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Appreciative Inquiry Newsletter Issue 3,
November 1998
From Anne Radford (editor@aipractitioner.com)
Thanks to everyone who provided information and wonderful examples about a village,
spiritual organisation, state government, university, and about schools, companies and
communities.
Apologies to Bliss Browne (bbrowne@teacher.depaul.edu) and Walter Bruck (Walter.Bruck@usa.net) for not including their email addresses in Issue 2.
Thanks to everyone who has signed up since Issue 2. Email addresses are given so that you
can obtain more information about the example or event that interests you.
The range of topics is wide and includes the soul of business, respectful relationships,
and personal purpose and responsibility. I hope you find something of interest.
CONTENTS OF THE NEWSLETTER
1. Dr. Deepak Chopra
on the Soul of business
2. COUNTRY EXAMPLES:
2.1 Australia:
Research projects for a university
Issue 1 Feasibility of a community service centre
Issue 2 Investigating students' perceptions
2.2 Brazil:
Year Two at Nutrimental Foods, Inc.
2.3 Nepal:
Self help in a village
2.4 Sweden:
Creating respectful relationships within communities and schools
2.5 United
Kingdom
2.5.1 Raising shareholder value
2.5.2 Reaffirming spiritual essence
2.6 USA:
Appreciative leadership in state government
3. EVENTS
1998/99
3.1 TRAINING in Ai or using Ai approach
3.1.1 England
A. AMED Ai workshop
B. Institute of Management The Manager as an Effective Coach
3.1.2 USA Taos Institute
A. Appreciative Inquiry Workshop
B. The Spirit Of Social Construction workshop
3.2 EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMMES
3.2.1 USA GEM Certificate program
3.3 CONFERENCES
3.3.1 Australia IMC March 2000
3.3.2 Spirituality around the world
3.3.3 England Dadi Janki Foundation
3.4 OTHER EVENTS
3.4.1 England Ai and coaching/spirit in action
3.4.2 Scotland Update on Imagine Scotland
4. ANNOUNCEMENTS
4.1 Australia: First female national president of IMC
4.2 Egypt: Information about Hamdi Quenawi, a country contact
5. PUBLICATIONS
5.1 USA Call for papers on Ai for Journal of Human Systems
5.2 USA Cooperrider and Whitney Paper available
LIST OF COUNTRY CONTACTS/CO-ORDINATORS
How to subscribe/unsubscribe
1. Dr. Deepak
Chopra speaking on the Soul of Business at a meeting organised by the Centre
for Tomorrow's Company*
He raised the question: Can we speak of business having soul? For him, when a company
inspires with a sense of purpose it is expressing the soul of that business. And when it
truly does this it is unstoppable.
A company has a choice of operating from a position of fear and control, or from love,
creativity and meaningful relationships. Businesses have usually operated from the former.
He believe it is to their advantage to change. Encouraging employee loyalty brings
customer and shareholder loyalty which brings a direct positive effect on the bottom line.
Quality, meaningful relationships result in things we call 'luck', coincidences, and
synchronicity. By taking this further and considering synchronicity shaped by destiny we
get 'synchrodestiny'. In his courses with executives, he helps them look for clues or
omens in these coincidences. By becoming more aware of them businesses can break old
patterns, take more risks and move from the age of information to the age of wisdom.
Some of the similarities that struck me about the work of Appreciative Inquiry and the
principles of synchrodestiny:
- The life force of relationships. We are all connected and we each have unique talents.
- Role of intention. The sense of purpose needs to be bigger than the material.
- The type of internal dialogue we have with ourselves needs to move from "what's in
it for me?" to "how can I help?"
- Toxicity and emotional turbulence interfere with making connections
- Importance of looking for the pattern in the special moments.
* I would like to thank the Centre for TomorrowÕs Company for their assistance.
(ctomco@ctomco.demon.co.uk) The views expressed are not necessarily those held by the
Centre.
