Appreciative Inquiry (AI)

Introduction
	Appreciative Inquiry (AI) was developed by Dr. David Cooperrider and his colleagues as a new paradigm with the potential to replace the conventional problem-solving methods of organization development. In everyday life, most people and organizations are constrained by the perception that their resources, and hence their horizons, are limited. This perception -- that we must "face realities" -- is without a doubt the greatest single constraint on human imagination, vision and enterprise. Appreciative inquiry begins with a different set of assumptions. We begin with the belief that we have a choice -- that we can consciously choose (in the Gestalt sense) what we "see" and act upon. In both the personal and social realms, we can choose to focus on problems, needs and deficits -- the traditional problem-solving approach. Or we can choose to see possibilities, capabilities and assets -- the basis of appreciative inquiry. By focusing on what's right, rather than what's wrong with an organization, an individual or even a society, AI gives us access to the kind of energy that can be transformative. Having that kind of energy to work with gives us the confidence to develop and pursue a new image of the future. A key question: If you want to inspire, mobilize and sustain human energy which is the most effective way -- by focusing on problems or pursuing possibilities? AI is a generative process that gives us a way to bring possibilities to life and develop our capacities. Through a carefully developed set of questions and a process of dialogue, we uncover stories of our "peak experiences" -- those moments in our lives when we felt most effective, most connected, most alive. These stories provide irrefutable proof of our actual capabilities. They give rise to new images of what the future could be. They raise our sights, energize us and give us the courage to dream and act boldly. Rather than "accepting reality," we see that what we call "reality" is defined by what we choose to see, what we choose to think and talk about, what we choose to act upon. It follows that we have the capacity to create the kind of future we desire. Description taken from: http://www.appreciative-inquiry.org/
Problem solving versus appreciative Inquiry
	Problem Solving 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	Appreciative Inquiry (AI) 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
How does it work?
	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. Organizations work best when they are vibrant, alive and fun. You know, when the "joint is jumping!" You can sense that the spirit of the organization is vital and healthy and that people feel pride in their work. Everyone builds on each other's successes, a positive can do attitude is infectious and the glow of success is shared. What's more, this positive energy is appreciated and celebrated so it deepens and lasts. Tell me about a time when you experienced positive energy that was infectious. What was the situation? What created the positive energy? How did it feel to be a part of it? What did you learn? If positive energy were the flame of the organization, how would you spark it? How would you fuel it to keep it burning bright? 4 Generic Questions to start the process: Best experience. A time when… What do you value about… yourself, work, organization. What do you think is the core life-giving factor or value of your organization –that which if it did not exist would make your organization totally different than it currently is? If you had three wishes for this organization, what would it be? Typical Project Start-up Choose the topic: combine themes from generic interviews with research questions. Agree on desired outcomes & CSF; Agree on how to get there Develop draft interview protocol Practice interviews; develop interview guidelines Plan for collecting & “analyzing” the data Plan for how the process will drive change. Why it works Doesn’t focus on changing people => Relief that the message isn’t about what they’ve done wrong or have to stop doing. Invites people to engage in building the kinds of organizations and communities that they want to live in. Helps everyone see the need for change, explore new possibilities, and contribute to solutions. Through alignment of formal and informal structures with purpose and principles, it translates shared vision into reality and belief into practice. Assumptions => conversation => dominant images => individual acts at both conscious and unconscious levels => organizational infrastructure. Organizations manifest human imagination. Learnings that surface through AI shift collective image. Process responds to three truths about human nature: * Exceptionality: We’re all exceptions. We respond best when this is noticed & conditions for exceptional performance are enhanced. * Essentiality: We each need to be seen as essential to the group. If we “lift up” meaningful contributions, it creates a compelling guiding image for others * Equality: Creates a way for the organization to be in “full voice” about the true, good, better, possible. Summary A high-participation, full-voice process targeted at organizational innovation A learning process to identify and disseminate best practices A way of managing and working that fosters positive communication and can result in the formation of deep and meaningful relationships Can be used to radically redesign the governance structures and processes of an organization. Mobilizes strategic change by focusing on the core strengths of an organization, then using those strengths to reshape the future. More tools and resources are found at: http://appreciativeinquiry.cwru.edu/ (Most information on this page is taken from sources available here)
Application Areas
	Leadership & Management Development Work Process Redesign Team Development Organization Culture Change Employee Development HR Practices: Staffing, Orientation, Performance Management Communications Collaborative alliances & joint ventures Community & customer relations Diversity initiatives Strategic Planning Focus Groups Benchmarking Surveys Evaluation to Valuation

Mastering Emotional Problems

The goal is to learn from the emotions and utilize them.

