Appreciative inquiry

Appreciative Inquiry is a strategy for intentional change that identifies the best of ‘what is’ to pursue dreams and possibilities of ‘what could be’; a cooperative search for strengths, passions and life-giving forces that are found within every system that hold potential for inspired, positive change. (Cooperrider & Srivastva, 1987)


http://appreciativeinquiry.case.edu/

Assumptions

• In every community something works
• What we focus on becomes our reality
• Reality is created in the moment – there is more than one reality
• The act of asking questions influences the community in some way
• People have more confidence and comfort to journey to the future when they carry forward parts of the past
• If we carry forward parts of the past, they should be what is best
• It is important to value differences
• The language we use creates our reality

 

Problem solving	Appreciative inquiry
“Felt Need” Identification of the Problem	Appreciating and valuing the best of “what is”
Analysis of causes	Envisioning “what might be”
Analysis of possible solutions	Dialoguing “What should be” Innovating “What will be
Basic Assumption: An organization is a problem to be solved.	Basic Assumption: An organization is a mystery to be embraced.

 

 

General Flow of an Appreciative Inquiry process:

 

Appreciative inquiry can be done as a longer structured process going through phases of
o DISCOVER: identifying organisational processes that work well.
o DREAM: envisioning processes that would work well in the future.
o DESIGN: Planning and prioritising those processes.
o DELIVER: implementing the proposed design.

The basic idea is to build organizations around what works, rather than trying to fix what doesn't.

At the center is a positive topic choice – how we ask even the first question contains the seeds of change we are looking to enact.

Appreciative Inquiry can also be used as a way of opening a meeting or conversation by identifying what already works. What do you value most about your self/work/organization?

What is Appreciative Inquiry Good For?
Appreciative Inquiry is useful when a different perspective is needed, or when we wish to begin a new process with a fresh, positive vantage point. It can help move a group that is stuck in “what is” toward “what could be”. Appreciative Inquiry can be used with individuals, partners, small groups, or large organizations.

Materials Needed:
Varies depending on how the methodology is used.

Resources:
Cooperrider, David and Srivastva (2000)
Appreciative Inquiry: Rethinking Human Organization Toward a Positive Theory of Change

http://appreciativeinquiry.case.edu/

 

Circle

The Circle, or council, is an ancient form of meeting that has gathered human beings into respectful conversations for thousands of years. In some areas of the world this tradition remains intact, but in some societies it has been nearly forgotten. PeerSpirit circling is a modern methodology that calls on this tradition and helps people gather in conversations that fulfil their potential for dialogue, replenishment, and wisdom-based change.

www.peerspirit.com


Principles of Circle:
o Rotate leadership
o Take responsibility
o Have a higher purpose that you gather around


Practices of Circle:
o Speak with Intention: Noting what has relevance to the conversation in the moment
o Listen with Attention: Respectful of the learning process of all members of the group
o Tend to the Well-being of the Group: Remaining aware of the impact of our contributions


Four Agreements of Circle:
o Listen without judgment (slow down and listen)
o Whatever is said in circle stays in circle
o Offer what you can and ask for what you need
o Silence is also part of the conversation

General Flow of the Circle
o Intention
o Welcome/Start-point
o Center and Check-In/Greeting
o Agreements
o Three Principles and Three Practices
o Guardian of the Process
o Check-Out and Farewell
o Tend to the Well-being of the Group: Remaining aware of the impact of our contributions

Intention shapes the circle and determines who will come, how long the circle will meet, and what kinds of outcomes are to be expected. Additionally, the center of a circle usually holds objects that represent the intention of the circle.

 

Check-in usually starts with a volunteer and proceeds around the circle. If an individual is not ready to speak, the turn is passed and another opportunity is offered after others have spoken.
To aid self-governance and bring the circle back to intention, having a circle member volunteer to be the role of guardian is helpful.  This group member watches and safeguards the group’s energy and observes the groups process. 

Closing the circle by checking out provides a formal end to the meeting, a chance for members to reflect on what has transpired. 
(The above was adapted from a handout which was generously provided by Peer Spirit to the Art of Hosting)

What is Circle Good For? 
One of the beautiful things about circle is its adaptability to a variety of groups, issues, and timeframes.  Circle can be the process used for the duration of a gathering, particularly if the group is relatively small and time for deep reflection is a primary aim.  Circle can also be used as a methodology of “checking in” and “checking out” or a way of making decisions together.  Be creative with circle and be ready for the deep wisdom it can unearth!

Materials Needed:
o    Chairs/cushions arranged into a circle – folks should be able to view each other without impediments (i.e. tables or desks)
o    Object for the Center – this can be flowers, a bowl, basket, or even a poster stating the intention or purpose of the gathering
o    Talking piece
o    Chime, bell, or other gentle noisemaker
o    Materials for harvesting conversation

Resources: 
Baldwin, Christina 
- Calling the Circle – The First and Future Culture
- Storycatcher – Making sense of Our Lives through the Power and Practice of Story
www.peerspirit.com
 

Open Space

The goal of an Open Space Technology meeting is to create time and space for people to engage deeply and creatively around issues of concern to them. The agenda is set by people with the power and desire to see it through, and typically, Open Space meetings result in transformative experiences for the individuals and groups involved. It is a simple and powerful way to catalyze effective working conversations and truly inviting organizations – to thrive in times of swirling change.

