Appreciative Inquiry: The Positive Core of Change

1. Appreciative Inquiry:The Positive Core of Change Sponsored by University of St. Thomas OD Program and MN OD Network Presented by David L. Cooperrider Case Western Reserve University (http://appreciativeinquiry.cwru.edu)

2. An Open Moment… We Are “In It.” Now. • Thank God our precious time is now – M.L. King • A Time to Re-think Human Relationships and Change, e.g. • “No Limits to Cooperation” Power of Wholeness • Realities and Relationships: The “Language of Life” • A Positive Revolution in Change

3. Appreciative Inquiry is a Shift… “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

4. Discovery “What gives life?” (The best of what is) Appreciating Destiny “How to empower, learn, and improvise?” Sustaining Dream “What might be?” (What is the worldcalling for) Envisioning Results Affirmative Topic Choice Design “What should be—the ideal?” Co-constructing Appreciative Inquiry “4-D”

5. Five Principles of “AI” • Constructionist Principle • Principle of Simultaneity • Open Book “Poetic Principle” • Anticipatory Principle • Positive Principle • (One More…Principle of Wholeness)

6. #1. Moments of Magnified Meaning Making

7. # 2. Exploring Moments of Leadership in Your Life: A story of a “high point” experience…leading positive change?

8. #3. Your Vision of a Better World & Your Images and Vision of… Business as an Agent of World Benefit? How Ideally Organized? Practices? Bring Out Best in Human Beings?

9. Starting AI Interview(dialogue in pairs) • A-->B (15 min) • B-->A (15 min) • Spirit of discovery • Take brief notes • At the end.. summary & thanks • Return @4:45

10. Pioneering ResearchAcross Many Fields An Emerging Vocabulary of “Positive Change”

11. Many Disciplines Positive Images of Future & Positive Change • Positive Health…Placebo, etc. • Pygmalion: We are Made and Imagined In Each Others Eyes • What Good are Positive Emotions? Inspiration, Hope, Joy • Imbalanced “Inner Dialogue” • Our Inner Media & Outer Media • Affirmative Capacity

12. Identify problem Conduct root cause analysis Brainstorm solutionsand analyze Develop action plans “The signal accomplishment of the industrial age was the notion of continuous improvement. It remains the secular religion of most managers… has reached the point of diminishing returns in incremental improvement programs.” – Gary Hamel Leading The Revolution Deficit Theory of Change … and Cultural Consequences of Deficit Discourse Metaphor: Organizations are problems to be solved

13. With person next to you… • Things most interesting-- or important-- in any of these areas? (positive health; placebo; pygmalion; inner dialogue; outer media; positive emotions; affirmative capability) • Any examples from your life? Other research?

14. Identify problem Conduct root cause analysis Brainstorm solutionsand analyze Develop action plans Vocabularies of… Professional Vocabularies of Deficit Bureaucratic Disenchantment Original Sin Critical Theory Deconstruction Critical-Cynical Media Deficit Theory of Change … and Cultural Consequences of Deficit Discourse Metaphor: Organizations are problems to be solved

15. Cultural Consequences of Deficit Discourse • Fragmentation • Few New Images of Possibility…Self-Fulfilling Frames/Questions • Exhaustion &Visionless Voice • “The Experts Must Know”…Dependence and Hierarchy • Spirals in Deficit Vocabularies • Breakdown in Relations/Closed Door Meetings/Decrease in Public Space/Cycle of …

16. Ap-pre’ci-ate, v., 1. Valuing … • The act of recognizing the best in people and the world around us; • Affirming past and present strengths, successes, and potentials; • To perceive those things that give life (health, vitality, and excellence) to living systems. 2. To increase in value, e.g. the economy has appreciated in value. • Synonyms: valuing, prizing, esteeming,and honoring.

17. In-quire’ (kwir), v., 1. The act of exploration and discovery. 2. To ask questions; to be open to seeing new potentials and possibilities. • Synonyms: discovery, search, studyand systematic exploration.

