The First International Conference on Appreciative Inquiry An “Open Moment…” A Time to Re-think Human Organization and Change

The First International Conference on

Appreciative Inquiry


An “Open Moment…”

A Time to Re-think Human Organization and Change

Appreciative Inquiry: The Positive Core of Change

Welcome…We Are Excited to Be With You!

Magnified Moment of Meaning Making

World & Trade

Heroic Acts & Generous Spirit

Relationships and Reality

Humanity Rising

An Open Moment… We Are “In It.” Now.

Thank God our precious time is now – M.L. King

A Positive Revolution

“No Limits to Cooperation” Power of Wholeness

Executive Courage/Business Leadership

The Language of Life

Shift in Metaphor:World is Problem? Or?

“Generative” Webs of Relatedness …Alive, Infinite Capacity, Co-creative

“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

Our Metaphors MatterHuman Organizations Are…?

Machines in need of endless fixing?

Organizations are “problems to be solved”?

OR?

Centers of Relational “Appreciation”

…homes of infinite capacity, infinite imagination, ever expanding alive relations, creative construction, “mystery” “gift”.



#1. Moments of Magnified Meaning Making



# 2. Exploring Moments of Leadership in Your Life:

A story of a “high point” moment?



#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?



#4. Connecting to the Positive Core:Leading Exemplars…

Stories of today’s leading organizations and practices…?



#5. Creating Epidemics of Positive Change:

Smallest steps with biggest impact?

Bolder steps you can imagine?

Starting AI Interview (dialogue in pairs)

A-->B (40 min)

B-->A (40 min)

Spirit of discovery

Take brief notes

At the end.. summary & thanks

Return @ 7:05

Warren Bennis on Appreciative Leadership and Change

Our meeting in 1981 & talk at Cape Cod

Ascending into Our Field’s History

3 Core Elements: The Spirit of Inquiry—Big Issues of the Day Positive Assumptions About Human Being “Y” Vivid Utopias and Daring Predictions



Preview

Exciting Roundtables, Continuity in Plenaries, Special Happenings

Discovery Plenary: Drawing From the Past and Present “The Positive Core”

Welcome ….Going Deeper Into Our Topic

Principles of Appreciative Inquiry and the Idea of the “Positive Core of Change”

Groups: Discoveries, Maps of the Positive Core

Commentary and Tales from Corporate Life : We Live In Worlds Our Questions Create

Discovery•Opportunity & Call

•Positive Core•History as Possibility

Discovery•Opportunity & Call

•Positive Core•History as Possibility

Dream•Purpose

•Visions & New Story

Dream•Purpose

•Visions & New Story

Design•Provocative Propositions

Ideal Organizations & World“Constitutional Principles”

Design•Provocative Propositions

Ideal Organizations & World“Constitutional Principles”

Destiny•People & Practices

•Structures •Improvisation & Learning

Destiny•People & Practices

•Structures •Improvisation & Learning

AI “4-D” Cycle

Topic :Vision of Business

As Agent of World Benefit

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

Five Principles of “AI”

Constructionist Principle

Principle of Simultaneity

Open Book “Poetic Principle”

Anticipatory Principle

Positive Principle

(One More…Principle of Wholeness)

Groups(2+2+2)=6 people…plus 1

1. Introduce your partner…highlights!

2. Draw highlights from question one and two—last night’s AI conversation…

Welcome, welcome to those arriving this A.M….invite them to share from the 2 questions.

Deficit Theory of Change … and Cultural Consequences of Deficit Discourse

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

Metaphor: Organizations are problems to be solved

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.

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.

What Would You Call It?(All These Things Taken Together)

Achievements

Strategic opportunities

Product strengths

Technical assets

Innovations

Elevated thoughts

Best business practices

Positive emotions

Financial assets

Organization wisdom

Core competencies

Visions of possibility

Vital traditions, values

Positive macro trends

Social capital

Embedded knowledge

Business ecosystem resources and capabilities

The “Positive Core”

Complete Organizational Wealth—”Well-being”

An Incredible Energy

AI as an “Organizational Yoga”

Appreciative Inquiry “4-D”

DiscoveryDiscovery““What gives life?”What gives life?”

(The best of what is)(The best of what is)

AppreciatingAppreciating

DiscoveryDiscovery““What gives life?”What gives life?”

(The best of what is)(The best of what is)

AppreciatingAppreciating

DreamDream““What might be?”What might be?”(What is the world(What is the world

calling for)calling for)Envisioning ResultsEnvisioning Results

DreamDream““What might be?”What might be?”(What is the world(What is the world

calling for)calling for)Envisioning ResultsEnvisioning Results

DesignDesign““What should be—What should be—

the ideal?”the ideal?”

