The document discusses the concept of appreciative inquiry in the context of functional conflict within organizations, specifically highlighting examples from the Department of Infrastructure Traffic and Transport in Amsterdam. It emphasizes the detrimental effects of 'silent conflict' and the need for organizational development practitioners to appreciate and reveal hidden conflicts as a means of fostering growth and development in communities. The session aims to encourage participants to reflect on past conflicts and understand how they can be transformed into enriching experiences through dialogue and appreciation of variety.

1. Appreciative Inquiry T o appreciate functional conflict in co-creating

2. Two examples Department of Infrastructure Traffic and Transport (DITT) in the City of Amsterdam in The Netherlands Extortion within the group of tunnel operators Management did not intervene for at least 15 years Intensive Care Unit of a hospital Anger, swearing, unpredictable mood swings, testing new people, is daily routine Employees are lonely, apathetic, frustrated Management do not have the skills to do anything about it

3. Two examples Both examples are about ‘silent conflict’: It is going very well here most of the time… And off course we still want to develop our organization… We appreciate each other very much… And we totally agree on everything… And have no conflict what so ever…

4. Silent conflict and AI? Proposition 1: The OD practioner that starts having appreciative interviews in these two examples, should be forbidden to ever practice in this profession again Because: in doing so the OD practioner confirms the dysfunctional patterns of the organization

5. Silent conflict and AI? Proposition 2: When there is silent conflict the OD practioner should appreciate conflict and tension. He should reveal the hidden conflict (and therefore the variety that is present)

6. Goals of this session The participants in this session will experience that Appreciative Inquiry is not about being happy happy happy… But about appreciating differences, variety and therefore functional conflict in communities… In this session we investigate possible answers to the question: How can you use (functional) conflict as an OD practioner in co-creating process es?

7. An appreciative dialogue Think back of a conflict that enriched your life. Tell us about how this conflict was provoked and how it developed. Tell the story as if we can see a motion picture. 2. What were the positive results of this conflict? What did you appreciate in this conflict situation? And what were the conditions that made this possible? 3. It is August 2011. You take a look back at the conflicts you dealt with in the past year. How did you turn those conflicts into enriching experiences?

8. An appreciative dialogue What did you instantly agree on? What question would have created tension in your conversation and was not asked? What would you gain if you decided to ask this question anyway? What judgment or finding you did not say out loud to your partner you just talked to? What possibilities did you thereby exclude in your conversation? Talk some more and find more variety…

9. Some reflections AI originally derived from Social Constructionism Social Constructionism: reality is being produced in interactions Dysfunctional patterns: fixed definitions of what reality is Breaking through these dysfunctional patterns: looking for variety AI: appreciating variety

10. Some reflections Talk to each other about: Where there is no longer space for variety in your working environment and where definitions about reality are fixed How you could introduce variety in an appreciative manner How you could deal with the tension that will arise

11. Suggestion for the ODWS conference Introduce variety … whenever you think it is missing !