Appreciative Inquiry Accelerating Positive Change

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Appreciative InquiryAccelerating Positive Change

• James D. Ludema, Ph.D.
• Benedictine University

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What Do We Want?

• Innovation Business Unusual
• Strategic Simplification A Unique Competitive
  Advantage
• Precision in Planning Linked at All Levels
• Positive Energy A Culture of High Performance

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The world is increasingly divided into two kinds
of organizations -- those that can get no further
than continuous improvement, and those whove
made the jump to radical innovation.Gary
Hamel, Leading the Revolution
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Problem Solving Appreciative Inquiry

• Slow
• Conservative
• Leads to Organizational Inertia
• Mixed Results

• High-Velocity Change
• Innovation Explosion..
• Energy for Action -- Hope, Cooperation Commitment
• A Culture of High Performance

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Positive Results -- BP Procare

• 100 stores in two states
• Interviews with satisfied customers
• Generative Benchmarking
• 89 fully satisfied customers after 8 months

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Problem Solving Appreciative Inquiry

• Slow
• Conservative
• Leads to Organizational Depression
• Mixed Results

• High-Velocity Change
• Innovation Explosion..
• Energy for Action -- Hope, Cooperation Commitment
• A Culture of High Performance

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Positive Results -- Nutrimental Foods (Brazil)

• Whole System Visioning and Strategic Planning
• Annual Whole System Summits (over 700 people)
• 200 increase in profits
• 300 decrease in absenteeism

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Problem Solving Appreciative Inquiry

• Slow
• Conservative
• Leads to Organizational Depression
• Mixed Results

• High-Velocity Change
• Innovation Explosion..
• Energy for Action -- Hope, Cooperation Commitment
• A Culture of High Performance

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Positive Results -- John Deere

• Whole System Visioning Strategic Planning
• Appreciative Project Teams
• Improved Relationships Between Labor and
  Management
• New Product Cycle Time from 5 to 3 Years
• 5 Million in New Market Share

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Problem Solving Appreciative Inquiry

• Slow
• Conservative
• Leads to Organizational Depression
• Mixed Results

• High-Velocity Change
• Innovation Explosion..
• Energy for Action -- Hope, Cooperation Commitment
• A Culture of High Performance

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Positive Results -- One of Your Major Competitors

• 94 Restaurant Managers in Chicagoland (33 AI, 32
  problem solving, 29 nothing)
• 2 1/2-Year Program
• Retention in AI Group 30 Higher than Problem
  Solving Group, 32 Higher than Ignored Group.
• 103,320 Savings in Training Costs
• Over 1 Million Savings in Total Costs

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What would you call it?(all these things taken
together)
Achievements Strategic opportunities Product
strengths Technical assets Innovations Capacities/
capabilities Elevated thoughts Best business
practices Positive emotions Financial assets
Organization wisdom Core competencies Visions of
possibility Vital traditions, values Positive
macrotrends Social capital Embedded
knowledge Business ecosystems eg. suppliers,
partners, competitors, customer
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The Positive Core
organization alive"
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AI 4-D Cycle

• Discovery
• Best of what is
• Positive Core

• Destiny
• What will be
• Action initiatives
• People, Practices

• Dream
• What could be
• Vision

Positive Topic

• Design
• What should be
• Relationship Organization

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The Positive Image, Positive Action Relationship

• Powerful Placebo
• Pygmalion Not just the classroom
• Imbalanced Inner Dialogue (21 positive to
  negative ratio Health)
• Rise and Fall of Cultures
• Affirmative Competence? (Lessons from athletics
  and selective self monitoring)