February 2007
Innovation Tips
…ideas for building
collaborative innovation
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Strengthen Your Core
Fitness
experts preach the importance of strengthening our physical core—those core muscles that are our body’s power
zone. Every movement we make originates here, and keeping it strong enhances
our physical abilities and protects us from injury. We need this core of
strength to perform at our best.
Similarly,
we do well to strengthen our personal
core—our zone of personal assets, competencies, stories, dreams, and
achievements. David Cooperrider, Case
Western Professor of Organizational Behavior, says that there is extraordinary
power to be found in strengthening our core as organizations, too. When we
develop a strong core in an organization, one that is positive and
life-affirming, we are poised to apply our best in every situation.
Cooperrider
coined the term Appreciative Inquiry
(Ai) to characterize developing a positive core in organizations. The premise
of Ai is that there is more to be gained from building on strengths and common
aspirations than correcting weakness.
One Ai
maxim says, "What we focus on expands." Time and attention on our
flaws expands the flaws; time and attention on core strengths, expands the
strength. Appreciative Inquiry addresses problems by creating a vision of what
is possible and working towards it. The attention is on the positive work of
building the common vision, not on fixing the problems.
Does
this mean we now get to ignore our problems? Hardly. But, immediately delving
into “cause and cure” can trap us in a spiral of blame and negativity that can
tear at the fiber of our relationships and paralyze our change efforts. Consider instead how Ai outgrows problems. Carl Jung seemed to understand Ai when he said,
“All the greatest and most important
problems of life are fundamentally insoluble... They can never be solved, but
only outgrown. This outgrowing . .
. require[d] a new level of
consciousness. Some higher or wider interest appeared on the horizon and
through this broadening of outlook the insoluble problem lost its urgency. It
was not solved logically in its own terms, but faded when confronted with a new
and stronger life urge.”
While
Ai is more perspective than formula, Cooperrider described four distinct phases
that support the development of a positive core: Discovery, Dream, Design, and
Destiny.
Discovery:
the phase of appreciation that seeks to identify what gives life to the
organization when it is most effective and capable.
Dream:
Envisioning of what might be.
Design:
Creating the ideal of what ought to be.
Destiny:
Engendering the ideal daily through continual learning and adjustment. The
Destiny phase is self-sustaining, leading to even greater strength and
capacity.
How can you begin to use Ai to strengthen and
transform your organization? It all starts with asking the right questions. Ask
questions that are framed as unconditionally positive. For instance, rather
than asking your team, “Why is morale so low?” ask, “When have you felt most
satisfied and engaged in our work?” Then, as people share their stories, watch
the enthusiasm build and the core of your organization gain strength.
“Think of Appreciative Inquiry as a new
conversation, as a search engine for the positive core of a system, as a
convergence zone or “space” creating a multiplier effect in the area of human
imagination and intellectual capital.”
--David Cooperrider.
What Else?
Partners for Innovation is in the business of helping you create organizations that thrive on creativity and social capital. We write these articles to support your work in building vital and resilient organizations. Please tell us what else you would like to learn. We depend on you for our subject matter, and as the subject of our work, you matter!
Please send the editor an email to let us know what you would like to learn in these essays: jgjohnston@partnersfi.com
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