2. COUNTRY EXAMPLES
2.1 AUSTRALIA
Research projects
Liz Mellish and Eileen Heywood
(info@mellish.com.au)
CLIENT: A university
ISSUE 1: Investigate the feasibility of a university wide community service centre
PEOPLE INVOLVED: Considerable stakeholder consultation with both internal university
people and key community representatives.
PROCESS: Focus groups and interviews. We started by developing an AI protocol, probing the
participants' best experiences with regard to community service.
Following appreciative consultation, 5 models of 'service delivery' were taken back to the
participants who rated each model according to a set of criteria developed from both the
research and key university documents.
WHAT MADE IT SUCCESSFUL for your client: Consultation with a wide range of people proved
to be really important in generating commitment and enthusiasm to what many internal
stakeholders thought of as a widely unrecognised and unrewarded area (community service).
The client presented a business plan we had prepared. They received considerable
university support for its implementation from the stakeholders involved in the Ai
process.
ISSUE 2: Investigate students' perceptions of a university division that delivers
information services including the library.
PROCESS: We utilised focus groups and once again developed an appreciative inquiry
protocol.
The first part of the focus group encouraged the students to explore their 'best moments'
and experiences with services offered by our client.
The second half focused on what an 'outstanding' service would look like.
OUTCOMES: The students reacted really well. It took some energy to redirect those who
wanted to have a 'bitch session'. When this was achieved, and their appreciative hats were
on, we gained some fabulous information. After analysis, the insight and information we
gained by focusing on positive strategies for improvement, was very well received by our
client.
2.2 BRAZIL David
Cooperrider
(CoopDLC@Prodigy.com)
CLIENT: Nutrimental Foods, Inc.
ISSUE: Update on the project and addressing the question of "what next, after the
excitement of the first year?"
PROCESS: In stage one, the CEO closed down the entire plant of 700 people and involved
everyone including customers, suppliers, banks in an Ai Summit.
Five core values were identified along with vision and strategic directions.
In essence the year one summit focused on the first 2 Ds--Discovery and Dream.
The experience of wholeness, added to deep appreciation and inquiry, truly brought out the
best in people and the system.
OUTCOME OF STAGE ONE: Over the next year, major changes were documented:
statistically significant decreases in absenteeism, sales up over 200 per cent,and profits
up 400 per cent.
STAGE TWO: So what to do the next year? Is there something we might call sustainable
inspiration? Or is "sustainable inspiration" an oxymoron?
PEOPLE/ PROCESS: Again the leadership closed down the plant, and invited all 700 people to
continue shaping the future together. Again, the 4-D cycle guided the design for the three
days. This time the focal point was the third D, Design.
In most of this work it is clear that rarely-if a group really does a good job with
Discovery and Dream-will an organization's previous structures match the dream. So we
spent year two going in to the new principles and propositions for the new design. It felt
like the writing of a constitution.
Ahead of time I asked the organizers if there was anything sacred, anything that should
not be opened to re-design (for example, the sharing of wealth). It was decided to open
everything to consideration. And again, after starting with a powerful highlight film from
the 700-person summit the year before, it was as though we had not missed a beat. The
whole was right back into it... and the depth of the thinking and designing was even
higher than the year before.
2.3 NEPAL Tricia
Lustig and Mac Odell
(tricia@lasa.demon.co.uk) and (macodell@wlink.com.np)
ISSUE: What can I do for myself?
PLACE: A village somewhere outside of the valleyÑa two hour ride to a village closer to
Tibet than to Kathmandu!
PROCESS: Appreciative Planning and Action (APA), an Ai derivative for awakening the power
within villagers to take charge of their own development.
We gave about a half hour's explanation of Ai to five Nepali colleagues in Mac's house
before going to the village. Two had heard something about Ai or APA, none of them had any
training or experience with Ai before that morning, and most of them had never met or
worked together before. Mac wrote out a design on cards based on the 4Ds. Each team member
led the 30 to 40 villagers through visual versions of Discovery, Dream, Design and
Destiny. And it was quite amazing!
