - they had a lot of stuff that we could have never done just because of the size of the group they were looking at - but then again a lot of those numbers and whatnot just went over my head”

22. Examples of Parts of Speech • Inquiry “I was just wondering about the dress for Sunday's presentation. You said that you guys were wearing suits, but does that mean that everyone in the consulting group should be dressed professionally? or just the presenters? This maybe be a stupid question, but I needed some clarification.” “do you think prof. B will give an explanation to the class as to how the judges reached their decision?”

23. How do you apply this stuff? • In a work environment • In everyday life • Practice, Practice, Practice

24. In Closing • "Computers in the future may have only 1,000 vacuum tubes and perhaps only weigh 1 1/2 tons." Popular Mechanics, 1949 • "Sometimes they write what I say and not what I mean." basepall player Pedro Guerrero on reporters