18. What would you call it?(all these things taken together) • Achievements • Strategic opportunities • Cooperative Moments • Technical assets • Innovations • Elevated thoughts • Community assets • Positive emotions • Financial assets • Community wisdom • Core competencies • Visions of possibility • Vital traditions, values • Positive macrotrends • Social capital • Embedded knowledge • Business ecosystem +s eg. suppliers, partners, competitors, customer

19. The “Positive Core” • Complete Organizational Wealth—”Well-being” • An Incredible Energy • AI as an “Organizational Yoga”

20. Whole Organizational Connection to the “Positive Core” • Elevates: positive emotions of hope, inspiration, confidence, joy; raises intelligence; expands the language of life (internal dialogue); increases in appreciative interchange and mutually elevating relationships; higher creativity, better decision making, increased collective capacity. • “Undo” Negative Impacts: letting go, makes irrelevant, finishes the residual of negative past. • Protection in Future: Increaseshealth-ability; resilience; accumulation of power; like an increase in immune system functioning.

21. The Idea of Positive Change • Any form of organization change, re-design, or planning that begins with comprehensive analysis of an organization’s “positive core” and then links this knowledge to the heart of any strategic change agenda. • Because human systems move toward what they persistently ask questions about, positive change involves the deliberate discovery of everything that gives a system “life” when it is most effective in economic and human terms. • Link the positive core directly to any strategic agenda, and changes never thought possible are more rapidly mobilized while simultaneously building enthusiasm, corporate confidence, and human energy.

22. Discovery “What gives life?” (The best of what is) Appreciating Destiny “How to empower, learn, and improvise?” Sustaining Dream “What might be?” (What is the worldcalling for) Envisioning Results Affirmative Topic Choice Design “What should be—the ideal?” Co-constructing Appreciative Inquiry “4-D”

23. An Exciting Story & Example of Ai In Action • Recently Featured in Fast Company • Roadway Express…Lets Look Closer.

24. We Are Born To Appreciate: Three Facts About All Human Beings • Exceptionality • Essentiality • Equality/Voice and Vision

25. Positive Topic Choice • Human systems move in the direction of what we deeply and persistently ask questions about • Transformational topics are possible in any situation, and will generate more positive change—every time. • The skill of framing and re-framing

26. Topic Creation: Examples Community in “Full Voice” Transformational Cooperation Healthy Multi-racial Relationships Revolutionary Customer Response Magnetic Work Environment Outstanding Arrival Experiences Business as an Agent of World Benefit Courageous Acts of Goodness Empowering & Enlightened Leadership

27. Creating Topics for An AI That Has High Transformational Potential • Some groups create a 3 topics for inquiry for the community . Other groups create AI topic for your center itself. Good Topics are: • Desired • The words are energizing…you would like to learn, discover, and do interviews around the topic • Have high potential to generate positive change…bold. • Opposites are OK….sometimes are the best topics.

28. Website For These Slides and for Sharing AI Tools • http://appreciativeinquiry.cwru.edu (“Appreciative Inquiry Commons”, Weatherhead School of Management, Case Western Reserve University) Please submit/share your new tools, stories, studies!

29. Appreciative Inquiry: Mini Forum • The Art of the Question • The Ai Summit Method

30. #1. Moments of Magnified Meaning Making

31. # 2. Exploring Moments of Leadership in Your Life: • A “high point” story of change…

32. #3. Your Vision of a Better World & Your Images and Vision of… • Business as an Agent of World Benefit? How Ideally Organized? Practices? Bring Out Best in Human Beings?

