Intro to Appreciative Inquiry for Health_Szecsey_4.30.12

CORE Group
Introduction to Appreciative Inquiry
for Health Workshop

April 30, 2012: Wilmington, Delaware

Designed and facilitated by:
Christopher Szecesy/CORE Consultant

Copyright C. Szecsey 2012© 1

Welcome

• Rationale for this workshop--
• To learn how Appreciative Inquiry, as a
framework & practice, can contribute to
international health success.


Getting Started
&
Setting the Context


Introductions
• At your table:
• Please introduce yourself, your
organization, what you do there,
• And
• What do you hope to gain from attending
this workshop?
• Mini-survey results


Setting the Context


Workshop Purpose
• To learn the fundamentals of Appreciative
Inquiry for Health, as a conceptual
framework and for application.

• See handout for Workshop Objectives &
Agenda


Why learn a new approach to
supporting positive change?

―The significant problems we face cannot be
solved at the same level of thinking we
were at when we created them.‖
• Albert Einstein


―We are increasingly confronted with a world in
which change does not occur during a
separate time period, after which we get back
to business as usual. Rather, change is now
the very water in which we swim.‖
• Bernard J.Mohr (2001)


New Paradigm
• The assumption underlying AI is simple:
every human system has a core of
strengths that is often hidden and/or
underutilized--what is known as its
positive core

• AI searches for and finds the positive core


• When the positive core is revealed and
tapped into, it provides a sustainable
source of positive energy that nourishes
personal, community and organizational
change and, potentially, transformation


What is a simple definition of AI
to get us started?

• A positive / strength-based approach to
change that builds on strengths & assets &
identifies collective hopes & dreams to
create an empowering vision of the future
that leads to action for communities,
teams, & organizations.


Five Generic Processes of Appreciative Inquiry*
1. Choose the
positive as the
focus of inquiry
5. Innovate and Definition
improvise ways to 2. Inquire into
create that future exceptionally
positive
Design &
Destiny/Delivery AI Discovery
moments

4. Create shared
3. Share the stories
images of a
and identify life-
preferred future
giving forces
Dream


DISCOVERY:
Inquiring into the Best of what is


Appreciative Interviews/Pairs
• Please pair up with someone you don‘t
know, or don‘t know well, from another
organization.

• Introduce yourselves
• Decide who will interview first
• You will have 20 minutes total for your
interviews

1. Share a time when your
project/organization was highly successful
in having a positive health outcome/impact
in a community based project. What
happened?


2. After sharing your story, explain what
made success possible. What were the
reasons, conditions, or factors which
contributed to this success?


• Person A will interview Person B for 10
minutes
• Then, Person B will interview Person A for
10 minutes
• Ask follow-up questions
• Listen deeply
• Make notes of key points/quotes


Meta Cards
• With your partner, jot down together on
meta cards the 2 or 3 most important
factors in total that were key to the
successes you described.

• Write one factor per card

• Select one compelling story to share

Work Groups
Groups of 6 (3 pairs) or
Groups of 8 (4 pairs)

Sharing of stories and ideas


Work Groups

• Each person take turns briefly sharing
highlights of the one compelling story
from their pair interviews

• Select one inspiring, compelling story
from each table group to share in
large group

Identifying the Positive Core

• Share one compelling story from each
table group as time allows


Meta Cards
• Table groups share and discuss Meta
Cards

• As a Table Group, now select 3 to 4 most
important Success Factors to present to
large group


Success Factors
• Each table group reports out 1 important
success factor


Post Meta Cards

• Collect and post cards on wall
• Cluster if possible
• Explain label-
• “Positive Core of Health Success”
• Summarize key points


AI Summary
(So far!)
• Key points on Definition

• Key points on Discovery


Case Study
• Appreciative Community Mobilization for
Health


Application
• Self select into one of the following topic
work groups. (6 to 8 members per work
group)

1. Individual health and care
2. Community-based health programming
3. Multi-stakeholder collaboration


Define a Positive Topic
• Reframe your topic as a Positive Topic

• Example: Health practices
• Reframe: Inspired adoption of good health
practices

• Report out reframed Positive Topics


Positive Inquiry
• Positive Topic: Inspired adoption of good
health practices
• Example inquiry:
• Tell me about a time when you
consciously choose to make a good health
practice a habit and followed through
• What happened?
• Whate were the root causes of success?

Report out
• Report out process and key learnings


LUNCH

• Gallery walk of-
• Positive Core of Community Health
Success

• Please return at 1:30

DREAM: Envisioning the Future
“What Might Be”

• DREAM – To create shared images of a
preferred future

• ―…the ability to express a vision in
metaphors…is an essential quality of
leadership.‖ (Capra, 2002)

Purpose of Dream/Vision Phase
• To build upon the Positive Core, yet…

• To challenge the status quo and present
assumptions

• To stretch into the future and to envision a
preferred future that is bold, compelling
and mutually desired

Form new work groups
• Find a new partner, someone you don‘t
know, or don‘t know well, from another
organization
• Find other pairs you don‘t know or don‘t
know well
• Form new work groups of 6 or 8


Imagining

“Imagine it is about 3 years from now, and
your project communities are healthy and
empowered to manage their own health.
What is different now? What are the keys
to this success?”


Visioning process
• Building on the success factors identified
in the earlier interviews, explore new
possibilities that challenge the status quo
and your assumptions!

