1 Re-Thinking Human Organization & Change through Appreciative Inquiry Ronald E. Fry, Ph.D. Department of Organizational Behavior Case Western Reserve University

2 It is a Time for Re-thinking Human Organization and Change “We are at the very point in time when a 400- year old age is dying and another is struggling to be born, a shifting of culture, science, society, and institutions enormously greater than the world has ever experienced. Ahead, the possibility of the regeneration of relationships, liberty, community, and ethics such as the world has never known, and a harmony with nature, with one another, and with the divine intelligence such as the world has never dreamed.” --Dee Hock, Founder & CEO--Visa --Dee Hock, Founder & CEO--Visa

3 Deficit Theory of Change … and Cultural Consequences of Deficit Discourse Identify problem Conduct root cause analysis Brainstorm solutions and 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!

4 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 despair …

5 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

6 Appreciative Inquiry A collaborative search to identify and understand the organization’s strengths, its’ potentials, the greatest opportunities, and people’s hopes for the future.

7 What is AI? Learn from the “best of the our past” to envision our future Celebrate and exploit our “Positive Core” Create bold, positive images of our future to drive organizational change Work together on ideas that most attract us

8 Who’s Using It? US Navy British Airways Roadway Express MacDonalds Dalai Lama Nutrimental (Brazil) Palestine/Jewish Entrepreneurs Avon Mexico American Red Cross Cleveland Public Schools

9 Los 5 Principios de “AI” El Principio Construccionista - El Principio Construccionista - Organizations move in the direction of what they most talk about. El Principio de Simultaneidad - El Principio de Simultaneidad - Change begins with the first question you ask. El Principio Poético - El Principio Poético - Anything can be studied in every social system. El Principio de Anticipación - El Principio de Anticipación - Deep change = change in our active images of the future. El Principio Positivo - El Principio Positivo - The more positive the anticipatory image, the more positive the change.

10 2 Key Questions… 1. What, in this particular context, has made (organizing) possible? 2. What possibilities exist, latent or explicit, to have even more effective forms of (organizing) in the future?

#1. Peak Experience A story of a recent “high point” experience

# 2. Leading Positive Change An exceptional moment of organizing An exceptional moment of organizing for Positive Change for Positive Change What do you value most about Your contribution…? What do you value most about the contribution of Others…? …the Organization, situation, structure, task, etc…?

13 #3. Envisioning the Future we want Wake up from a long sleep…describe the ideal state as if it were happening. 3 Wishes for your organization so that Exceptional Leadership was experienced by everyone, everyday:

14 Starting AI Interview (dialogue in pairs) A-->B (12 min) - #1 & #2 B-->A (12 min) - #1 & #2 A and B (6 min) - #3 Spirit of discovery – “eye of the child” Take brief notes At the end.. summary & thanks

15 The Power of AI Stories Stories stick like glue…Stories stick like glue… Make information easier to remember…”Whole brain”Make information easier to remember…”Whole brain” Builds identities and fosters relationshipsBuilds identities and fosters relationships Medium for conveying values, visionsMedium for conveying values, visions Moves the internal dialogue of the system…builds sense of cooperative potentialMoves the internal dialogue of the system…builds sense of cooperative potential Human Hope…suspends notions of why things cannot happenHuman Hope…suspends notions of why things cannot happen Story-getting and Story-telling are untapped management tools! Story-getting and Story-telling are untapped management tools!

16 In Groups of Pairs: Introduce your partner with main headline or theme from his/her “highpoint” story List common “life giving” factors to Exceptional Leadership that span several of your stories (Question #2) Share the images for the Future that came up (Question #3) and list most common wishes

17 Metaphor… Organization as a “wonder” to embrace Discovery “What gives life?” (The best of what is) AppreciatingDiscovery “What gives life?” (The best of what is) Appreciating Dream “What might be?” (What is the world calling for) Envisioning Results Dream “What might be?” (What is the world calling for) Envisioning Results Design “What should be— the ideal?” Co-constructingDesign Co-constructing Destiny “How to empower, learn, and improvise?” SustainingDestiny “How to empower, learn, and improvise?” Sustaining Affirmative Topic Choice AI “4D” Cycle

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 Community wisdom Core competencies Visions of possibility Vital traditions, values Social capital Embedded knowledge Financial assets

