1. Appreciative Inquiry –
a well-being perspective
Prepared by Kelly Moller
Leadership Development and Coaching Specialist
2. Global leadership and Organisational
effectiveness (GLOBE)
GLOBE initiated 1991, 2004 publication
‘Organisational’ Leadership
Culture defined as....
shared motives, values, beliefs, identities, and
interpretations of events shared by a collective
(societal & organisational)
Does your culture nurture well-being for your
organisation and everyone in it?
3. The Learning Cycle…
Conscious
Mind
Sub-
conscious
Mind
Unknown
Ability
“I don’t know
what I can do”
Subconscious
Ability
“I Just do it”
Known Ability
“I am aware of what
I’m doing”
Experimentation, Reflection
& Learning
Enhanced Ability
“I Can do it other ways”
“I’ve never looked at it that way
before”
Refinement &
Repetition &
Application
Information
& Feedback
New challenges
& Experiences
(Source: Dean Bennett, 2006)
4. Appreciative Inquiry = Amplify the best
Overview
Positive coreUnited voice My contribution?
AI= DEFINE
DISCOVERY, DREAM, DESIGN, DESTINY
....look at the things that are working, and build on them to
facilitate the production of unique strengths (USP)
Teamwork
Innovation
Collaboration
Knowledge
Together
Everyone
Achieves
More
5. “It could be argued that all leadership is appreciative leadership.
It’s the capacity to see the best in the world around us, in our
colleagues, and in the groups we are trying to lead. It’s the capacity
to see the most creative and improbable opportunities in the
marketplace. It’s the capacity to see with an appreciative eye the
true and the good, the better and the possible.”
David L Cooperrider HR.com: Interview with David Cooperrider by
David W. Creelman (2001)
David Cooperrider
6. The Art of AI questions
How to define the problem
“What do you want to see more of...“
“How often does the system work well?”
“What are the root causes of success....
...how can we amplify these?”
“What are the essential conditions that need to be present for this
change process to succeed?”
7. The AI art of questions
How would you describe a high-point experience at XXXX when you
were most alive and engaged?
What is it that you most value about yourself, your work and
XXXX?
What are the core factors that give life to XXXX, without which
XXXX would cease to exist?
After falling into a deep sleep for some years you awaken to find
that XXXX is as you dreamt it could be. Positive changes and
miracles have happened and you are proud of what you see.
As you take in the vision what do you see happening that is new
and successful?
8. Sam Walton
"Outstanding leaders go out of their way to boost
the self-esteem of their personnel. If people
believe in themselves, it’s amazing what they can
accomplish."
Samuel Moore "Sam" Walton (March 29, 1918 – April 5, 1992)
10. Dame Anita Roddick
"If you do things well, do them better.
Be daring, be first, be different, be just.”
Dame Anita Roddick, DBE
(23 October 1942 – 10 September 2007)
11. “Treat people as if they were what they
should be, and you will help them become
what they could be”.
German Poet, 1749 - 1832
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
12. Andrew Carnegie
“If you want to be happy, set a goal that
commands your thoughts, liberates your
energy, and inspires your hopes.”
Andrew Carnegie (November 25, 1835 – August 11, 1919)
13. Albert Einstein
"Learn from yesterday, live for today,
hope for tomorrow. The important thing is
not to stop questioning.“
Albert Einstein (14 March 1879 – 18 April 1955)
14. Rosa Parks
"I have learned over the years that when
one's mind is made up, this diminishes
fear; knowing what must be done does
away with fear.“
Rosa Louise McCauley Parks
(February 4, 1913 – October 24, 2005)
15. Viktor Frankl
"When we are no longer able to change a
situation, we are challenged to change
ourselves."
Viktor Emil Frankl, M.D., Ph.D. (26 March 1905 – 2 September
1997)
16. Marianne Williamson
"Use each interaction to be the best, most
powerful version of yourself."
Marianne Williamson (born July 8, 1952)
17. Vincent Van Gogh
"Great things are done by a series of small
things brought together.“
Vincent Willem van Gogh (30 March 1853 – 29 July 1890)
18. Commitment to collaborative, innovative
teamwork and leadership with well-
being at the core of what you do.
“Things which matter most should never
be at the mercy of things which matter
least”
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, 1749 - 1832
Summary
Editor's Notes
Hofstede’s original work sparked more than 60 publications, to include House et al.
Underlying theme for organisations intrinsically linked to society: doing good things by doing well.
Discuss the people – planet – profit = triple bottom line.
Discuss cultural nuances that impact on the culture of organisations.
Whatever the culture, we all learn or can learn if we choose to.
Sub-conscious ability cannot be refined if we do not go to work on it.
Link with AI to amplify a strength based inquiry/approach.
AI: A method of problem solving that was pioneered by David Cooperrider of Case Western Reserve University in the mid 1980s.
Appreciation means to recognize and value the contributions or attributes of things and people around us.
Inquiry means to explore and discover, in the spirit of seeking to better understand, and being open to new possibilities.
When combined, this means that by appreciating what is good and valuable in the present situation, we can discover and learn about ways to effect positive change for the future.
DEFINE the problem in positively stated terms.
DISCOVERY: When you think back to when you shared your ideas, what was the thing that motivated you?
Tell me a story about a time when you were very enthusiastic about your work or a new idea. What do you think is most important for success at XXXX? Tell me about the time you felt proudest about the company/ your team/ your team’s contribution.
Another approach to solving this problem could be to look at the different approaches you use to gather new ideas to save money, increase efficiency and better serve clients. When you've gathered enough raw information, you need to analyze the data and identify the factors that most contributed to the team or organization's past successes. What is most valued? What did people find most motivating or fun? What gives XXXX employees the greatest pride?
DREAM: take the positives from discovery phase and build real strengths. What will you stop doing, what will you start doing? Shared images of the future?
DESIGN: systems, processes and strategies etc that are needed to make the DREAM a reality.
5
Rather than define the problem in traditional Lean Six Sigma ways...
Amplify the successes versus how do we eliminate waste!
Understand and support gathering data in the form of stories rather than analytical data.
Check on stories about the successes to date.
The whole system works toward a shared vision....
Discovery and Dream.....
Arnold, J., and Randall, R., with Axtell, C., Burnes, B., Cooper, C., Den Harthog, D., Harris, D., Patterson, F., Robertson, I., Silvester, J., and Swailes, S. (2010) Work Psychology: Understanding Human Behaviour in the Workplace. 5th edn. London: Pearson Education
Seligman’s work pre 2012.
Ruff & Keyes cited in Work Psychology (see above)