• Discuss and agree on key points of your
vision


Prepare Creative Presentation
• Using your flip chart, create a visual image
that captures your vision

• List your key points on the flip chart

• Presentation to be no more than 5 minutes


Presentations
• Each group presents their visions and key
points

• Identify common themes across the
different visions

• List themes on new flip chart sheet


Dream Summary
“Positive action follows positive image”

• Key points on Dream phase


Case Study
• AI for Health Systems Development (HSD)


Dream Questions
• Develop Dream focus for one of these
topics (return to same work group or join a
new one):

1. Individual health and care
2. Community-based health programming
3. Multi-stakeholder collaboration


Table Report Out
• Work groups report out


DESIGN: Co-Constructing
the Roadmap

“What Should Be”


What is ―Design‖?
• Both a product and a process
• As a verb … ―to design‖ … Is to invent, to
innovate, to conceive and to make choices
— about the purpose, roles, relationships,
processes, practices and structures which
will house, support and give life to the
organizations members and the dream
they have created.
• As a noun, ―The Design‖ … is the set of
choices we have made about the above.

Design: A Time for Innovation
• A time for the creation of new forms, new
containers, new practices and even new
directions which embrace and are infused by the
positive core unearthed in Discovery and
imagined in our Dream

• A time which calls forth and even demands the
spirit of invention and pioneer action so long
dormant in many systems


Design-cont.
• A time to close the gap between now and the
future

• A time to align values, structures and processes
with your dream

• A time to identify the strategic priorities that
enable you to move in the direction of your
dream


Work Groups

• Discuss and agree on the following:
• What should be your 2 year community
health programming, to move in the
direction of your 3 year vision?
• What would be your 2-3 strategic
innovations/initiatives?


Design Phase Summary

• Key points for Design Phase


BREAK


Appreciative Inquiry
Learnings & Summary
• Introduction to session

• How many of you have had a chance to
read the materials sent in advance?

• Form new groups – two groups for each of
two following topics


Key learnings – Case Study
• Groups A & C respond to the following
same question:
• What did you learn from the AI Practitioner
case study on “AI for Community Health in
Kyrgystan” that you will carry forward to
your development work?
• Record your group‘s most important 4-5
learnings on Flip Chart

Key learnings – AI Essentials
• Groups B & D respond to the following
same question:
• What did you learn from the AI Essentials
piece that helps you understand what AI is
and how to apply it?
• Record your group‘s most important 2-3
learnings on Flip Chart


Exchange and Review
• Exchange FC sheets between different
groups (A & B exchange as do C & D)
• Each group reviews the work of the
previous group, indicates learnings with
which you most agree by placing a star by
the item
• Add your own 3-4 learnings not yet listed
• Exchange back to 1st group for review

Debrief
• What did you learn from this exercise?


The Doing and Being of AI
• AI is both about the process of change/the
―doing‖

AND

• Incorporating an Appreciative Approach to
your own life and work/the ―being‖


The Appreciative Inquiry
5 D-Cycle
DEFINITION Choose the positive as the focus of inquiry

DISCOVERY ―What gives life to moments when we are at our best?‖
-Appreciative Interviews and Story telling

DREAM ―What is ‗boldly possible‘, given the best of the past?‖
-Building ―Propositions‖ and Images of Future Ideal

DESIGN ―What needs to happen to realize the Future Ideal?‖

-Actionable Ideas to expand, improve, create Capacity
-Organizational functions
-Relationships

DELIVER ―What will empower and sustain movement toward the
ideal?‖
-Continuous Learning


Appreciative Inquiry Summary
• There is value in every organization/
community.
• Starting a change process from a position
of strength adds power and possibility to
the process.
• Framing questions/statements are tools for
facilitating change.


• Stories are an important part of
information gathering.
• Image (vision, dream) and action are
linked.
• Having a positive, powerful vision/dream
empowers people to take action.
• Getting the whole system involved helps
bring about change.


The AI Process
• What we ask determines what we find

• What we find determines how we talk

• How we talk determines how we imagine
together

• How we imagine determines what we achieve
together

• The tangible result of an inquiry is a series of
statements that describe where the organization,
group or community wants to be, based on the high
moments of where it has been
• Because the statements are grounded in people‘s real
experience and history, people know how to repeat their
successes
• AI is generative process
– It generates new possibilities through new or deeper
relationships

– It generates hope

“If you can imagine it, you can
achieve it; if you can dream it, you
can become it.”

“…nothing expands possibilities like
unleashed imagination.”
• William Arthur Ward


Variety of AI Applications
Strategic Planning
Network Development
Teambuilding
Leadership Development
Community Mobilization
Performance Appraisal
(e)Valuation

RESOURCES
• Ai listserv - to join, send an email to ailist-
request@mail.business.utah.edu

• AI Commons web site
<http://appreciativeinquiry.cwru.edu/>

• Appreciative Inquiry Practitioner
<http://aipractitioner.com>

Discussion
Questions?

Clarifications?

Comments?


DELIVERY: Next Steps

“What Will Be”

Sustaining the Momentum with Action &
Learning


Introduction to Delivery Phase
Innovate and improvise ways to create the
future you want through:

Action steps and commitments

Continuous innovation


Delivery:
Making It Happen
• A time to deliver on the new images of the
future and the dynamic elements and
systems created during the Design Phase

• It is also a time for continuous learning,
adjustment and innovation

• And—a time to sustain the momentum by
reinforcing the systemic ―Appreciative Eye‖

Work Groups
• Discuss the following and be ready to
report out:

• How will you apply what you have learned
today to your organization and its health
programs?

• Report out


Workshop eValuation
• Please write your workshop feedback
responses to the following:

• 1. What did you learn from this workshop
that you will share with your organization?
• 2. What did you appreciate about this
workshop?


Final Comments
• Thank you for your interest and
participation in this workshop. Much
appreciated!
• Wishing you all the best of success in
applying Appreciative Inquiry for multiple
applications!
• Let me know if you would like to get
together this evening after dinner for more
discussion.

Adjourn


Intro to Appreciative Inquiry for Health_Szecsey_4.30.12

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