Aip May 2011 Ai Plus Plus Australia and Nz

8/2/2019 Aip May 2011 Ai Plus Plus Australia and Nz

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International Journal of Appreciative Inquiry

May 2011

Volume 13 Number 2ISBN 978-1-907549-05-2

Positive Education,Positive Psychology

Resilient Leadership

Many Voices,One Purpose

Inside:

Re-storying forIndividual Potential

AI Research Notes:The Roles of Theoryand Practice

AI in the DefenceCommunity

Change and Grow: PwC

Being AI to Do AI

AI Resources:Scholarly Articlesand Books

Creating a ProfessionalLearning Community

Guest Editors: Sallie Lee and Dayle OBrien

Unstoppable PositiveSocial Change

BecomingAppreciative Leaders

Facilitating StrategicAI Interventions

Building the OptimalCricket Operation

AI++: Innovations in AI through theLens of Australia and New Zealand


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May 201


Inside:

Back Issues at www.aipractitioner.co

AI Practitioner

24 Creating a New Paradigm of Unstoppable Positive Social Changeby Lisa Doig and Karen MullerAI + Values Assessments

Re-Storying for Individual Potential by Dayle OBrienAI + individual strengths

38

What Would You Like to Change and Grow? Price Waterhouse Coopers

Explores Positive Conversational Habits by Michelle McQuaidAI + hope theory

14

4 Introduction by Sallie Lee and Dayle OBrienCombining AI with other strengths-based methodologies and approaches in

Australia and New Zealand

8 Pathways to Positive Education at Geelong Grammar School:Integrating Positive Psychology and Appreciative Inquiry by Paige WilliamsAI + positive psychology

Many Voices, One Purpose: Innovations in New Zealand in AI Practice forthe Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect by Liz Kinley and Sally ChristieAI + community development + social marketing

18

43Resilient Leadership: Grounded in a Strengths-based and Appreciative Life

by Wendy CampbellAI + resilient leadership

AIP May 11 AI++: Australia and New Zealand

32 Becoming Appreciative Leaders: Integrating AI and Strengths-BasedApproaches into an MBA Program by Barb WoodAI + coaching

49 Being AI to Do AI by Max HardyAI + personal preparation

Whole System Innovation

Innovation in Practice: Leadership

Innovation in Practice: Facilitation


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AI Practitioner May 201


Inside continued:

Back Issues at www.aipractitioner.co

76 AI Research Notesby Jan Reed and Lena HolmbergThe role of theory, and its relationship to practice: possible dierences between theacademic goals of individual study, and the collaborative goal of AI

84 About the August 2011 IssueGuest editors: Mette Jacobsgaard and Irene NorlundThe Impact of AI on International Development

IAPG Contacts and AI Practitioner Subscription Information85

79 AI Resourcesby Jackie Stavros and Dawn DoleScholarly articles and books on AI from 1987 to the present


60 Building the Optimal Cricket Operation by Sandy GordonAI + team cohesion

Facilitating Strategic AI Interventions by Liz MellishAI + knowledge of facilitation

52

70 Creating a Professional Learning Community: Embedding AI in a ComplexityThinking Framework by Chris JansenAI + complexity theory

65 AI and Asset-Based Community Development in the Defence CommunityOrganisation by Dee Brooks and Graeme StuartAI + ABCD

82 Call for PapersGuest Editors: David Cooperrider, Lindsey Godwin, Brodie Boland and Michel AvitalThe Appreciative Inquiry Summit: Explorations into the Magic of Macro-Management

and Crowdsourcing

Innovation in Practice: Community Building


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AI Practitioner May 201Volume 13 Number 2 ISBN 978-1-907549-05-2

More Articles at www.aipractitioner.com

AI++: Innovations in AI throughthe Lens of Australia and NewZealand

The idea for this issue of AIP was born at the 2009 AI Conference in Nepal. Itgrew from a breakfast conversation Sallie and Dayle had with Anne Radford

about Sallies experience of working with Australian and New Zealandconsultants and organizations over the past ten years. She had just completed workshop series in Perth, Australia, and had a fresh reminder of her sense over

the years that the professionals there were some of the most innovative, up-to-date, and well-trained she had encountered anywhere in the world.

