Slide support for talk to Communitech's Agile/Lean Peer2Peer group on Appreciative Inquiry for Agile Practitioners - Sue Johnston

1. Appreciative
Agile
Sue Johnston
Agile/Lean P2P
March 24, 2015
What lens are you using?

2. PLEASE NOTE
SLIDES ≠ PRESENTATION
• These slides are designed to be viewed in conjunction with
a human being talking and interacting with you.
• They may not make much sense to you if you were not at
the live session.

3. What’s the most exciting
thing you’ve experienced in
applying lean and agile
practices in the workplace?
What lens are you using?
What’s the most difficult
thing you’ve experienced in
applying lean and agile
practices in the workplace?

4. Where we’re heading
• What is Appreciative Inquiry?
• How does it work?
• How are organizations using it?
• How can it be useful to us?

5. Origins of Appreciative Inquiry
“It’s a time for re-thinking human
organization and change. Deficit based
modalities are increasingly falling short.
And cynicism about the very idea of
planned change is rampant.”
David Cooperrider

6. What is Appreciative Inquiry?
APPRECIATE:
“ . . . to value or admire highly; to judge with heightened understanding; to
recognize with gratitude.”
INQUIRE:
“ . . . to search into, investigate; to seek information by questioning.”

7. What is Appreciative Inquiry?
•Philosophy
•Process
AI is the study of
what works well

8. What’s the most exciting
thing you’ve experienced in
applying lean and agile
practices in the workplace?
What lens are you using?
What’s the most difficult
thing you’ve experienced in
applying lean and agile
practices in the workplace?

9. Humans are problem solving machines
• Look for trouble
• Seek quick solution
• Critique things
• Advocate for our
solution

10. The Deficit Mindset
Identify the
problem
Analyze
possible
causes
Generate
solutions
Implement
solutions
Organizations become
problems to be solved

11. Some AI assumptions
• In every society, organization or group, something works.
• People have more confidence and comfort to journey to the future
(the unknown) when they carry forward parts of the past (the
known).
• The act of asking questions of an organization or group influences the
group in some way.
• What we focus on becomes our reality
• The language we use creates our reality. Words create worlds.

12. The appreciative philosophy + process
• Is purposely and consciously positive
• Builds on past success
• Is both “grassroots” and “top down”
• Stimulates vision and creativity
• Accelerates change

13. Inquiry Requires Questions
“The most serious mistakes are not being made
as a result of wrong answers. The most
dangerous thing is asking the wrong questions.”
Peter Drucker

14. Appreciative Questions
• Look at what’s present, not what’s missing
• Are an invitation to tell stories
• Are inspired by past success
• Encourage exploration
• Foster a “learner” rather than “judger” mindset
• Encourage “both/and” thinking, rather than
“either/or”

15. Appreciative Questions
• “What are some possibilities we haven’t
considered?”
• “What’s the smallest change that could make
the biggest impact?”
• “What solutions would have us both win?”
• “What is it about our [work, meetings etc.] that
keeps us interested and energized?”
• “How might we . . .?”

16. Exercise 1
• Pick a problem, project, issue or question you’ve dealt with recently.
• Restate it in a way that uses positive language and looks for
possibilities, rather than problems.
• Discuss how the situation might have changed or produced different
results had you asked appreciative questions.

17. The Appreciative Mindset
Inquire into
what works
Imagine how
good it could
be
Agree how
good it
should be
Commit to
what will be
Organizations become
possibilities waiting to
happen

18. Define Discover Dream Design Destiny
The Five Ds
Sometimes called
“Delivery”
DECIDE
what the topic
should be
APPRECIATE
the best of
what is
IMAGINE
what could be
DESIGN
what should be
CREATE
what will be

19. Exercise 2
• Using the handout as a guide, conduct an appreciative interview.
• Invite the other person to share a success story.
• Take a “listener/learner” stance.
• Be genuinely curious.
• Allow for silence.
• Enjoy the interview.

20. Define Discover Dream Design Destiny
Implementing the Five Ds – AI “Summit”
Choose the
overall focus for
inquiry
Conduct
interviews,
share stories,
identify
themes, values
and positive
core of group
Create a vision
for the future.
Write an
aspirational
statement as if
it were already
true.
DeliverHold dialogue
on how to make
this happen

21. Why Appreciative Inquiry Works
• People enjoy talking about success and what works.
• Sharing their own positive stories gives confidence
that they can deliver.
• It’s their own experience, not someone else’s “best
practice.”
• Creates critical mass of folks working for positive
change.
• A positive image of the future influences present
behaviour that leads to the anticipated positive result.

22. Adapting AI for ourselves + our teams
• The heart of the process is the Appreciative Interview.
• Ask positive, possibility-focussed questions.
• Tell success stories.
• Become aware of words and language.
• Appreciative team building/retrospectives.
• Conduct appreciative workshops at launch.
• Visualize the future (ideal sprint, release, product,
etc.).

23. Adapting AI for ourselves + our teams
Switch from a Deficit Lens
• Why did we deliver [Item X]
late?
• Why won’t Bob participate?
• Our manager isn’t supportive.
• We can’t do that!
To an Appreciative Lens
• What can we do to improve our
delivery times?
• What are Bob’s strengths and how
can we help him contribute??
• How can we help our manager
better understand our needs
• What if we could?

24. It’s all about your way of being
• What do you do best already, from an appreciative
perspective?
• What would you like to do more of, at work or home?
• Find one Appreciative Inquiry project you’d like to
experiment with.
• What beliefs you have about yourself will help you
succeed?

25. sue@itsunderstood.com
sue@itsunderstood