33. We Live in the Worlds Our Questions Create Be patient … and try to love the questions themselves. Live the questions now. Perhaps you will then gradually, without noticing it, live along some distant day into the answer. – Rainer Maria Rilke

34. What’s the biggest problem here? Why did I have to be born in such a troubled family? Why do you blow it so often? Why do we still have those problems? What possibilities exist that we have not yet considered? What’s the smallest change that could make the biggest impact? What solutions would haveus both win? What makes HR questions inspiring, energizing, and mobilizing? The Art of the Question

35. Genius is Creatingthe Question “What would the universe look like if I were riding on the end of a light beam at the speed of light?” – Albert Einstein

36. The Encyclopedia ofPositive Questions • A Craft That Can Change Everything • Consider the Shifts…

37. What New Questions? From a Study Customer Dissatisfaction and Complaints

38. Magnetic Connections Preface: In the physical world, all matter is held together by the pull between opposite electric charges. Successful e-companies are highly nimble, flexible communities. People connect in new and innovative ways. Suppliers and customers are pulled together and become seamless edge-to-edge organizations. Communities of interest form and are pulled together by shared values. Knowledge networks form as catalysts for innovation and creativity.

39. Magnetic Connections (continued) • Think of a time when you felt “magnetically” connected to your client, your colleagues, and your community … connected in a way that the force was so strong that it could not be broken. What was that experience? What did it feel like? • As you look into the future, describe how you see us connected to our customers and our colleagues —in ways that are so strong that we are seen as inseparable business partners.

40. From an Analysis of Grievance Reduction to….

41. Engagement and Positive Energy • Preface • Organizations work best when they are vibrant, alive and fun. You know, when the "joint is jumping!" You can sense that the spirit of the organization is vital and healthy and that people feel pride in their work. Everyone builds on each other's successes, a positive can do attitude is infectious and the glow of success is shared. What's more, this positive energy is appreciated and celebrated so it deepens and lasts.

42. Engagement and Positive Energy • Questions: A. Tell me about a time when you experienced positive energy that was infectious. What was the situation? What created the positive energy? How did it feel to be a part of it? What did you learn? B. If positive energy were the flame of the organization, how would you spark it? How would you fuel it to keep it burning bright?

43. What Would You Study? From Analysis of Baggage Delays To …

44. Exceptional Arrival Experience Preface: • Our goal is to provide an exceptional travel experience both in the air and on the ground.The handling of a flight’s arrival and baggage reconciliation is of equal importance to any other aspect of a passenger’s journey. The arrival experience is the time to leave a wonderful lasting impression. It also provides the opportunity to recover from any service shortfall the customer may have encountered. Focusing on Exceptional Arrival Experience demonstrates commitment to both our customers and to one another.

45. Exceptional Arrival Experience (continued) • Describe your most memorable arrival experience, as a customer or, as airline personnel. What made it memorable for you? How did you feel? • Tell me a story about your most powerful service recovery. Describe the situation. • What was it about you that made it happen? • Who else was involved and why were they significant? • What tools did you use or what did you do that others might be able to do when in a similar situation?

46. Exceptional Arrival Experience (continued) • If you had a magic wand, how would you use it to enhance our overall arrivals experience for our customers? What ideas do you have to ensure exceptional arrival experiences for all our customers? And to make the process easier for us, as well!

47. The Surprise of Friendship! • One could say a key task in life is to discover and define our life purpose, and then accomplish it to the best of our ability.   • Can you share a story of a moment, or the period of time, where clarity about life purpose emerged for you. For example, a moment where your calling happened, where there was an important awakening or teaching, where there was a special experience or event, or where you received some guiding vision? • Now, beyond this story … what do you sense you are supposed to do before your life, this life, is over?

48. Education • Knowledge empowers people and people power Hunter Douglas. We each contribute to Hunter Douglas’ position of market leadership through personal knowledge of: our jobs and equipment; other functions in the Company; our customers; our competition; and the industry. • To maintain our position as market leaders, we must continue to invest in each employee’s training and education through: • Challenging work assignments • Individual coaching • Job cross-training • Tuition assistance • On- and off-site classes and • Family scholarships for our children

49. Education (continued) • If knowledge empowers people, and people power Hunter Douglas, what kind of learning opportunities would turbo charge Hunter Douglas? • Tell me about the best training you have ever experienced, and what made the best? • How did this influence your development as a professional? • How did it influence the training you passed on to others?

50. Education (continued) • Reflecting on your past and where you are today,what types of training have proven the mostbeneficial to you? • Robert Fulghum wrote a book entitled “All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten.” If this was kindergarten, what would you like to learn for the future?