Jim Taylor Web: Phone: – 39 th St. Red Deer, AB T4N 5T7

Using Appreciative Inquiry To Improve Your Organization presented at Welcome!

Agenda  The Five Factors Critical to Success 1 st Factor – a compelling & important purpose  Initial thoughts  Exploring “Why” using AI – Personal Commitment  Working with Negativity 2 nd Factor – a relentless focus on the positive  Writing interview topics

Five Factors Critical for Success  1. A clearly defined and important purpose.  2. An relentless focus on the positive.  3. A willingness to commit the time and resources needed to do what is necessary.  4. Inclusiveness: all key stakeholders should be involved.  5. Trust in, and commitment to the 4D (or similar) process.

Five Factors Critical for Success 1. A clearly defined and important purpose.

Why do you want to do it?  Build employee and volunteer loyalty  Achieve more affective teamwork  Increase creativity and innovation  Improve client service  Improve morale and enthusiasm for the job  Increase fiscal responsibility & accountability  Promote shared, inspiring leadership

Spend 5 Minutes on Why and What  Why do you want to use an AI process in your organization?  What primarily do you want to achieve through Appreciative Inquiry?  What additional benefits are you hoping to attain?

Exploring “Why” Through AI!  In Pairs Interview each other for 10 minutes using the introductory questions. (“Boom” and I will keep time) Interview each other for 10 minutes using the Personal Commitment questions. (Again, “Boom” and I will keep time)

Debrief  What was that like?  What new thoughts (if any!) do you have about why you might want to do an appreciative inquiry, and what you hope to achieve from it?

Five Factors Critical for Success 2. An relentless focus on the positive.

Writing Interview Guides Introductory Questions Topic Questions – positive preamble Concluding Questions

Topic Examples  The Church as a Positive Healing Force in the Community  Roadway Express – Q 3 re Partnerships  Roadway Express – Q 4 re Fiscal Responsibility

Example: Team Building Some of the most satisfying work experiences come from being part of a really well functioning team. Tell me a story about the best experience you have ever had being a member of an effective team. What contributed to this being a peak experience? What made the team effective? What kinds of relationships were there among the team members? What do you think was your own most valuable contribution to the team? What, specifically, did the team do? What did it feel like to be part of that team? How does it feel now, recalling and talking about that experience? What could your organization do to promote these kind of experiences?

Example: Leadership Good leadership empowers people by supporting their growth and development. Recall a time when someone provided an environment that allowed you or others to learn, to experiment, to take risks. What was going on? What was it about the leader that you value most? Describe his / her qualities. Describe what you were able to accomplish under the guidance of this leader. How did you grow? Recall a time when you supported someone else’s growth and development, when you saw their potential and supported them to go beyond their previous limits. What was going on? What did this person achieve with your help? Tell the story in as much detail as you can.

Dealing with Negativity  “Ain’t it awful …. What I really want …  Using the “Ain’t it awful” side, write down what the most negative person in your organization would say about the organization?

Dealing with Negativity continued Convert all the “Ain’t it awful” statements into “What I really want” statements

Dealing with Negativity continued “Ain’t it awful….” My new manager is a real dictator, s/he hoards information and makes decisions without consulting the people affected.

Dealing with Negativity continued “What I really want is….”... to be involved in decisions that affect me and my staff. I need to know the information upon which decisions are being made.

Dealing with Negativity continued “Ain’t it awful….” S/he's constantly throwing new demands at me that come out of the blue. I never know what's coming next.

Dealing with Negativity continued “What I really want is….”... to know the reasons for the new demands. I need some advance indication of new demands on my time. I need greater predictability.

Dealing with Negativity continued “Ain’t it awful….” Our work place is becoming a depressing place to work. Everyone feels stressed out and worried about the future.

Dealing with Negativity continued “What I really want is….”... a happier work place where people are helped to deal with their stress and where there is some optimism about the future.

A Happier Work Place Work is a pleasure to go when the workplace is a happy place, when people know they are doing something worthwhile, and have the kinds of relationships with colleagues that are positive and affirming. Tell me about the happiest place where you have ever worked. What made it such a happy place? What were relationships like among people? Tell the story in as much detail as you can.

A Happier Work Place continued Tell me about the happiest times you have had in this work place. What was going on that made it happy? What was your own most important contribution to the happy atmosphere? How does it feel now, recalling and talking about that experience? Tell the story in as much detail as you can. What could our organization do to make our workplace a happier place?

Concluding Questions 5 year vision Suggested transformational changes – small and bold Preserving the Positive Core

Interview Summary Form  What was the most quotable quote that came out of this interview?  What was the most compelling story that came out of this interview?  Overall, what was your sense of what was most important to this individual?

Interview Summary Form What were the 1 – 3 positive themes that stood out most for you during the interview related to:  This person’s best experiences and values in relation to working for our organization.  (each of the 3-5 topics of the inquiry)  Vision of the Future  Carrying Forward What We Value Most

Dream Phase is Next  This is a collective activity  Review the data from the interview summary sheets  Collectively imagine the future as if the organization was at its best all the time. – use first concluding question  Provocative Propositions

Design 1. Identify the elements of your social architecture (the way that things are done) that were most talked about in your discovery and dream activities. 2. Consider the data – what did your discovery and dream activities say about the ideal for each element? 3. Write a set of Design Principles that describe and affirm your ideals, that put your values into the elements you selected.

Destiny 5 Steps 1.Review, communicate and celebrate achievements to date to everyone in the organization 2.For each provocative proposition, generate a list of all possible actions that will bring it into being 3.Self organize for Inspired Action Projects 4.Support Success of the Self Organized Projects 5.Systematically apply AI to all aspects of the organization

Debrief  How do you think you might use Appreciative Inquiry in your organization?

So …….!  Go full speed ahead in the direction of your fondest hopes and dreams for the future or your organization.  May all your new connections be positive connections!

Thank you!

Services  Workshops – 1 hr. to full day A Four-hour workshop monthly at the Red Deer Chamber of Commerce (excluding July, Aug.) – partners for Edmonton & Calgary? Full day Conflict Resolution workshops  Consulting – wide range, incl. performance evaluation using BARS and conflict resolution  Research – lit reviews, internet research  Writing (including proposals) and Editing

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