1. Identify the signal of your emotion (which most fits)
2. Appreciate the message this emotion has

Emotion	What's the signal / message	Solution / Action
Uncomfortable	Change your state	1. Change your state; 2. clarify what you want, and 3. take action into that direction
Fear (concern, worry, anxiety)	You need to prepare	Be prepared to deal with negative consequences, be confident about possibilities.
Hurt	An expectation is not met and you have a sense of loss	Change your perception or your procedure. Is this expectation justified or how you interact
Anger (irritation, enraged)	You have a standard (value) and it is not met (by another or not by yourself)	Change your perception or procedure. The way you look at this or how you communicate or how you behave / interact. Communicate your standards.
Frustration	You keep doing the same thing without wanted result	You need to change your approach to achieve your goal.
Disappointment	You need to realize an expectation you had or an outcome you wanted is probably not going to happen.	Change your expectation to a more appropriate outcome for the situation at hand. Example: period is too short.
Guilt / Regret	You violated one of your own standards.	You need to do something about it immediately to insure you won't violate it again in the future. Don't deny the guilt, it's coming back. Make things right when you screw up. This emotion keeps you on track and makes you a better person.
Inadequacy (unworthy)	You need to do something to get better in this category.	Practice. Q: Is this emotion appropriate? Maybe you have to change your perception or procedures. Maybe your rules are too harsh.
Overloaded (overwhelmed, hopeless, depressed)	Change your state	1. Change your state. You need to reevaluate what is most important to you in this situation. What is an absolute necessity to you versus a desire. 2. Write down all the things that are most important for you to accomplish. 3. Put them in order of priority. 4. Take the first thing on the list en do something about it. When you do something about it you are in control.
Lonely	You need a connection with people.	1. Identify what kind of connection you want. (friendship, intimate, someone to listen or talk to, someone to laugh with) 2. In what way do you want this to be? 3. Take action into that direction.

	What is an empowering way to look at this?
	What else could this mean?
	Choose meanings that empower you in life.

[Source: NLP, Anthony Robbins]

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A good way to neutralize or ease Emotions or Feelings that bother you is with Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) an easy to do and learn tapping method created by Gary Graig.
Emofree.com

EFT has a very large community and has lots of cases and information available on the website and in the newsletter. The EFT Manual can be downloaded for Free and you can get started immediately. If you are autodidact like me, you can order one or more DVD sets from seminars and live sessions to learn and even become an EFT professional yourself.
You can use EFT as a complementary technique in your practice (Coach, teacher, health-professional). EFT can be applied to just about anything which is also encouraged.

I haven't seen a therapy yet which has such profound and powerful results so quickly.
Why am I convinced about the integrity and positive intentions of Gary Graig? First, the manual is free, and the DVD-sets are very cheap [see EFT Store], especially if you buy more sets. Also, you are allowed to copy and give it away to 100 people.

Watch the promo-video:

Getting Organized; what to do about unwanted chaos

Chaos is paradoxical; you need a certain amount of chaos to be creative but not to the point that you feel overwhelmed by the amount of stuff. Getting organized is helpful for people in offices and at home. Unwanted chaos is non-productive; there are several systems, tools and principles for this. Getting organized is a general topic within problem solving which is said to be most effective to clarify feelings because it is primarily aimed at the physical environmental level. The clean desk feeling, nice labeled folders, knowing where your stuff is stored and where to put it (back) when done. Usually the problem of increasing unwanted chaos is that new stuff doesn't have a place to store it. A nice helpful diagram to process "stuff" from your in-basket to a destination from David Allen's Book "Getting things done" : The level of accepted chaos may vary from person to person. In my experience the tolerance level of chaos for men tends to be higher than it is for women. If the values of cleanliness and order differ within a household this may cause tension. For example a woman might feel uncomfortable with dirty laundry on the floor or a pile of used dishes in the kitchen long before a man finally does. Even within a emancipated society this might be one of the reasons women still do more of the household tasks than men... (It might be interesting to use the value-system as a variable for social science research) Order is the reshuffling of Chaos using sets of Rules. These rules don't have to be logical, reasonable or even sane, but they do have to be internally consistent, and most of the things or people involved must fit or be made to fit the resulting Pattern. Sweeping unwanted facts under the Rug usually includes those who found them. In Reality, order exists in a sea of Chaos, for Order must be be recognized as such so that Meaning can be attached to it. [Toine Fennis, metamagazine.com 2001]

