Managing Change using Appreciative Inquiry

1. Managing Change using Appreciative Inquiry Lynda Clark Box Hill Centre Manager Royal District Nursing Service December 2004

2. Session Outcomes • Explain the ‘Action Research’ cycle • Identify approaches within Action Research • Describe ‘Appreciative Inquiry’ as an approach • Apply ‘Appreciative Inquiry’ to your own situation • Enjoy ‘Appreciative Inquiry’ as an inspired change management approach

3. The Action Research Cycle • Action research • “pursuing action and research, … a cyclic process, alternating action with critical reflection … (and is) also qualitative and participative” (Dick, 1997) • Collaborative problem-solving relationship between researcher and client which aims at both solving a problem and generating new knowledge (Coghlan and Brannick (2001, p.3)

4. Data generation • Engagement with others • Active involvement in the day-to-day organisational processes relating to the action research project • Both formal and informal observations • Journaling

5. Approaches within Action Research • Co-operative inquiry • Collaborative approach • Participatory action research • Action inquiry

6. Appreciative Inquiry • Focuses on the “best of what is” • To realise the ideal of “what might be” • With the consent of “what should be” • For the reality of “what can be” (Cooperrider and Srivastva, 1987)

7. Traditional Old Process Define the problem Fix what’s broken Focus on decay What problems are you having? Appreciative Inquiry Search for solutions that already exist Amplify what is working Focus on life giving forces What is working well around here? Appreciative Inquiry Model (Hammond, 1998)

8. Assumptions of Appreciative Inquiry • In every society, organisation or group something works • What we focus on becomes our reality • Reality is created in the moment and there are multiple realities • The act of asking questions of an organisation or group influences the group in some way

9. Assumptions of Appreciative Inquiry (2) • People have more confidence and comfort to journey to the future (the unknown) when they carry forward parts of the past (the known) • If we carry parts of the past forward, they should be what is best about the past • It is important to value differences • The language we use creates our reality (Hammond, 1998)

10. Appreciative Inquiry: The “4-D” Cycle Discovery “What gives life?” (The best of what is) Appreciating Destiny “How to empower, learn, and adjust/improvise?” Sustaining Dream “What might be?” (What is the world calling for?” Envisioning Affirmative Topic Choice Design “What should be-the ideal?” Co-constructing Cooperrider, Whitney & Stavros,2003

11. Discovery • What interests or excites you about being here? • What results are you hoping for? • Tell me about a time when you thought --- was at its best. • Tell the story of what was going on, who was involved, and what happened • What did you do? What did you value most about your involvement in that story? • What do you value most about the contribution of others in that story?

12. Discovery → Dream • Facilitates dialogue among participants • Sharing of positive stories • Creates energy and enthusiasm • Brings out the positive core of the organisation • Begin to see common themes

13. Dream → Design • Underpinned by palliative care philosophy • Solid foundations • Communication • Shared goals • Seamless service • Responsive • Appropriate levels of funding • Develop relationships with client and family • Multi-disciplinary team (RDNS/EPC Action Research project 2004)

14. Design Phase • Create the social-technical architecture • Craft provocative proposition(s) • Dream becomes a reality

15. Good provocative proposition • Bridge the best of “what is” and “what might be” • Challenge the status quo • It should be desirable • State it in the affirmative and bold terms • Fit within the architecture • Zone of proximal development (ZPD) • Participative process • Balance the management of continuity, novelty and transition

16. Design element 1 • Theme: Partnership RDNS/EPC partnership is based on solid foundations of shared goals, underpinned by the palliative care philosophy of care and appropriate levels of funding, to provide a responsive, seamless service enabling therapeutic relationships with client and family within a multidisciplinary team. (RDNS/EPC Action Research project 2004)

17. Destiny – what will be? Allow yourself to dream and you will discover that destiny is yours to design (Dr J. Stavros)

18. Action plan: what next? • What can we do - together? • What will we do – to contribute? • How will we do it – to provide optimal client care outcomes?

19. Good luck Have a go using appreciative inquiry

20. References • Action Research: • Coghlan, D. and Brannick, T. (2001), Doing action research in your own organisation, Sage Publications Ltd., London. • Dick, B. 1997, What is action research? Occasional pieces in action research methodology, #2. Available online at http://www.scu.edu.au/schools/ar/arm/op002.html • Appreciative Inquiry: • Cooperrider D, Whitney D & Stavros J 2003, Appreciative Inquiry: the first in a series of AI workbooks for leaders of change, Lakeshore Communications Inc., Bedford Heights, OH. • Cooperrider, D. and Srivastva, S. 1987, ‘Appreciative inquiry in organisational life’,Research in Organisational Change and Development, Vol. 1., 1987, pp 129-169 • Hammond, S. and Hall, J. (1998), What is appreciative inquiry? In S. Hammond & C. Royal (eds.), Lessons from the Field: Applying Appreciative Inquiry, Thin Book Publishing Co., Plano, TX. www.thinbook.com