PEOPLE: There were 8-10 women and roughly 20 men-separated in to two groups, to encourage
the women to speak out and take active roles. The groups discussed and drew village
'success maps', dreamed and diagrammed 'future maps' and made plans and commitments for
the coming year, month and week that moved them towards fulfilling their visions of their
village for their grandchildren.
SPECIAL MOMENTS: There were two things which stood out for me:
* Every woman participant volunteered and made commitments towards fulfilling their
visions.
* Relatively untrained Nepali team members took the lead in facilitating the meeting.
* When a woman said, "I was able to do what I initially thought I could not."
* "It changed the way I look at life, shifting from complaints towards the positive,
the exciting É" said another villager.
WHAT MADE IT SUCCESSFUL: Comments from the Nepali team:
"[this process] helps communities reflect on their achievements, and analyzes
successful events and factors behind the successes."
" É it is sustainable, easy to administer. Using simple signs (drawings) illiterate
participants communicated freely with us."
From the villagers: "We learned new ideas, we met and made plans together to improve
our village. We must follow up on our promises."
2.4 SWEDEN Elspeth
McAdam and Peter Lang (Elspeth_McAdam@compuserve.com) and (w_peter_lang@compuserve.com)
ISSUE: To create respectful relationships within the community and within schools, so that
there is mutual respect between children, between adults and children and between adults
and adults.
(This is one example of several that we are involved in.)
CLIENT: Ostersund's Kommun
PEOPLE INVOLVED: All the schools (about 30) in this Kommun were invited to participate in
an Appreciative Inquiry programme. This had been requested because of increasing levels of
violence both in the schools and in the towns.
PROCESS: We had 150 -200 teachers for 3x 2 days. We did workshops on social
constructionism and how we create our worlds through language: our use of language being a
moral responsibility to create positive salutogenic worlds. In lots of role plays, they
developed the skills to deal with situations that might arise at school between pupils,
staff and pupils, and parents and teachers. The changes in teachers attitudes was moving
and dramatic.
After talking about the Chicago project - the school children started on projects within
their local communities.
OUTCOMES: Lots of wonderful positive and moving stories about changes in children's
behaviour, with pride and enjoyment of life as well as furthering academic achievements.
* Improvements in communication between teachers and teachers, parents and teachers, and
between parents and children. The latter has come from homework assignments where children
were asked to report on Monday to the class the most thoughtful, best thing they had done
for their parents at the w/e. Homework for the following week was to report on a joint
activity they had done with their parents that they had all really enjoyed.
SPECIAL MOMENTS: When a child who has been utterly mute started talking, and the parents
started working with the school in a very creative and helpful way.
To hear teachers feel a joy and commitment to their work again, and to see that they do
have a great responsibility for the future of communities.
WHAT MADE IT SUCCESSFUL for you/your client:
Incredibly committed group of four women who ran the project, co-ordinated everything and
involved everyone with such graciousness.
2.5.1 UNITED
KINGDOM Tricia Lustig
(tricia@lasa.demon.co.uk)
CLIENT: An international computer services organization
ISSUE: Client had heard about Appreciative Inquiry and wanted to use it to discover how to
raise shareholder value.
PROCESS: Together we organised a workshop. The main question we asked was: Tell us about
the best way you've seen that this organisation works with its
customers/suppliers/partners. What do you appreciate most about us?
PEOPLE INVOLVED: People from the organization itself, clients and partners. It is already
telling that customers and partners were willing to give up a day to spend with them on
this.
SPECIAL MOMENTS: The discovery that they inspire incredible loyalty not only among their
staff, but also among partners and customers. The stories about people who understood
customer service in their bones, and who could step into a client's (or partner's) shoes.
The next step is to replicate this and institutionalise it. It will not be easy. But, it
won't be easy for competitors to replicate either! So there will be follow up.