Problem Solving & Brainstorming

Problem Analysis
No problem can be solved from the same level of consciousness that created it. (Albert Einstein)

The art of problem solving
Although problem solving is something people have a natural tendency to do, giving this process the status of an Art also suggests more complexity to this subject. Problem-solving goes beyond physical, cultural, science or language. Everybody can solve problems, in fact we practically do it all the time. Every thought and every decision is in a way solving part of a problem. At the same time one might suggest by those decisions and actions following this (personal) problem solving process, new problems of another kind arise. Most of our economy is based on solving and creating new problems in some form. Then why bother analyzing and describing this process you might ask. Because when you know the underlying principles, your processes of solving problems become easier, more fun, and it helps you grow as an individual giving your environment a positive influence. Most interesting about solving problems are the processes themselves, not primarily the result. I might reframe that to enjoying the process of getting what you want.

Like other Art-studies, problem solving has several components: history, practices, theories, models, concepts, references in other arts, sciences and spiritually. There can be no final consensus on a best way to present it because describing the Art of problem solving is in itself a problem solving process, which is never finished.

Problem Classification
To define your problem-solving strategy it is important to classify problems first into one of the three following categories.

Level 1: Urgent & Important - Highest Priority
Level 2: Important / not so urgent - Medium Priority
Level 3: Minor importance / no urgency - Low Priority

If you have more than one problem choose the one with the highest priority.

Essentially, there are two types of problems: analytic and divergent. An analytic problem is convergent in nature, that is, it has a single correct answer. Divergent problems allow for many possible solutions.

Phases in formulating a solution
Problem-development

1. formulating the problem (what and how did it get your attention, perceived facts)
2. acceptation (accept the problem as is)
3. reformulating (problem description, datasheet, examples, theories, references)

Idea-development
Questions which could be asked in this phase:
- what is good about this problem or situation?
- how can I use this problem or situation?
- what is not yet perfect?
- what am I willing to do to improve this situation?
- what will I stop doing to improve the situation?
- what is funny about it, that I didn't notice before?
- how will I enjoy when I reach my goal and this problem is solved?

4. analyze and purge (effort to find logical solutions)
5. exhaustion / frustration
6. relaxation / incubation
7. creative sidestep
8. Eureka!

Idea judgment

9. working out the plan (critical phase)
10. planning the approach

Who?
Who are the people involved in a problem-solution team?
- Problem-owner (Who's problem is it?)
- Fellow Problem owner or involved persons (participants in solving the problem)
- Generalists
- Specialists
- Outsiders
- Secretary (notes everything what is being said)
- Facilitator or coach (is not involved with the content, only the process)

Session rules:

1. postpone judgment
2. you are allowed to lie
3. privacy to the outside, openness to the inside
4. Extra attention to negative questions or remarks
5. No hierarchy, no arrogance
6. Critical phase afterwards

Brainstorming
Many people, when trying to solve a problem, develop a mental block. This may be a result of 'thinking too hard'. Then, later, without conscious effort, a solution comes to mind. One way to overcome a mental block in the problem-solving process is to hold a brainstorming session.

The purpose of brainstorming is to generate as many ideas as possible. The more ideas a team has to choose from, the greater the chances are of finding one that is successful. Ideas are generated rapidly, which prevents individuals from dwelling on why an idea might not work. Evaluation of the ideas comes at a later stage of solution development.

General guidelines for holding brainstorming sessions:
1. Allow no criticism. Some people become self-conscious when they feel they may be criticized, which inhibits them from offering ideas. For this reason, it is important that ideas are not judged at this time.
2. Encourage outrageous ideas. This often results in team members going beyond the normal thought process.
3. Encourage piggybacking of other ideas. One idea often stimulates a better one.
4. Evaluate the ideas at the end of the session or after a day or two. Eliminate those that are not feasible.

