SOAR vs SWOT!

Appreciative Inquiry at Work

Dr Liz E Mellish

STORIES FROM THE FIELD

AI On-Line Conference
19-21 April, 2005

©Mellish & Associates www.mellish.com.au www.aileadership.com

Appreciative Inquiry – what is it?

Appreciative Inquiry is an approach to organisational development and

change which grows out of social constructionist thought.

The appreciative inquiry approach offers us all the process and potential
to positively explore, collectively imagine, collaboratively design and
jointly commit to a path forward.

©Mellish & Associates www.mellish.com.au www.aileadership.com

 Assumptions of Appreciative Inquiry:

 In every society, organisation, group something works

 What we focus on becomes our reality

 Reality is created in the moment, and there are multiple realities

 The act of asking questions of an organisation or group influences the group in some way

 People have more confidence and comfort to journey to the future (the unknown) when they carry

forward parts of the past (the known)

 If we carry parts of the past forward, they should be what is best about the past

 It is important to value differences

 The language we use creates our reality

©Mellish & Associates www.mellish.com.au www.aileadership.com

Principles of Appreciative Inquiry

Appreciate: the best of what exists, values and hopes for the future

Apply: knowledge of what works, what is possible

Provoke: imaginations re new ways of organising, creative

improvements, ideas and proposals

Collaborate: collective capacity building, shared expertise , resources and

participative decision making

©Mellish & Associates www.mellish.com.au www.aileadership.com

4-D Model of Appreciative Inquiry

Discover
Stakeholder
engagement,
exploration of best
experiences, hopes
and priorities for the

Deliver future Dream

Provocative
Strategic deliverables,
achievements, propositions, principles

Ongoing improvisation
Design
Organisational
implications, key
strategies

©Mellish & Associates www.mellish.com.au www.aileadership.com

How Does AI Work?

 Appreciate the context: situational, specific and participant centred

 Create the conditions: governance + scope of inquiry

 Design the interview protocol

 Design the Appreciative Inquiry process – 4 D Model

 Locate and sustain sources of energy for change

©Mellish & Associates www.mellish.com.au www.aileadership.com

Organisational Change Case Studies
  Need Consulting Outcomes
Business Unit Service realignment Restructure / ABC Effective business unit 5 years
Staff engagement Business planning on
University New faculty Scope of Inquiry World class facility
Participative decision making Workshops – space design Zero industrial disputation
Participant centred decisions
Government Department Strategic direction Reference group Cabinet endorsed organisation
Organisational arrangements Scope of inquiry – questions Policy platform established
Merge cultures Workshops
Strategic direction statement
Health Promotion Change behaviour of school Germ busters program 95% program cost savings
children Hand washing routines – ($400 000 / $20 000)
Improved health outcomes schools Sustained behaviour change
Mentor
Virtual Community Create it Participant Centered Process $5m revenue p.a.
Workshop 4-D
Interests/ Creative dreaming
Government Service Share integrated service 2 day summit Low cost – high impact
Delivery delivery learning Access Queensland
Agriculture Renewal Shared vision Mixed stakeholders Rural renewal
Community Engagement Envisioning event Strategic alliances
Culture change
Catholic Settings Renewal Workshop Pastoral planning
AI in Catholic settings Staff renewal
Cluster planning
Indigenous Settings Negotiation Tables AI approach and skills Shared Responsibility
Agreements
Community action plans

©Mellish & Associates www.mellish.com.au www.aileadership.com

Sample Interview Protocol
Q1 Reflecting on your …. experience to date, what have been the high points? Select an example of when you felt you were
making a real difference. What were the circumstances? Why did it feel good? Who were you working with? What did
you/your client achieve? What was special about this experience? Describe the story around your example….

Q2 What is it that you value most about

Yourself, your distinctive competence / contribution

Your colleagues

Your clients/organisation

Q3 What 'gives life' to …. - without 'it' (this core life giving factor), the organisation would cease to exist?

Q4 What are your hopes for your organisation - what best might it represent, what might it achieve?

Q5 What key success factors would indicate to you that … is well positioned?

©Mellish & Associates www.mellish.com.au www.aileadership.com

Appreciative Inquiry Process Key issues for
practitioners :
1. Shifting between two paradigms of management, that is managing the
gap or the transition from viewing the world in essentially an hierarchical
way, to a more participant centred way of viewing the world.

2. Applying both a macro process frame and micro strategies for large-
group facilitation in the context of organisational change.

3. Balancing the risks and tensions in large-scale participative change work.

 

©Mellish & Associates www.mellish.com.au www.aileadership.com

Appreciative Inquiry Process: knowledge and
skills required
Adopting an appreciative mindset
Professional obligation: Process Leadership
Social Obligation: Partnering in change

Managing diversity
Life streaming
Democratising strategy

Locating and maintaining the energy for change

Getting the whole system in the room
Empowering participants

Integrating micro and macro issues

Integrating strategy, structure and culture
Facilitating a shared vision
Creating social architecture for organising

Transferring ownership of the process

Stimulating lots of little fires
Sharing responsibility for organisational direction and quality with everyone

©Mellish & Associates www.mellish.com.au www.aileadership.com

Appreciative Inquiry Process:
Questions for organisations re large scale systems change

In Transition Are we in transition?

Need to reposition Is there a need for something better?
Want to engage people Does achieving a new direction & way of
operating depend on our people?

Diversity Does creating & sustaining the change

Co design meta strategic management cycle demand a participatory process?
Participatory decision making Is questioning organisational life vital to
sustaining it?
Is our meta strategic management cycle best
driven by diversity & participatory decision
making?
Social Sustainability Do we want to articulate a shared vision and
Participant centred process
the means of achieving it?
Build a shared vision

©Mellish & Associates www.mellish.com.au www.aileadership.com