2.5.2 UNITED KINGDOM Jillian Sawers
(jill@bkwsugch.demon.co.uk)
ISSUE: Open Forum for staff + training
CLIENT: Brahma Kumaris World Spiritual University
PROCESS INVOLVED/GROUP: The Brahma Kumaris are a world wide spiritual
organisation, with
their international centre in London. I used the generic AI interview with a group of 80
people. At the end of the Forum I offered training in the basic ideas and practice of AI
to anyone who was interested.
OUTCOME: The initial open forum was a great success. Even though the University teaches
positive thinking, it was exciting and a relief to everyone that we didn't need to focus
on fixing problems within the organisation. Everyone acknowledged it had been one of the
healthiest meetings yet! The evening sessions resulted in visions, stories and
inspirations being fed back to the large forum to move into the design and destiny phases.
SPECIAL MOMENTS: I think the whole group had the feeling that they were there as
instruments to allow true positivity to grow.
2.6 USA David R.
Sanderson
(dsand@downeast.net)
CLIENT: Maine State Government
ISSUE: "Appreciative Leadership: Transforming Participation in the Workplace"
A Half-Day Workshop for Managers, part of a two week training experience. The task, as my
Training &Development client put it, was to "conclude the Institute with a bang
and send them away in a positive frame of mind."
PEOPLE involved: 24 bureau and division leaders.
PROCESS used: I emphasized "AL" as a philosophy and style of leading, to
highlight the need for leaders' personal transformation and to sustain their appreciative
stance over time. I used the "4 I's,"Inquire-Imagine-Innovate-Integrate and its
application to areas such as strategic planning and teambuilding.
The design was simple:
¥ Introductions, reflections on the Institute, overview of the morning
¥ Inquiring: Interviews of one another
¥ Discovering "life-giving properties" of the whole group
¥ Principles of Appreciative Inquiry as a way of leading organizations drawing on the
history of Maine and my interest in astronomy.
¥ Discussing the strength and promise of AL as a philosophy of or approach to leadership.
¥ Imagining "Provocative Propositions". Each participant wrote a proposition
about his/her agency or about oneself as a leader.
¥ Applications back home
¥ Reflections and adjourn
SPECIAL MOMENTS: One person said that it wasn't so much the content she remembered as the
glow on the face of the person she was interviewing, who had "come alive before my
eyes."
At the break, a participant introduced himself as a "birthright Quaker" and said
that "Appreciative Inquiry is an application of Quaker beliefs to the
workplace.
Without using the term 'spiritual,' you're proposing a way of leadership that's in synch
with the belief in the 'inner light,' that there is 'that of God in everyone.'"
Several others heard him, and we spent the rest of the break affirming and enlarging on
his discovery. So much for my fear of bureaucrats!
WHAT MADE IT SUCCESSFUL: Participants benefited from:
* Hearing about real leaders in real organizations:
* Sharing prov props: After each one, another person offered one thing he or she
appreciated about that proposition. The act of appreciating an aspect of each statement
turned out to be a remarkable demonstration of the power of appreciation. * Writing their
proposition about themselves. It helped them to synthesize their learnings from the entire
Institute, making it real in their own work lives.
The workshop experience demonstrated again to me the depth of yearning we have for being
authentically positive, that the heart of bureaucracy is warm and full of life, and only
needs a little stimulus to open up.
3 EVENTS 1998/99
3.1 TRAINING in Ai or using Ai approaches
3.1.1 ENGLAND
A. AMED in London is running a 2+1 day workshop. This is the rescheduled September
workshop. I have been involved in a series of conflict resolution and community
development activities in Eastern Europe/N. Ireland. One of the key seminars was moved to
the same week. I do apologise for any inconvenience caused by changing the date.
Leaders: Tricia Lustig, LASA Development UK Ltd and Anne Radford
Dates: 2 and 3 February + 22 March 1999
Location: AMED in central London
Contact: Julian or Helen tel 0171-235-3505, fax 0171-235-3565 or amed.office@management.org.uk
B. Institute of Management
Topic: Manager as an Effective Coach The Appreciative Inquiry approach to highlighting
effective coaching skills, and developing ways to sustain them.