Any criticism of ideas must be constructive. The team should know that it is okay to laugh at and have fun discussing the ideas. Keep in mind that decisions made at this time are not always final; ideation is an ongoing process.

Besides the coach as moderator, each brainstorming group should select a leader to direct the discussion. If a leveling off of ideas occurs, the leader should encourage new ideas by asking questions such as:

"By altering the materials how could we . . . ?"
"What might happen if we changed its shape?"
"How could we adapt it to make it move faster?"
"How can we make it smaller, lighter, etc.?"

One team member (or the secretary) should record all ideas and useful comments.

The Four Temperament Learning Styles

What's Your Learning Style?
	Most of us start (or started) back to school each year full of enthusiasm and ambition. This year, we say, I will buckle down, stay on top of things, and get good grades. How often does that promise become a reality? Understanding your personality, and how it affects your learning style can lead you to more feasible resolutions, greater academic success, less guilt, and more fun!
Artisans
	Artisans like their schoolwork to be fun and also practical, directly applicable to their personal aims. Hands-on, active learning is preferred to sitting in a chair and listening to a teacher talk. They prefer focus on details to leaping from thought to thought or concept to concept. In high school and college, Artisans choose courses and majors that will teach a skill they will use, whether that's business administration, diesel mechanics, or chiropractic.
Guardians
	Guardians respect their teachers' decisions about what the content of their learning should be. They need and appreciate logical presentation of facts and ideas, and clear expectations for assignments -- what is demanded of them and what the standards are. Teachers who leap from concept to concept will frustrate their Guardian students. Like Artisans, Guardians are likely to choose practical courses of study that will lead to secure careers.
Idealists
	Idealists are excited and motivated by ideas, particularly those relating to people and relationships or an understanding of "Life." Incorporating new learning into their guiding value system is critical for Idealists. They prefer teachers who act as coaches -- who provide broad concepts, set up a launching pad for independent thinking, group discussion, and extrapolation, and then fill in the facts and information that support the concepts. Idealists often choose majors in the fine arts or literature, psychology, or the humanities.
Rationals
	Like Idealists, Rationals are self-directed learners. They want to be challenged and provided with the means to pursue the ideas that are important to them. They are highly autonomous, and so don't generally seek discussion. Teachers can support Rationals by sharing expertise and resources for learning and by giving them honest feedback as the students' knowledge and expertise grows. Rationals often choose majors in science, mathematics, philosophy, or technology.

[Source: Newsletter from Advisorteam.com]

