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February
4, 2005 |
APPRECIATIVE
INQUIRIES
for February, 2005
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Appreciative Inquiries Newsletter
by Corporation for Positive Change, Issue 8 |
“Though
I do not believe that a plant will spring up where
no seed has been, I have great faith in a seed. Convince
me that you have a seed there,and I am prepared
to expect wonders." -
Henry David Thoreau
Wintertime
is the time for nurturing the seeds of spring, and
for nurturing the seed of good – the positive
core – that resides within us. Over the
past months, CPC has been nurturing its positive
core, continuing to consult, teach and write . .
. continuing to build our capacities to facilitate
positive change in individuals and organizations
around the world.
CPC
Consulting and Speaking News
Cardiovascular
Partners Planning Meeting
IMAGINE
what we could accomplish if we collectively
focused our individual missions…on actionable,
measurable, concrete, health-system goals for
inpatient and transitional cardiovascular care.
Goals that can be achieved if we work together.
Goals that cannot be achieved individually.
In
response to this invitation, 33 of the nation’s
leading healthcare organizations assembled on Wednesday,
January 12, 2005 at the Heart House in Bethesda,
MD. Among attendees were leaders from the
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Institute
for Healthcare Improvement, Joint Commission on
Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations, VHA
Inc, National Committee for Quality Assurance,
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Premier
and more. An historic alliance has been forged. Alliance
members are moving forward on several actionable,
measurable inpatient cardiovascular goals that
were selected in conversations on January 12. Amanda
Trosten-Bloom and Susan Wood enlisted Gerry
Gorelick as a consulting partner in designing
and leading this endeavor.
On
January 18, Jackie Stavros and Dan Saint presented Appreciative
Inquiry in Action: Discovering Your Organization’s
Positive Core to the Detroit Chamber of Commerce CEO
Roundtable. This group of 12 CEO’s
from Plymouth and surrounding cities in Southeastern
Michigan came to this monthly meeting to learn
how they might apply Appreciative Inquiry to their
organizations’ leadership, productivity and
morale. Following the meeting Nick Schultz
(President, Sealant Equipment and Engineering,
Inc., Plymouth, MI) stated, "Your talk was
right on the mark.We all came away with a much
better 'appreciation' of how to communicate with
others to accomplish our goals, using this profound
approach called AI."
The
graphic “map” that will travel from
Coordinating Team to City Council to Community
Conversations. To maintain momentum throughout
this complex 10-month initiative, consulting
partner Alchemy has rendered this and
other visual records.
City
of Longmont, CO held
its two-day Coordinating Team meeting right after
the holidays. Along with Barbara Lewis
(Catalyst Consulting) and Dale Rademacher (Director
of Water/Wastewater Utilities), Amanda Trosten-Bloom facilitated
a 35-person team consisting of citizens, community
activists, business leaders, city employees and
students. The group selected inquiry topics,
drafted questions, identified stakeholders and
launched the first wave of inquiry that will
result community-supported strategic policies
to enable the city to become a mature, sustainable
community.
Amanda
Trosten-Bloom was
the featured speaker at this month’s
Center Director’s Colloquia Series at
the Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt,
MD. Her topic, The Power of Appreciative
Inquiry drew approximately 75 NASA engineers,
scientists, and staff – along with visitors
from surrounding businesses and non-profits.
The presentation, followed by small gatherings
and workshops, explored the role that Appreciative
Inquiry could play in nurturing the organizational
transformation that is under way across NASA.
Susan
Wood speaks on February 16, 2005 to the Philadelphia
Human Resource Planning Group as part of
a combined Appreciative Inquiry and Emotional
Intelligence program. Jey Auritt,
a coach specializing in Emotional Intelligence
is Susan’s co-presenter. Location:
Conshohocken Marriott, 7:30–10:00 a.m.
To register, call 215-851-0701.
 Our
new book is out! Appreciative
Team Building: Positive Questions to Bring
Out the Best in Your Team is now available
on amazon.com and the on-line Barnes & Noble
store. This short self-help book provides
your team with everything it needs to discover
the keys to past successes and future possibilities.
Learn how to enhance your team’s performance
by igniting engaging conversations. For
more information visit our web site: http://www.positivechange.org/books_tapes_CDs.html
CPC
Certificate Program: Appreciative Inquiry and
the Practice of Positive Change
We’ve
scheduled the 2005 practice sharing
dialogues for participants in the CPC Certificate
program! Register for the program now and
be part of these calls:
- February 15 (CPC host: Diana Whitney)
- April 15 (CPC host: Jim Ludema)
- June 15 (CPC host: Mike Mantel)
- August 15 (CPC host: Jackie Stavros)
- October 11 (CPC host: Amanda Trosten-Bloom)
- December 15 (CPC host: Susan Wood)
To
join this illustrious network of positive change
practitioners, download the Application
Form and return it by mail, e-mail or fax.