Leader: Anne Radford
Dates: One day workshop on 15 March, and 21 June 1999
Location: IM Training Centre, Savoy Court, central London
To register, contact IM special booking line 01536-207373 or fax 01536 207384 quoting
Course no 096 or call Christine Parton, Customer Services on 01536 207370.
3.1.2 USA The Taos Institute
Topic A: An Appreciative Inquiry workshop
Dates: Begins at 6:00 PM on Monday May 10th and ends at12:30 PM on Friday May 14th.
Presenters: David Cooperrider and Diana Whitney
Location: Taos, Mew Mexico
Content: Participants will learn about the theory and practice of Appreciative Inquiry,
practice key steps in the AI process, work through case examples of actual Ai consulting
projects, and develop strategies for introducing Ai to their organizations.
This workshop is designed for individuals as well as groups from an organization; and for
leaders and consultants engaged in organizational transformation.
Contact: To register, Diana Whitney at 505-751-1232 or Fax information to 505-751-1233.
For more information or to receive registration information, call the Taos Institute at
1-888-999-TAOS or write to Dawn Dole at coopdole@modex.com
3.1.2 USA The Taos Institute
Topic B: The Spirit Of Social Construction: Spirituality and Social Construction in
Organizations, Therapy, and Societal Practice
Dates: During the week-end of April 8-11, 1999
Location: Taos, Mew Mexico
For more information contact: Dawn Dole at coopdole@modex.com or call in the U.S.
toll-free 1-888-999-TAOS.
3.2 EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMMES
3.2.1 USA
The Global Excellence in Management Initiative (GEM) is accepting applications for the
"1999 GEM Certificate Program in Global Change and Social Innovation".
This management education program seeks to increase the impact of development
professionals in PVOs and NGOs by promoting Appreciative Inquiry skills, best practices,
and ideas for strengthening and managing their own organizations and for developing
strategic alliances and partnerships with others.
The three-phased program includes a Residential Session in Alabama (May 16-29, 1999), a
field project (June-November), and Phase 3 which will be a regional-
based follow-up (TBA). For an application and information, please call (202)822-6188 or
email gem@vita.org. Applications are due by January 30, 1999.
3.3 CONFERENCES
3.3.1 AUSTRALIA
The Institute of Management Consultants 6th Asia Pacific conference
Date: March 2000
Location: Canberra, Australia.
Contact imc@imc.org for details.
3.3.2 Spirituality in the workplace conferences
(PatrickUN@aol.com)
Patrick has updated his list of conferences and events around the world from now until
year 2001.
Please contact Patrick McNamara for the latest list or to send any additions.
3.3.3 ENGLAND
The Dadi Janki Foundation Conference for Global Healthcare
Topic: The Reflective Practitioner-Wisdom in Action
A one-day symposium for senior practitioners in the healthcare professions
Date: Wednesday, 20 January 1999
Location: Royal Society of Medicine, London
For more information, contact the Foundation at jankifound@compuserve.com
3.4 OTHER EVENTS
3.4.1 ENGLAND March meeting of business, management and personal coaches
Topic: Spirit in action - when we are most aware of spirit in our work as coaches
Leader: Anne Radford
Location: IPD, 2 Savoy Court, The Strand, London
Time: 6pm to 8pm
For more information about the monthly meetings, contact Mark Foster (MarkF1000@aol.com)
3.4.2 SCOTLAND Imagine Scotland update
Margaret Wright (100067.2577@compuserve.com)
The 'Initial Energy Group' has met a couple of times since the last newsletter and
continue with their networking activities to identify all those involved or concerned. All
those contacted so far have been enthusiastic. An event is planned for the New Year which
would draw interested parties together to identify common aims and gains from any future
work to be undertaken. The 'Scots of the Future' event for teachers and schools has been
moved into the New Year -roll on 1999!