Education & Learning

A wise system of education will at least teach us how little man yet knows, how much he has still to learn. J Lubbock, The pleasure of life.
Why do we learn?
	We learn to shape our various intelligences. A general definition of intelligence is the ability to create useful products and solve daily problems. In history the only necessary learning was done on the job to provide a living. Craftsmen passed their skills, knowledge and wisdom on to their offspring and pupils. Today we need to learn to function in a high complex post-industrial western society with the emphasis on information. Education is institutionalized and offered in schools. Schools are generally differentiated between three phases (this might differ from country to country) Primary school (basic language skills as reading and writing, mathematics and emotional intelligence), Secondary school (advanced language and math-skills or algebra, second language, and sciences like chemistry, biology, history, geography, economics, some schools also include social science, sports or gymnastics, music, drama and skill-based classed like first aid, typing, and driving. These last are mostly facultative. Trade-school or Higher education choosing a profession or a specific science. We assume that between the second and third phase one makes a good choice and that there is a job or profession that fits the education at the end of these three phases. Nowadays we know we have to "update" our knowledge frequently throughout our lives because of changed technology. This continuous learning effort is called life-long-learning. In politics this needed learning might be reduced to an employability-policy which gives the concept a somewhat negative connotation.
Intelligence
	We have several intelligences to learn and develop (according to Howard Gardner / Collin Rose); these intelligences are: Linguistic (reading / writing) Mathematical / Logical (numbers, charts, reasoning) Visual / Spatial (visualizing, direction / navigation) Musical (rhythm / melody) Bodily / Physical (arts / crafts / sports) Interpersonal / Social (read emotions / parenting / teaching) Intrapersonal / Quiet control (self-knowledge) In 1996 Gardner added an eighth intelligence – Naturalistic – or nature smart. This intelligence deals with sensing patterns in and making connections to elements in nature – observing, collecting, categorizing and analyzing. Charles Handy (1998) also identifies at least nine forms of intelligence which align with and enhance Gardner’s multiple intelligences (Factual, Analytical, Linguistic, Spatial, Musical, Practical, Physical, Intuitive, and Interpersonal) When a range of intelligences are involved the learning ability is greatly enhanced. Each type of intelligence represents a different way to explore the subject and provides a different ability to call on when faced with a problem-solving task. [Source: Brian Tracy Tapes & News article: The Future belongs to the competent]
Learning Systems
	The learning-systems we use are based on old traditions and the way society of interaction. The conventional system could generally be described as supply-based linear learning with a clear beginning and end. New systems should be more flexible and more modular demand-based because of the high differences in experience, backgrounds and different preparatory training which must fit in non-linear learning scenarios which is common today. In my vision education on all levels should be available to everyone, everywhere, and at any time. My ideal would be a worldwide open-source e-educational system, instantly bilateral translation of all structured meta and content-information (including multimedia) needed for comprehension of a subject. Open source-education as a concept has many similarities to open source-software. The development of Linux, the most known (and popular) open-source alternative operating system, is therefore interesting in more ways than the related software-products alone. Open-source software is the process of systematically harnessing open development and decentralized peer review to lower costs and improve software quality. The idea is simple: When programmers can read, redistribute, and modify the source code for a piece of software, the software evolves. People improve it, people adapt it, people fix bugs. And this can happen at a speed that, if one is used to the slow pace of conventional software development, seems astonishing. [Open Source Initiative] Because the source-codes or program-instructions are available with the distribution, everyone can change and add functionality to the distributed program, or write its own programs with parts of available distributed content. Because of our current use of information and communication technology this concept of sharing, adapting and improving content (and I also refer to education) may well be the constructive principle of our new information society. The challenge is to create new ways of combining formal and informal learning processes and worldwide collective agreement on the funding and public use of educational information. Initiatives like open source for the ICT-infrastructure and Transcopyright for the information content could bring mondial educational information exchange within closer reach.
What is learning?
	Learning as a psychological concept can be defined in more than one way. The most popular definitions are: Learning: To gain knowledge, comprehension, or mastery through experience or study. Learning is a relatively permanent change in behavior or in behavioral potentiality that results from experience and cannot be attributed to temporary body states such as those induced by illness, fatigue or drugs. (Kimble) A science requires an observable, measurable subject matter, and within the science of psychology, that subject matter is behavior. The qualification "relatively permanent" in the definition of learning means sensitization and habituation are examples of behavior modifications that results from experience in a relatively short period of time. Sensitization is the process whereby an organism is made more responsive to certain aspects of its environment. Habituation is the process whereby an organism becomes less responsive to its environment. What is learned may not be utilized immediately. This is a very important distinction between learning and performance. Learning refers to a change in behavior potentiality; and performance refers to the translation of this potentiality into behavior. Not all behavior is learned. Much simple behavior is reflexive. A reflex can be defined as an unlearned response in reaction to a specific class of stimuli. Complex behavior can also be unlearned. When complex behavior patterns seem to be genetically determined, they are generally referred to as instinctive. Instinctive behavior includes such activities as nest building, migration, hibernation and mating behavior. This is also classified as species-specific-behavior. Research supports the contention that species-specific-behavior is both learned and unlearned. A newly hatched duckling would form an attachment to any kind of moving object and follow it as its mother, provided the object was presented at just the right moment in the duckling's life. (Lorenz) The formation of an attachment between an organism and an environmental object is called imprinting. Imprinting was found to occur only during a critical period, after which it was difficult, if not impossible to imprint the duckling to anything. Imprinting is a combination of learned and instinctive behavior. Learning is a general term used to describe changes in behavior potentiality resulting from experience. Conditioning (classical or instrumental) is more specifically used as a term to describe actual procedures that can modify behavior. [Source: B.R. Hergenhahn, An introduction to theories of learning. ISBN 0134988744]
	[Toine Fennis, MetaMagazine.com 2001]