Upon receipt of your registration, we will immediately
add you to our Certificate Program e-mail list.
For
more information, contact Corporation for Positive
Change at 505-751-1232 or email: office@positivechange.org.
"Having
completed the CPC Certificate program, my ability
to use AI in multiple ways has been raised
to a new level. I really understand the AI
process, and can use it in many different ways
with skill and confidence."
Belinda
Rinker
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Dear
CPC: a source for ongoing capacity-building, questions
and answers
When
I was recently using Appreciative Inquiry with
a group, I noticed that their energy dropped
when we moved from an active Dream activity
(where they envisioned an exciting future)
into Design and Destiny. The prospect of action
planning seemed to drain the life out of the
group. It was hard for them to focus on what
they wanted to create and how to approach it.
What can be done to tap into the energy of
the stories and dreams to make Design and Destiny
as alive and energizing as Discovery?
Sincerely
yours,
Bonalyn Mosteller, Ed.D.
Bonalyn Mosteller Associates
Phoenixville, PA
Dear
Bonalyn:
Yes,
energy does shift at different places during Appreciative
Inquiry process. There's something special about
each phase: the closeness and wonder of Discovery
conversations; the excitement of Dreaming about
a remarkable future; and the pragmatic nature of
design and planning. This is natural and expected.
And, it's good to have people are engaged and focused
all along the way. A couple of ideas to keep energy
flowing:
-
Recall
stories, even briefly, after Dreaming. Take
time to revisit two or three selected stories
that point the way to the desired future. Talk
about how they relate to Dreams, and then move
forward with the memory and resonance of the
stories. That tends to lift energy and give
focus.
-
Diana
does a great activity for Design, where she
asks people look at the building in which they
are meeting in to identify the design principles,
and how they, as inhabitants, experience these
principles. In 10 minutes people gain insight
into the significance of design principles.
They can identify principles that will make
their Dream/Vision come to life. That bit of
structure helps organize a way to plan what
they will do.
Susan
O. Wood
for the CPC Consulting Team
Do
YOU have a question for CPC? If so, contact
us at office@positivechange.org.
We will answer it in a future Appreciative Inquiries.
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Upcoming
Educational Opportunities
***REGISTRATION
DEADLINE IS PENDING***
AI
in Action, Boulder, CO, March 2-4,
2005.
EARLY BIRD DISCOUNT APPLIES UNTIL February
7. Want to build on your experience
as a leader of positive change? Go
deeper, faster and farther with Appreciative
Inquiry? In this intermediate workshop,
Amanda Trosten-Bloom and Mike Mantel
will help you identify and build upon
your strengths as an AI practitioner.
Explore a variety of approaches for
applying AI at different levels in
an organization, community and across
our world. Revisit and deepen your
practice of AI using your own projects
and the projects of other participants
as case examples. Hear about best practices
and new horizons, as well as variations
of the AI 4-D model and AI principles
in theory and practice. Discover new
ideas, approaches and frameworks for
building your capacity and impact as
an AI change agent. Previous attendance
at a Foundations-level Appreciative
Inquiry workshop, as well as experience
applying the AI approach to at least
one project, is required. For information
and to register contact Corporation
for Positive Change at 505-751-1232
or email: office@positivechange.org.
What
participants are saying about AI in
Action:
AI
in Action is a dynamic course
that absolutely exceeded my expectations! The
combination of pre-work, rich discussions,
and case studies stretched my capacities
as an AI practitioner. Within
a day, I had applied what I learned
to my job.
Barbara
Bitondo
The World Bank
AI
in Action has
built on what I learned in the
Foundations course. It gave me
case studies and alternative
methods of design, so now I am
ready to “fly with AI.”
Diana
Sadighi
Director, Human Resources
Hunter Douglas Window Fashions
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Appreciative
Leadership Development Program, Taos, NM, April
4-7, 2005.
EARLY BIRD DISCOUNT APPLIES UNTIL March 4.
At last – an AI workshop for executives
and managers! Facilitated by Diana Whitney
and Jim Ludema this is a strength based leadership
development program. It is a must for leaders
who wish to identify and enhance their strengths
and appreciative capacities for collaboration,
affirmation, and inspiration. This is a perfect
program for leaders of large scale change.
For information and to register contact Corporation
for Positive Change at 505-751-1232 or email: office@positivechange.org.