The conversation turned into a request from Anne that Sallie and Dayle, wholives near Melbourne, guest edit an issue ofAI Practitioner on AI evolution andinnovation in Australia and New Zealand.

Anne was also curious about their observations on the way many practitionersthe two countries combine AI with other methodologies and approaches, to for

what Sallie and Dayle began calling AI ++ (Plus-Plus).

We decided to pull on that thread of innovation and curiosity. We wanted tohear what people were thinking about and experimenting with, in terms of AIcombined with other approaches and with new thinking about its principles and

practice. So we put out a call to our colleagues and to the whole AI communityfor stories of AI ++ down under.

This issue is the result.

Whats insideWe have categorized the articles two ways: Whole System Innovation andInnovations in Practice: Leadership; Facilitation; and Community Building.

Sallie LeeFor fteen years, Sallie Lee, working through her

consulting practice, Shared Sun Studio, has oered

creative, practical processes for whole systems,

serving as thinking partner, facilitator and strategist

for client groups, training over 1000 people in AI. She

has worked in Australia annually for ten years. Sallie

lives in Asheville, NC.Contact: [email protected]

ABSTRACT

Welcome from Sallie andDayle to the May 2011 issue.There is such a proliferationof interest in AI andstrengths-based approachesin the two countries that thetwelve articles containedhere provide only a smalltaste, but a rich one. Ourhope is that this issue willshine a light on the intriguingapplications being tried,bring more Australian andNew Zealand AI practitionersout of the woodwork toparticipate in the global

community and help the AIcommunity in both countriesto grow.

Dayle OBrienis an Australian OD practitioner introduced to AI

whilst working with the ANZ Bank on their Cultural

Transformation Team. Her success and anity with

AI inspired her to begin a consulting practice, paint

group, which is dedicated to bringing a fresh approach

to Change and OD in Australia.

Contact: [email protected]



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Whole system innovationFour of the articles deal with wide-scope applications of AI, providing some of t

most exciting stories we have heard of how AI can make a dierence and delivebig visions. They deal with potentially staggering numbers of people in the

targeted systems and people taking bold risks to see what might be possible.

Impacting Education

Pathways to Positive Education at Geelong Grammar School: Integrating Positi

Psychology and Appreciative Inquiry

Paige Williams brings us an account of a ve-year ongoing commitment toapplying Positive Education: Positive Psychology to all aspects of school life in apremier school providing education from Early Learning (3-year-olds) through

to Year 12. Appreciative Inquiry is one important way through which the schoois developing this at an organisational level a positive institution as a containe

for positive education. Geelong Grammar has partnered with Dr. Marin Seligmaand brought other visiting scholars in positive psychology to the campus toground and inform their vision of a new model of education.

Impacting a Corporation and its Clients

What Would You Like to Change and Grow? Price Waterhouse Coopers ExploresPositive Conversational Habits

PwC Australia has integrated Hope Theory and Appreciative Inquiry to inspire

otherwise analytically inclined minds into inquiry-led conversations, to satisfythe changing needs of its clients and develop a habit of conversation. They are

part way through a three-year strategy to engage their 6,200 auditors, taxadvisors and business consultants in a highly visible brand and culture programcentred on the practice of asking clients, sta and the communities PwC serve

positively challenging questions. So far, there have been more than 170,00conversations!

Impacting Communities

Many Voices, One Purpose: Innovations in New Zealand in AI Practice for thePrevention of Child Abuse and Neglect

In New Zealand, Jigsaw, an association of over 40 organizations, has chosento champion a paradigm shift through a national social change strategy called

Many Voices, One Purpose. This strategy is based on the belief that whenwe bring together our collective ideas, inuence and wisdom, the impossible

becomes the possible. As an agency with a dual purpose of preventing childabuse and family violence, and promoting the safety and well being of children,

their families and communities, Jigsaw seeks to coordinate opportunities for

local communities to discover, believe in and grow their own capacity to ensurethe protection and nurturing of their children.

Impacting a Nation

Creating a New Paradigm of Unstoppable Positive Social Change

Lisa Doig, Karen Muller and team have used AI and an AI summit for the purposof igniting a nation-wide dialogue to transform the culture in Australia and

contribute to unstoppable positive social change. Read about their big vision antools they have used along the way.