19 The “Positive Core” Complete Organizational Wealth— ”Well-being” An Incredible Energy Source of Continuity

20 Whole Organizational Connection to the “Positive Core” Elevates:elicits positive emotions of hope, inspiration, confidence, joy; raises intelligence; expands the language of life (internal dialogue); increases in appreciative interchange and mutually elevating relationships; heightens creativity, ignites decision making, increases collective capacity. Elevates: elicits positive emotions of hope, inspiration, confidence, joy; raises intelligence; expands the language of life (internal dialogue); increases in appreciative interchange and mutually elevating relationships; heightens creativity, ignites decision making, increases collective capacity. “Undoes” Negative Impacts: releases, makes irrelevant, finishes the residual of negative past. Protects: Increases health, 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 Positive Change begins with 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

23 What would you rather study? Low Morale or High Enthusiasm

24 Exceptional Arrival Experiences 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.

25 Exceptional Arrival Experiences (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?

26 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!

27 Affirmative Topic Creation: (Examples) Community in “Full Voice” Transformative Cooperation Culture of Inclusion Remarkable Margins Magnetic Work Environment Exceptional Arrival Experiences Business as an Agent of World Benefit Leadership at Every Level

28 FROM: “Throughput” TO: “Winning with Employee- Driven Throughput: Crushing non-union competition by delivering unsurpassed speed and leveraging employee pride and involvement.” Roadway Express

Why does AI work? Pioneering Research Across Many Fields: An Emerging Vocabulary of “Positive Change”

30 Placebo Effect: Pygmalion Effect: The Role of Positive Emotions? Imbalanced “Inner Dialogue” Cultural Consequences Learned Affirmative Capacity Many Disciplines Positive Images of Future Drives Positive Change

31 What Good are Positive Emotions? JOY Play INTERESTExploration CONTENTMENTSavor & Integrate LOVEAll of the above Positive Emotions broaden our thought and action repertories… B. Frederickson

32 Empirical Support In the moment, Positive Emotions: Broaden Attention and Thinking (Fredrickson & Branigan, 2002; Waugh & Fredrickson, in prep) Undo Lingering Negative Emotional Arousal (Fredrickson & Levenson, 1998; Fredrickson, Mancuso, Branigan & Tugade, 2000) Fuel Resilient Coping (Fredrickson, Tugade, Waugh & Larkin, 2002; Tugade & Fredrickson, 2002)

33 Empirical Support Over time, Positive Emotions: Prevent depression (Fredrickson, Tugade, Waugh, & Larkin, 2002) Trigger Upward Spirals to Increase Well-being (Fredrickson & Joiner, 2002; Tugade & Fredrickson, 2002) Build optimism, tranquility, and resilience (Fredrickson, Tugade, Waugh, & Larkin, 2002)

34 Applications of Appreciative Inquiry*  Culture change  Strategic Change/Planning  Full Engagement of People: Schools Communities, Networks, Movements, Organizations  Strength of Diversity: Cultures of Unity  Labor-management partnerships  Good Supervision  Operational Excellence: “Optimal Margins”  Mergers; New Teams  Performance Valuation * AI & Organizational Transformation: Reports from the field. R. Fry, et. al. (Eds.) Westport, CN: Quorum, 2001.

35 There is No such thing as a “Neutral” Question!

36 Application Discussion

37 Appreciative Leadership To continuously Value the best in people and in the organization today To continuously Inquire into the possibilities to do better in the future To nurture and sustain the Positive Core

38 “To survive and succeed, every organization will have to learn to turn itself into a change agent. The most effective way to manage change is to successfully create it. But experience has shown that grafting innovation on to traditional enterprise does not work. The enterprise has to become the change agent…It requires organized abandonment of things unsuccessful and exploitation of successes. Peter F. Drucker Managing in the New Society, 2002 The Call for Positive Change

39 Remember… miracle Organizing is a miracle to be embraced “heliotropic” People and Organisations are “heliotropic”

40 n Exceptionality n Essentiality n Equality/Voice We are born to Appreciate!

41 Website For These Slides and for Sharing AI Tools (“Appreciative Inquiry Commons”, Weatherhead School of Management, Case Western Reserve University) Please submit/share your new tools, stories, studies!