4. ANNOUNCEMENTS
4. 1 AUSTRALIA: Liz Mellish was recently elected the first female National President of
the IMC in Australia. She is looking forward to practising appreciative leadership of this
professional Association.
4. 2 EGYPT: Information about Hamdi Quenawi, one of the people who is helping me bring
together information for the newsletter.
(hamdiq@iiedt2.gega.net)
Who am I? I am an OD Specialist with 16 years of community and organization development
experience. I trained as a teacher of English in Egypt and I have a master's degree in
Human Resources Development from Manchester, UK. Most of my work has been with NGOs. I
have experience working with Canadian, British and American funded community and
organizational development projects. I was introduced to AI by serving as a learning group
facilitator in one of AI workshops held in Egypt in 1995. I was a Certificate program
participant in 1997.
I have for the past 18 months been working with a USAID funded training project
(Development Training 2) which is geared toward achieving agreed upon "Strategic
objectives" between the governments of Egypt and USA. These are long-term development
goals in the areas of health, education, democracy, education, environment and economic
growth. USAID in Egypt and Israel is part of the peace deal signed between the two
countries in late 1970s.
My role involves establishing the initial relationship with the clients, identifying key
results areas and work groups, facilitating planning meetings and building consensus.
Trying to explain the idea behind focusing on the positive aspects of performance finds
little sympathy. This is understandable. The project will be judged by the number of
training "solutions" developed to fill the "gaps" identified.
Most of my AI energy I spend with Egyptian NGO leaders by explaining and advocating ideas
and examples. This audience is much more appreciative than in my formal work. There is
willingness to listen and experiment though cautiously.
I hope that working with AI becomes the focus of my work and life. I also hope that
funding agencies become more supportive and allocate resources for project totally focused
on AI that capitalizes on best practices. I also look for opportunities to work together
and learn together about ways of making the world a better place.
5. PUBLICATIONS
5.1 USA Call for papers
The Journal of Human Systems is inviting papers for a two volume special issue devoted to
Appreciative Inquiry. For those interested in submitting an article please email David
Cooperrider at CoopDLC@prodigy.com by November 30, 1998. Include the possible title and a
one page description. Papers should be a good integration of practice and theory, with an
emphasis on writing for a practitioner audience.
5.2 USA Paper available
David Cooperrider and Diana Whitney have recently written a paper titled "A Positive
Revolution in Change: Appreciative Inquiry".
This paper gives an overview and many case stories of Appreciative Inquiry. It is an
excellent source for introducing people to the concepts of AI and the practical
applications.
To receive a copy of this paper email Dawn Dole at coopdole@modex.com .
Please send any examples or information to one of the following:
COUNTRY CONTACTS/CO-ORDINATORS
Walter Bruck/Germany Walter.Bruck@usa.net
Steve Cato/USA West Coast scato@worldnet.att.net
Bart Cox /South Africa stazia@wfc.org.za
Joep de Jong/The Netherlands jlsjc@WORLDONLINE.NL
Muriel Finegold/USA East Coast Marafine@aol.com
Mette Jacobsgaard/Denmark 101572.622@compuserve.com
Bill Kinsey/Zimbabwe bkinsey@econ.vu.nl
Liz Mellish/Australia info@mellish.com.au
Ravi Pradhan/Nepal Ravip@wlink.com.np
Hamdi Qenawi/Egypt hamdiq@iiedt2.gega.net
Anne Radford/England + Newsletter Co-ordinator editor@aipractitioner.com
Marge Schiller/USA East Coast MRSENTP@aol.com
Magdalena Steinmeyer/Mexico hgstein@ibm.net
Laverne Dees Webb/USA Iowa LaverneW@aol.com
Margaret Wright/Scotland 100067.2577@compuserve.com
If you want to SUBSCRIBE or UNSUBSCRIBE, write to me (editor@aipractitioner.com). There is no
charge for the newsletter.
I hope you have enjoyed this issue. Do let me have your feedback and comments. Issue 4
will be out at the end of January 1999.
Anne Radford
Management consultant, coach and mediator
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