Dayle participating at her rst AI

workshop in 2004


Results from an Oz workshop


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Innovations in PracticeThis group of articles captures applications in the areas of leadership, facilitatio

and community building.

Leadership

Becoming Appreciative Leaders: Integrating AI and Strength-Based Approacheinto an MBA Program

Barbara Wood, driven by her desire to teach students to be better leaders indiverse business environments and have them take more responsibility for theown learning, has incorporated AI, VIA Strengths, learner mindset and other

strengths-based applications into her MBA Leadership Coaching unit.

Re-Storying for Individual Potential

Dayle OBrien, when invited to develop an emerging leaders workshop for oneof Australias biggest banks combined AI and Individual Strengths to inviteparticipants to re-story and set new and exciting paths for their futures.

Resilient Leadership: Grounded in a Strength-based and Appreciative Life

Wendy Campbells personal life experiences and reections have spawned a

new on-line leadership program, targeting resilience-building in leaders of sociaand environmental change. She shares a very personal account of her path of

discovery and reection.

Facilitation

Being AI To Do AI

Max Hardy has written an article that is likely to be of interest to all AI facilitatoHe shares what he has learned and noticed so far about what it takes to be AI.

His tips can encourage readers to think about their own techniques for being A

Facilitating Strategic AI Interventions

Liz Mellish, one of the pioneers in AI applications in Australia, brings us her

wisdom on maximising the interplay between knowledge of the strategic conteprofessional facilitation competence and the application of Appreciative Inquiry

to benet the organisation. She walks us through windows of possibility forplanning eective strategic interventions.

Building the Optimal Cricket Operation

Building on his years of experience as a sports psychologist and AI practitionerSandy Gordon brings us insights into the Western Australia Cricket Association

[WACA] workshop to look at their operations and how he worked withappreciative facilitation to do it.

Community Building

AI and Asset-Based Community Development (ABCD) in the DefenceCommunity Organisation

The Defence Community Organisation has been focusing on building self-reliance and broader community engagement within families of Australias


Inspire Foundation Summit, Sydney,

Australia, 2008. One of the authorsin this issue, Lisa Doig, was lead

facilitator.

View of Sydney Harbour, from the

Inspire Foundation AI Summit


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Back to Table of Contents

Volume 13 Number 2 ISBN 978-1-907549-05-2


Defence Forces. This article outlines the way in which the Family Action Centredrew on AI and ABCD in a workshop series that challenged some traditional

thinking and generated some exciting possibilities for Defence Force families.

Creating a Professional Learning Community: Embedding AI In A ComplexityThinking Framework

Chris Jansen, from the University of Canterbury in New Zealand, provides awonderful introduction to complexity thinking, using an approach integrating a

AI framework with complexity thinking to inform professional learning process

Sallie and Dayle: personal history and connectionWe rst met in 2004 when Sallie was consulting to ANZ, one of Australias

top ve banks, headquartered in Melbourne. It was a long-term project thatincluded a workshop series that Dayle attended. Sallies long-term love aair

with Australia and New Zealand began in 1971 when she took time o fromuniversity studies in the US and went down under on a year-long adventure.Despite lots of travel elsewhere, including six years living in South America, she

never forgot the dynamism and draw of those two fascinating and refreshingcultures.

It took until 2001 to make it back to the region. Invited by several Australiancolleagues, she found herself in Sydney teaching an AI Foundations workshop.

This small workshop spawned others and a network of friendships andprofessional connections that has brought her back to the Australia/New

Zealand at least once a year since then. One connection created a long-termproject with ANZ, one of Australias top ve banks, headquartered in Melbourne

where Dayle and Sallie met in 2004. Dayle spent the rst 15 years of herOD practice working as an employee of some of Australias best-knowncorporate brands. It is only in the last few years that she has stepped out into

her own consulting practice (paint group), focusing on AI and strengths-based

approaches to change. Her intrigue and connection to AI was sparked when sheattended that very rst workshop with Sallie, in 2004.

We connected at many levels and have enjoyed evolving from student/teacherto friends and colleagues. We continue to learn from each other and enjoy the

times when our work and teachings bring us together, somewhere in the world:actual or virtual summit planning; meeting up at the AI global conferences; orsimply sharing thoughts and updates over Skype. In 2008, we were invited to

be a part of the support team for the Inspire Foundation (AI) Summit, whosemission is to help millions of young people lead happier lives. We have also co-

facilitated AI introductions and trainings in Sydney, Melbourne, and Perth.

