Building the Capacity of the St - The Appreciative Inquiry ...



Building the Capacity of the St. Louis

Organization Development Community

A workbook for the Appreciative Inquiry (AI) Experience

Aims of the Appreciative Inquiry Experience

■ To experience/ learn in groups the phases and concepts of Appreciative Inquiry:

Discovery, Dream, Design, Destiny.

■ To have a voice in cocreating the St. Louis OD community.

■ To "Learn AI by Doing"

■ To connect with stories of St. Louis OD Community to magnify learning about creating our OD community.

What is an AI Organizational Summit?

■ The WHOLE SYSTEM participates.

■ Future Scenarios are put into HISTORICAL AND GLOBAL perspective.

■ People SELF MANAGE their work and use DIALOGUE-not "problem solving"- as

the main tool. That means helping each other do the tasks and taking responsibility

for our perceptions and actions.

■ COMMON GROUND and NARRATIVE RICH INTERACTION rather than

"conflict management", or negotiation, as the frame of reference. That means

honoring our differences rather than having to reconcile them and searching meaning,

hope, and direction in stories that honor and connect us to our history as a positive

possibility."

■ APPRECIATIVE INQUIRY (AI)--To appreciate means to value- to understand those things of value worth valuing . To inquire means to study, ask questions, to search. AI is therefore, a collaborative search to identify and understand the organization's strengths, its potentials, the greatest opportunities, and people's hopes for the future.

■ INSPIRED ACTION ON BEHALF OF THE WHOLE-Because the "whole system" is involved, it is easier to make more rapid decisions and to make commitments to actions in a public way-in an open way that everyone can support and help make happen. The movement to action is guided by internal inspiration, shared leadership, and voluntary initiative. People work on what they share a passion about, what they most care about and believe will make the difference.

■ SILENCE-WHICH SUPPORTS DIALOGUE AND APPRECIATIVE INTELLIGENCE: One of the most important aspects of large group interactions is the amazing diversity of ideas, knowledge, identification of capacity, and vision. Much work happens with such velocity that we have found that simple moments of "time out " are powerful and often adds to the depth of listening and dialogue.

-Adapted from David Cooperriders' Guide for the Plenary Sessions (September 30)

Building the Capacity of the St. Louis OD Community

Interview in Pairs ( 15 minutes each)

In today's rapidly changing world, a voluntary organization's success depends on a shared passion, common purpose, diverse membership, use of multiple resources and cooperation among members. In identifying , respecting and utilizing the different passions , resources, experiences and purposes of the individual OD professional can we build the capacity and cooperation of the St. Louis OD Community.

1) Please tell me about your initial attraction to organization development work? Describe a high point as an OD professional , a time when you felt more alive and engaged in organization development work? What did you value most about others and yourself?

2) When have you had a sense of wonder, surprise or delight because of cooperation or assistance in this OD community ? Tell a story about this time. Who was involved? What did you value most about the other person or yourself?

3) As you consider all the diverse backgrounds and experience of the OD professionals in St. Louis, what unique resources or talents do you have that would benefit the OD community?

4) Imagine that you had a magic wand and could have three wishes granted to heighten the vitality and capacity of the St. Louis OD community? What would they be?

Discovering the Resources and the Capacity in Our Community -15 minutes

Purpose: To appreciate and welcome each other , and to learn about special experiences, visions, capabilities, and resources that people bring to this community.

Steps:

1. Share what you learned about the person you interviewed. Introduce your interview partner to the group and share a couple of key highlights about your interview. (5 minutes)

2. Share one or two significant stories and discoveries from questions 2 ,3, or 4.

As stories are shared , identify all the factors that give life to the OD Community- cooperation, best practices, leadership qualities, values, beliefs, structures, resources, etc.

(10 minutes)

|Stories about the Capacity of the St. Louis OD Community |Factors that five life to the OD Community |

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Dream

1. Draw, sing, act, dance or compose a poem to portray your image of what the OD Community would look like if all your listed factors were at their best.

2. Write up your dream using a Provocative Proposition.

A Provocative Proposition is a statement that bridges the best of “what is” with your own speculation or intuition of “what might be.” It stretches the status quo, challenges common assumptions or routines, and helps suggest real possibilities that represent a desired image for the organization and its people. By creating provocative propositions that make clear the shared visions for the organization’s future, there is created a beacon, a set of unique statements that paint a picture of the group’s vision of the organization’s most desired future. This collection of possibility statements provides the clear direction for all of the organization’s activities. Just as the stream always follows the call of the ocean, the organization will move toward its highest and most imaginative visions for the future. -Watkins & Mohr

Criteria for Good Provocative Propositions (Positive Images of the Ideal Organization)

Are exciting (not just ho-hum)

Are desired (people want to create them)

Describe what is wanted (versus what is not wanted)

Are written in the present tense, as if they are already happening. For example:

Fairmount North America is a learning organization that fosters the cross fertilization of ideas, harnesses the synergy of group cooperation and cultivates the pride of being a valued member of one outstanding corporation. Fairmount accelerates its learning through an annual strategic planning conference that involves all five hundred people in the firm. As a setting for “strategic learning” teams present their benchmarking studies of the best five other organizations, deemed best in their class for the process we are seeking to learn about. Other teams present an annual appreciative analysis of Fairmount, and together these data bases of success stories (internal and external) help set the stage for our strategic future search planning. -Cooperrider & Whitney

Guided by the Fire of Our Stories:

(Listen) (Listen)

We hold hope lightly.

(Trust) (Trust)

We go forward.

(Courage) (Courage)

Spreading sparks of stories giving strength.

Opening the darkness.

-Watkins/Mohr

Be prepared to share your dream and provocative proposition statement to the whole group at 9:30 AM

Destiny

Steps:

Take a moment to reflect on these questions by yourself and jot down your answers on

the index cards.

2. As you finish form groups of three and share your answers with others in your group.

What do you want to do in the OD Community?

How do you want to do it?

What help do you need?

What invitation or commitment would you like to make to the community?

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