What
participants are saying about Appreciative Leadership
Development Program:
This
was a life altering experience. I not only
got in touch with my strengths as a leader
but really got in touch with who I've been "being" as
a leader and what is effective about it as
opposed to what I've been "doing" as
a leader. I loved how we took the different
data points and used them to take a look at
ourselves and what we're up to as leaders.
I am completely re-inspired as a leader and
feel very supported and connected with my colleagues.
Thanks.
Tish
Wilson
Vice President
Community Development Institute
The
Appreciative Inquiry Summit, Chicago, IL, June
13-16, 2005. EARLY BIRD DISCOUNT APPLIES
UNTIL May 13. Jim Ludema and Diana Whitney,
lead authors of The Appreciative Inquiry
Summit: A Practitioners Guide for Leading Large-Group
Change, are still accepting participants
in this workshop for consultants and leaders
who wish to learn the principles and practice
of applying AI to large group meetings (50-2000
people) and whole system transformation.
This
practical and inspiring workshop includes a thorough
introduction the AI Summit methodology; a series
of case stories and videos based on Jim and Diana’s
work on how to design and facilitate large group
AI Summits in corporate, non-profit, and international
settings;, and rich discussion of applications
of the AI Summit to strategic planning, culture
change, exceptional customer service, vision and
values clarification, global organizing, and reinventing
businesses, communities and complex social systems
such as health care. An important feature of
this workshop is its practical application segment. Over
the course of the workshop, Jim and Diana will
work with you to design an AI Summit process for
a specific project or idea of interest to you.
Prior attendance at the Appreciative Inquiry workshop, "The
Foundations of Appreciative Inquiry," is required.
For information and to register contact Corporation
for Positive Change at 505-751-1232 or email: office@positivechange.org.
What
participants are saying about The AI Summit:
This
event provided a forum to discuss and develop
detailed plans for our upcoming summits on
Sales and Service. It was interesting to
hear from other groups who were using the
tool in a variety of applications. The facilitators
ensured that all participants made progress
and received input and suggestions from the
group.
Rita
Sly
Project Manager
First Caribbean International Bank
With
participation in The AI Summit Workshop,
I now see how this wonderful, reaffirming
methodology can be applied to Large Scale
Change efforts. It's all-inclusive of not
only the people, but also all aspects of
where they're coming from, how they view
the topic, and what they dream possible for
the future of the topic. Staying focused
on the possibilities is not only fun & rewarding,
it's also engaging and creative in a way
that creates the space for unanticipated
outcomes. And, Jim and Diana are masters
at it, which made it even more of a pleasurable
experience.
Jean
Tully
Consultant
Tully Consulting
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Books
and Publications
Check
out the full listing of leading books on Appreciative
Inquiry and positive change by CPC consultants:
- The
Power of Appreciative Inquiry (Whitney & Trosten-Bloom)
- The
Appreciative Inquiry Summit (Ludema, Whitney,
Mohr, & Griffin)
- Appreciative
Team Building (Whitney,
Trosten-Bloom, Cherney and Fry)
- The
Appreciative Inquiry Handbook (Cooperrider,
Whitney, & Stavros)
- Encyclopedia
of Positive Questions - Volume One (Whitney,
Cooperrider, Kaplin, & Trosten-Bloom)
- Appreciative
Inquiry: Collaborating for Change (booklet:
Cooperrider & Whitney)
- Positive
Approaches to Peacebuilding (Sampson, Abu-Nimer,
Liebler, & Whitney)
- Appreciative
Inquiry: An Emerging Direction for OD (Cooperrider,
Sorensen, Yaeger, & Whitney)
Also,
look for The
United Religions Initiative: Birth of a Global
Community: Appreciative Inquiry in Action by
Sally Mahe.
Finally,
follow this link to the AI
Practitioner: the only newsletter on the practice
of Appreciative Inquiry. Published quarterly by
Anne Radford in London, the AIP features articles
on such diverse topics as AI and strategic planning,
AI in Health Care, and AI in the K-12 school system.
The $28 subscription fee is modest, and well worth
it.
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About
CPC
Corporation
for Positive Change (CPC) is dedicated to the design
and development of Appreciative organizations -
those capable of sustaining innovation, financial
well-being and market leadership by inspiring the
best in human beings. CPC provides consultation
and training based on the principles and practices
of Appreciative Inquiry. For more information about
CPC, or to contact any of our principal consultants,
please visit our Web site at www.positivechange.org.
To
UNSUBSCRIBE from this mailing list, please send
a blank message to: leave-appreciativeinquiries@list.netatlantic.com Thank
you.
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