AI in OZ/NZOur hope for this edition is that it will shine a light on some of the innovative anexciting work being done with AI and strengths-based approaches in Australia,

and draw more Australians and New Zealanders into the global network andcommunity adding to its richness and diversity. AI networking within Austral

is in its infancy. David Cooperrider came to Australia for the rst time lastyear invited by PwC. An AI Certicate Program through Case Western was

also introduced in Melbourne. We look forward to a continuing presence fromAustralia and New Zealand in the coming years. We hope you enjoy the collectioof articles. Sallie Lee and Dayle OBrien Guest Editors, May 2011


Sallie and Dayle in Barwon Heads,Australia, 2008

Bondi Beach, Sydney


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Paige WilliamsPositive Psychology Project Manager for Geelong

Grammar School in Victoria, Australia, is responsible

for identifying and developing pathways for the school

to implement Positive Psychology principles in the

organisation. She has a BA Hons in Business Studies

and is undertaking a Ph.D. with the University of

Melbourne on her current work at GGS.Contact: [email protected]

ABSTRACT

Since 2005 GeelongGrammar School hasbeen developing andimplementing PositiveEducation PositivePsychology applied to

all aspects of schoollife. Appreciative Inquiryis one important waythrough which the schoolis developing this atan organisational levelto ensure that PositiveEducation becomes anembedded organisationalcapability.

Geelong Grammar School (GGS) is Australias largest Anglican coeducationalboarding and day school. Founded in 1855 and coeducational since 1976,

we have been educating young people for over 150 years. Located across fourcampuses in Victoria, the school oers an exceptional Australian educationfrom three year-old early learning to Year 12. Our students are boarders and da

pupils; they come to us from city and country communities, from interstate anoverseas.

Positive education

For a long time at Geelong Grammar, we have understood for many years thatparents want schools to teach more than academic achievement. In 2003, thisled the school to undertake work in the development of an expanded concept

of student health, moving beyond the traditional boundaries to one based onan empirically-driven student wellbeing program incorporating emotional and

physical health.

In 2005 Geelong Grammar School (GGS) was made aware of Prof. MartinSeligmans groundbreaking work in Positive Psychology at the University of

Pennsylvania. Since that time we have continued our work on wellbeing forstudents as well as teaching and non-teaching sta through a collaborativeproject with him. This project has been recognised as one of the pioneering

pillars of what has come to be dened as Positive Education a theoreticalframework that unies the core principles from the science of Positive

Psychology with the practices of education in its broadest sense.

Positive Education brings together GGSs considerable experience of pastoralcare for young people and expanded concept of wellbeing with the science ofPositive Psychology. The overarching aim of Positive Education at GGS is for

individuals to ourish. Individuals in this context includes students, teachingsta and non-teaching sta and ultimately the schools alumni and parent

Pathways to Positive Educationat Geelong Grammar School

AIP May 11 Williams: Positive Institution

Integrating Positive Psychology and Appreciative Inquiry

Whole System Innovation


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community. Flourishing is dened as elevated emotional, psychological, andsocial wellbeing (Keyes, 2005).

We measure it through the Individual Flourishing Questionnaire developed

by Prof. Felicia Huppert at Cambridge Universitys Wellbeing Institute. Thequestionnaire measures: positive emotions; engagement and interest; meaning

and purpose; positive relationships; resilience; competence; optimism; vitality;calmness; condence/self-esteem.

Positive Psychology in actionIn 2008, there was an intense period of training and support for the

implementation of Positive Psychology. This included a nine-day training coursfor GGS sta in January. Prof. Seligman, his family and a number of key membe

of his team were in residence at the school from January to June.

There was a varied and extensive programme of visiting scholars throughout

that year. We hosted and learned from some of the leading academics in theeld, including Prof. Christopher Peterson, Prof. Barbara Fredrickson, George

Vaillant MD, Dr Roy Baumeister, Prof. Ray Fowler and Dr Frank Mosca. Initialwork towards curriculum development was also undertaken and key positions

and structures were put in place to support the implementation, including therole of head of Positive Education. By the end of 2008, the Positive Educationdepartment was established and comprised teachers from over six departmen

The start of the 2009 academic year saw the rst timetabled, explicitly taughtPositive Education classes at GGS in Year 7, Year 9 and Year 10 (students aged

1316).