Principles of Open Space:
o Whoever comes are the right people
o Whenever it starts is the right time
o Whatever happens is the only thing that could have
o When its over its over

Law of Two Feet

(PASSION & RESPONSIBILTY)

If you find yourself in a situation where you are not contributing or learning, move somewhere where you can.

The four principles and the law work to create a powerful event motivated by the passion and bounded by the responsibility of the participants.

Roles in Open Space:
o Host
o Participant
o Bumble bee
o Butterfly

General Flow of an Open Space Meeting:

 

The group convenes in a circle and is welcomed by the sponsor.

The facilitator provides an overview of the process and explains how it works. The facilitator invites people with issues of concern to come into the circle, write the issue on a piece of paper and announce it to the group.

These people are "conveners." The convener places their paper on the wall and chooses a time and a place to meet. This process continues until there are no more agenda items.

The group then breaks up and heads to the agenda wall, by now covered with a variety of sessions. Participants take note of the time and place for sessions they want to be involved in.

Dialogue sessions convene for the balance of the meeting. Recorders determined by each group capture the important points and post the reports on the news wall. All of these reports will be harvested in some way and returned to the larger group.

Following a closing or a break, the group might move into convergence, a process that takes the issues that have been discussed and attaches action plans to them to "get them out of the room."

The group then finishes the meeting with a closing circle where people are invited to share comments, insights, and commitments arising from the process.

What is Open Space Good For?
Open Space Technology is useful in almost any context, including strategic direction setting, envisioning the future, conflict resolution, morale building, consultation with stakeholders, community planning, collaboration and deep learning about issues and perspectives.

Open Space Technology is an excellent meeting format for any situation in which there is:
• A real issue of concern
• Diversity of players
• Complexity of elements
• Presence of passion (including conflict)
• A need for a quick decision

Open space can be used in groups of 10 to 1 000 – and probably larger. It’s important to give enough time and space for several sessions to occur. The outcomes can be dramatic when a group is uses its passion and responsibility – and is given the time – to make something happen.

Materials Needed:
o Circle of chairs for participants
o Letters or numbers around the room to indicate meeting locations
o A blank wall that will become the agenda
o A news wall for recording and posting the results of the dialogue sessions
o Breakout spaces for meetings
o Paper on which to write session topics/questions
o Markers/Pencils/Pens
o Posters of the Principles, Law of Two Feet, and Roles (optional)
o Materials for harvest

Resources:
Owen, Harrison
Open Space Technology – A Users Guide
Expanding our now - The Story of Open Space Technology
The Spirit of Leadership - Liberating the Leader in Each of Us
www.openspaceworld.org

Corrigan, Chris
The Tao of Holding Space
Open Space Technology – A User’s Non-Guide (with Michael Herman)
www.chriscorrigan.com

The World Café

The World Café is a method for creating a living network of collaborative dialogue around questions that matter in real life situations. It is a provocative metaphor...as we create our lives, our organizations, and our communities, we are, in effect, moving among ‘table conversations’ at the World Café. (From The World Café Resource Guide)

Operating principles of World Cafe:
o Create hospitable space
o Explore questions that matter
o Encourage each person’s contribution
o Connect diverse people and ideas
o Listen together for patterns, insights and deeper questions
o Make collective knowledge visible


Assumptions of World Cafe:
o The knowledge and wisdom we need is present and accessible.
o Collective insight evolves from honoring unique contributions; connecting ideas; listening into the middle; noticing deeper themes and questions.
o The intelligence emerges as the system connects to itself in diverse and creative ways.

General Flow of a World Café:
==> Seat 4-5 people at café-style tables or in conversation clusters.
==> Set up progressive rounds of conversation, usually of 20-30 minutes each – have some good questions!
==> Ask one person to stay at the table as a “host” and invite the other table members to move to other tables as ambassadors of ideas and insights
==> Ask the table host to share key insights, questions, and ideas briefly to new table members, then let folks move through the rounds of questions.

==> After you’ve moved through the rounds, allow some time for a whole-group harvest of the conversations.


What is World Café Good For?
A World Café is a great way of fostering interaction and dialogue with both large and small groups. It is particularly effective in surfacing the collective wisdom of large groups of diverse people. The café format is very flexible and adapts to many different purposes – information sharing, relationship building, deep reflection exploration and action planning.

When planning a café, make sure to leave ample time for both moving through the rounds of questions (likely to take longer than you think!) and some type of whole-group harvest.

Materials Needed:
o Small tables (36-42”), preferably round
o Chairs for participants and presenters
o Tablecloths
o Flip chart paper or paper placemats for covering the tables
o Markers
o Flip chart or large butcher paper for harvesting collective knowledge or insights
o Posters/Table Tents of Café Etiquette
o Materials for harvest

(The above info adapted from Café to Go at www.theworldcafe.com)

Resources:
Brown, Juanita with David Isaacs & The World Café Community
The World Café – Shaping Our Futures Through Conversations That Matter
www.theworldcafe.com