1. ©2003 Executive Edge, Inc. www.executiveedgeinc.com Sterling Morton Elementary School Team Excellence™ August 18, 2003 Mentor, OH Executive Edge, Inc. Permission Granted to Post on the AI Commons— March 17, 2005

2. ©2003 Executive Edge, Inc. www.executiveedgeinc.com Learning Objectives Kick-Start the New School Year –Have fun together in a different learning context Identify Individual Personality Preferences –Myers Briggs Type Indicator™ Identify Current & Target New “Best Practices” –Appreciative Inquiry Interviews and Discussion –Micro-World Learning Lab Practice New Behaviors in a Safe Environment –Micro-World Learning Lab Target Action Steps –Identify 2-3 Action Items that Make Sense

3. ©2003 Executive Edge, Inc. www.executiveedgeinc.com Our Day Together Morning Lunch Afternoon Take MBTI Instrument Discuss MBTI Material Paired Appreciative Interviews Small Group Discussion—”Root Causes of Success” Micro-World Learning Lab Action Items

4. ©2003 Executive Edge, Inc. www.executiveedgeinc.com Our Day Together Morning Afternoon Individual –Who Am I? Personality Preferences Hopes & Dreams Community –Who are we together? Our “Best Practices” Our Hopes & Dreams –What actions should we take together?

5. ©2003 Executive Edge, Inc. www.executiveedgeinc.com Appreciative Inquiry AI is the cooperative search for the best in people and their organizations. It involves systematic discovery of “what gives a system life” when it is most effective and capable —in economic, ecological and human terms. Our Topic: If We Discover Our Best at Sterling Morton, What Might We Become

6. ©2003 Executive Edge, Inc. www.executiveedgeinc.com How It Works… Generally First, understand the POSITIVE CORE of a living system. What makes it most effective and vital, in economic, ecological and human terms? –We move in the direction of our deepest and most frequently asked questions. Positive guiding images of the future trigger action in the present. –Images are found in our dialogue with each other. –Ratio of positive to negative statements is a success factor for change. –Individuals & groups can then weave the best of what is into formal and informal practices. This new approach to change, based on the power of the positive question, has emerged from revolutions in many fields.

7. ©2003 Executive Edge, Inc. www.executiveedgeinc.com Research Studies When organizations capture positive imagery internally and make it visible, it starts to drive change in an self-directed way. It creates a sense of focus. Our image of the future drives our ACTION! Placebo Effect Help someone construct an image of how something might happen, and it drives behavior which creates a change in that direction Pygmalion Effect Change a teacher’s image of a student, and their behavior changes toward the student, improving student performance Sociology The study of problems creates an increase in number & severity of problems. But opposite also occurs. Sports Vivid visualization of one’s performance guides physical performance. Speed of learning when only correct images are reviewed. Internal Conversations Studies of pre and post operative patients. Difference in recovery between positive and negative imagery.

8. ©2003 Executive Edge, Inc. www.executiveedgeinc.com Comparison to Problem Focus What to fix Underlying grammar = problem, symptoms, causes, solutions, action plan, intervention Breaks things into pieces & specialties, guaranteeing fragmented responses Slow! Takes a lot of positive emotion to make real change. Assumes organizations are constellations of problems to be overcome What to grow New grammar of the true, good, better, possible “Problem focus” implies that there is an ideal. AI breaks open the box of what the ideal is first. Expands vision of preferred future. Creates new energy fast. Assumes organizations are sources of infinite capacity and imagination Problem SolvingAppreciative Inquiry

9. ©2003 Executive Edge, Inc. www.executiveedgeinc.com The AI Change Process Discovery: Opportunity Context Positive Core Leveraging “Best Practices” Dream: Envisioning what might be; shared images for a preferred future Design: Finding innovative ways to create that future; Micro-world Learning Lab Destiny: Sustaining the Change Taking Action Topic The Best Sterling Morton

10. ©2003 Executive Edge, Inc. www.executiveedgeinc.com AI Team Interviews Complete Paired Interviews –A-->B (20 min) –B-->A (20 min) –Spirit of discovery –Take brief notes, search –Complete Interview Summary Sheet

11. ©2003 Executive Edge, Inc. www.executiveedgeinc.com Small Group Lunch Discussion Self Management and Group leadership roles… (Discussion leader, Timekeeper, Recorder, Reporter) Groups Form: 2+2+2=6 Introduce your partners vis-à-vis your interviews—share highlights, insights, high point stories Root Causes of Success— Everyone listen for patterns/insights Review Interview Summary Sheets Identify trends & themes related to “The Best Sterling Morton”