Since 2008, more than 250 Geelong Grammar sta teaching and non-teaching have taken part in intensive residential training courses withProfessor Martin Seligman and his team of experts through which they have

learned and practiced Positive Psychology principles and skills. Teachers are ab

to use the science of Positive Psychology in their own lives and implicitly in theiapproach to classes, activities and pastoral care. It is in this way that PositiveEducation inuences every student in the classroom, on the sports eld and i

their boarding House at each of our campuses, every day.

Results manifest in many ways, from observations from sta at improvementsin conict resolution between students, and the powerful impact of having acommon strengths-based language shared by students and sta, to one of the

school gardeners of 15 years commenting how many students take the timeto really stop and have a meaningful conversation since the implementation of

Positive Education. In 2010, for the rst time, all students from Year 7 upwardstook the Individual Flourishing Questionnaire, the results of which are very

positive when compared to European norms for an equivalent age-group.

From individuals to institutionA review of the schools implementation of Positive Psychology was undertakenin 2009, through which it became clear that the desired outcomes for the

original project to implement Positive Psychology through all aspects of theschools operation had expanded beyond the scope of one project. In parallel

with the review, feedback from sta indicated that incongruence was developinbetween the values underpinning Positive Education in the student context andaspects of the organisational setting or design.

This project has beenrecognised as one of thepioneering pillars of whathas come to be dened as

Positive Education.

Parents want schools toteach more than academicachievement.



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It became clear that understanding how embedding Positive Psychologyprinciples in an organisational context would support sta and be benecial,

particularly given their important role in modelling attitudes, skills andbehaviours to our students. In doing so, we would also ensure that the desired

outcomes for the individual through Positive Education mental models,processes and behaviours were further embedded and supported by

organisational culture, norms and practices.

As a result, with the over-arching aim of Geelong Grammar School as a

ourishing institution, two projects were agreed: The Positive Education Projecwhich focuses on the individual, and The Positive Institution Project, which

focuses on the organisation.

AI and Positive InstitutionFrom our work with positive psychology, there was a clear understanding of the

benets of taking a strengths-based approach with individuals. The question whow this principle could best be applied to an organisation.

Important foundational questions needed to be explored:

What does it mean to be a Positive Institution (PI)?

What does a ourishing institution look like?

How would GGS be dierent if it were ourishing?

At the time that the PI project was agreed, the school did not have an answerto these questions but recognised it was essential if the inuence of Positive

Education was to become a lasting institutional and cultural inuence at theschool, rather than something that only happened at an individual level.

Fortuitously, soon after raising these questions, a small team from the school

attended David Cooperriders workshop held in Melbourne and discovered AI.Here was a strengths-based approach that worked at a system level and madeso many connections with the work we had already undertaken with positive

psychology. It was an exciting and energising experience as the pathways andpossibilities for holistic, inclusive and generative organisational change opened

before us!

Introducing AI to GGS2010 was a year of research, introduction and early implementation of some othe core principles and capabilities used in AI.

Here are two key initiatives and their outcomes:

Diversity Committee: AI Day, April 2010The Diversity Committee Strategy Day was proposed as a pilot AI exercise.

Feedback from this day would give the schools executive team a basis on whicto decide how GGS could move forward with Appreciative Inquiry in a broaderorganisational context.

After a brief introduction to the underpinning concepts of AI and the process

itself, a series of AI activities exploring high-point experiences at GGS, and ofdiversity generally, comprised the rest of the day.


The school community benets from

a common strengths-based languageshared by students and sta


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In Discovery we looked at the diversity-driven armative topics of work-lifebalance, diversity in the workplace and men and women working together and

we began our Dreaming by articulating our three diversity wishes for GeelongGrammar School.

Whilst not moving into a Design phase for the Diversity Strategy for the school,

the group was able to identify clear outcomes and next steps from the daysdiscussions. These have directly informed the community consultation planthat was implemented throughout 2010 and the diversity strategy that was

approved by the executive team in December 2010.