Co-constructingCo-constructing

DesignDesign““What should be—What should be—

the ideal?”the ideal?”

Co-constructingCo-constructing

DestinyDestiny““How to empower, learn,How to empower, learn,

and improvise?”and improvise?”

SustainingSustaining

DestinyDestiny““How to empower, learn,How to empower, learn,

and improvise?”and improvise?”

SustainingSustaining

AffirmativeTopic Choice

Groups

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

The Art of the Question

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?



What New Questions?

From a Study Customer Dissatisfaction and Complaints

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.

Magnetic Connections

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.



What Would You Study?

From Analysis of Baggage Delays

To …

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.

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?

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!

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?

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

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?

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?

Discovering Optimal Margins

With revenues, tonnage, and sales at record levels one of the most important opportunities we face is to engage everyone in increasing positive margins now and to do so will call on discovery of new strengths, build on old strengths, and carry us to higher levels financially.

– As you look at Roadway from the perspective of our capabilities, and as you think about the business context and opportunities, how do you define "optimal margin“ for us? Define it: what is the positive margin you want and believe we have the capability to create? Right now? In the moderate time frame? Longer term?

Discovering Optimal Margins(continued)

As you reflect on your leadership here at Roadway — times where you have mobilized or helped develop others — there have been high points and low points, successful moments, etc. Please describe one situation, or change initiative that you are proud about — an achievement in which you feel you had impact in realizing better margins. What happened? What were the challenges" What was it about you or your leadership style? Lessons learned?

If anything imaginable was possible, if there were no constraints whatever, what would the nature of an ideal Roadway organization look like if we were to rapidly move into stage of delivering optimal margins? Describe, as if you had a magic wand, what we would be doing new, better, or different? Envision it happening? What do you see happening that isnew, different, better ?

Websites of Interest

http://appreciativeinquiry.cwru.edu

(“Appreciative Inquiry Commons”, Weatherhead School of Management, Case Western Reserve

University, Devoted to Appreciative Inquiry Sharing of Tools & Concepts & Studies )

WWW.AIConsulting.org (a newly emerging network AI practitioners and consulting firms.)

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

Simple Insights,Personal Learnings

We live in worlds our questions create.

Organizations are centers of human relationship, and relationships come alive where there is an Appreciative eye.


We have reached the limits of problem solving (deficit-based theories of change) … organizations need a lot less fixing and a lot more affirmation.

Appreciation magnifies collective intelligence, freedom and connectivity.


Appreciative approaches are toself-organizing / web-like / networked / partnership organizations as deficit based approaches were to command-and-control bureaucracy.

Positive change is easy. It changes change. Changes lives. But it is different…



Pioneering ResearchAcross Many Fields

An Emerging Vocabulary of “Positive Change”



What New Questions?

From a Study of Information Technology Breakdowns

To …

Revolutionary Partnerships

The mark of a revolutionary partnership is doing things radically different together. Not only different, but quicker, with a common focus, leveraging each other’s diverse strengths. Also, establishing new ways of doing business that are based on trust, mutual respect and a shared vision.

Revolutionary Partnerships (continued)

Think of a time when you were part of a revolutionary partnership, a time in your life, at work, or in your personal or community life, when you not only met the other person(s) half way, but met and exceeded needs on both sides.

Describe the situation in detail. What made it feel radically different? Who was involved? How did you interact differently, what were the outcomes and benefits you experienced?

Inspiring Interfaith Cooperation

German Theologian, Hans Kung gave voice to the ever increasing call for interfaith cooperation when he wrote, “There can be no peace in the world until there is peace among religions, there can be no peace among religions until there is dialogue among religions.”

Interfaith cooperation takes many forms and means many things to people around the world. It may be as simple an act as sharing lessons from your sacred texts with members of another faith. It may be as joyful and yet challenging as a marriage among people of differing traditions or religions. Or it may be the intentional cooperation among people of differing religions and faiths to bring an end to war, abuse and hostility in their community.

Inspiring Interfaith Cooperation (continued)

As you have traveled your life’s journey, I am sure you have met with and perhaps even worked side by side with people whose religious and spiritual beliefs and practices are different from yours. Tell me about a time of inspiring interfaith cooperation, a time when you were engaged and enlivened in dialogue or action with a member of another religion. What drew you to this situation? What about it was inspiring to you?

– What made cooperation possible?

– What did you learn in that situation that would help others seeking to foster interfaith cooperation?

If we were to create an award for “Inspiring Interfaith Cooperation” what would you want it to recognize and reward? Who today would you nominate for this award and why?

Documents

The First International Conference on Appreciative Inquiry An “Open Moment…” A Time to Re-think Human Organization and Change