1 Social Transformation through Appreciative Inquiry Ronald E. Fry, Ph.D. Department of Organizational Behavior Case Western Reserve University

2 What a Wonderful Time to Be Alive! End of Apartheid Fall of the Berlin Wall Democratization of Governance and Information Proliferation of Strategic and Trade Alliances Increasing focus on Sustainability (not just profits)

3 It is a Time for Rethinking 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

4 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!

5 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 …

6 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

7 Ap-pre’ci-ate, v., 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.

8 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, study and systematic exploration.

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

10 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

11 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

12 Who Is Using It? US Navy British Airways Roadway Express MacDonalds Dalai Lama Nutrimental (Brazil) Palestine & Jewish Entrepreneurs Avon Mexico American Red Cross Cleveland Public Schools GTE (Verizon)

13 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.

14 “YES” MEN MISSED COMMITMENTS BURNOUT Critical Thinking Gap Analysis TURF BATTLES New Circuit Failure Rate REORGANIZATION Repeat Reports Spell Check BLOCKED CALLS UNFAVORABLE TROUBLE REPORT CUSTOMER COMPLAINTS RISK PERFORMANCE REVIEW DEBUG Red Tape WARNING SILOS Down Time

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

Pioneering Research Across Many Fields An Emerging Vocabulary of “Positive Change”

17 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

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

19 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)

20 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)

21 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

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

23 Whole System 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.

24 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.

25 Positive Topic Choice 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 What Would You Prefer to Spend Your Time on? Low Morale brought about by severe recession or High Enthusiasm derived from innovation

27 FROM: “Reduce Lost and Damaged Baggage Claims” TO: “Exceptional Arrival Experiences” British Airways

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

29 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 * AI & Organizational Transformation: Reports from the field. R. Fry, et. al. (Eds.) Westport, CN: Quorum, 2001.

30 Genius is in Creating the 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

31 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 have us both win? What makes HR questions inspiring, energizing, and mobilizing?

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

33 “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

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

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

36Discussion One key idea or interesting thought you have heard… One specific way you could personally shift the “positive imbalance” of dialogue in your life…TOMORROW One idea you have for shifting the positive imbalance of public dialogue in Uruguay

37 Recent Publications Appreciative Inquiry: Change at the speed of imagination. Watkins, J., Mohr, Bernard, Jossey Bass, 2001 Appreciative Inquiry & Organizational Transformation: Reports from the field. Fry, R., Barrett, F., Seiling, J. Whitney, D. (Eds.) Quorum, 2002

38 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!