A few comments from the participants in the day:

The simplicity of the AI process surprised me, and the fact that I walked awayfeeling closer to all those people that participated in the session. When we buildrelationships we are able to speak honestly with our peers without hesitation

because of the mutual trust/care factor, it makes it easier to discuss workpractices that require improvement in a non-threatening manner.

I enjoyed the workshop component of the day the most discussing our roles

our history, our aspirations and how our work-life could be improved at GGS waamazing. It claried not only my issues but also gave me an insight into otherpeoples work-lives and their issues.

With the AI process we seemed to get more done than just chatting about the

issues of women and men in leadership positions. The process allowed peopleto have an opinion about issues that can sometimes suggest an us and them

attitude. AI was a far more productive process.

We achieved a number of clear outcomes, including developing an

understanding of the Appreciative Inquiry approach amongst the group, and

identifying the positive core by engaging the group in appreciative thinking aboGGS.

Principals Advisory Committee Retreat: AI Workshop, July 2010With the positive feedback from the Diversity Day, we were able to secure time

for a two-hour AI workshop experience at the annual two-day retreat of theschools leadership group the Principals Advisory Committee (PAC). Thepurpose of this was to develop understanding and support for AI with this large

group of decision makers. We wanted them to perceive AI as both a philosophyand change process; to experience AI in action; and to explore and understand

how it could support GGS as a ourishing institution moving forward.

After a brief introduction to AI, we asked the group to reect and share momenwhen you have ourished at work and in particular, what did the organisationthat you worked for do to contribute to or enable you to ourish?

Their collective experience of ourishing at work is shown in the frequency

diagram above. It was these words that provided the basis for the dialogue aboways in which GGS could become a ourishing institution.

Recognising that the group may not be ready to move to a whole-systemsummit for now, we chose to take them through the philosophy of AI and ways

The simplicity of the AIprocess surprised me, andthe fact that I walked awayfeeling closer to all those

people that participated inthe session. participant,Diversity CommitteeStrategy Day

With the AI process weseemed to get more donethan just chatting aboutthe issues of womenand men in leadershippositions. participant,Diversity CommitteeStrategy Day



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which we could begin embedding this into the school, knowing it would resonatwith their experience and highlights of positive psychology thus far.

A number of underpinning skills and practices to develop included:

The development of a dialogue mindset and practice;

Story-sharing as a means of personal and professional development;

Implementing strengths-based processes where appropriate such asappreciative review processes in day-to-day business.

Through the appreciative nature of the dialogue at the PAC retreat, memberswere able to move beyond their usual thinking and operating paradigms, to one

of possibility and capacity. It moved their eld of vision upwards and outwards,enabling them to take a helicopter view of ways in which GGS could develop asa ourishing organisation. By reecting on and sharing personal experiences,

they developed a common understanding of why and how that would benet thorganisation and the people within it.

The group could see the value of AI to the school, and we were given approvalto develop a programme of initiatives to encourage appreciative skills and

mindsets, with the possibility of holding a full summit in 2012.

Permission to proceedIn the second half of 2010 we were able to put our appreciative skills and

mindsets development plan into action. Story-sharing has become a regularpart of sta training sessions and sta meetings; we shared information aboutdialogue, discussion and debate; we encouraged and reminded people to

access their dialogue mindset and skills through our regular Positive EducationNewsletters; and we also facilitated an appreciative review process with a diver

group of sta undertaking a review of the schools activities programme.


The school leadership groupscollective experience of ourishing at

work

Story-sharing has becomea regular part of statraining sessions and stameetings.


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Its 2011 and there is much to do!The school began its journey with Positive Psychology from a student-centred

perspective focusing on the individual and teaching them positive psychologskills, so that they might ourish and enjoy purposeful lives. We are now asking

others to become involved non-teaching sta and members of the schoolcommunity and asking our teachers to broaden and develop their thinking

and application of Positive Psychology to their work relationships, practicesand mindsets. We are also intentionally looking at ways in which currentorganisational practices, processes and cultural norms help or hinder our

progress and ways in which applying positive psychology concepts and skills cahelp us to continue to develop.

It is early in Term 1, 2011, and our work is already in full swing! We are current

in the process of implementing Appreciative Advising (Bloom, 2008) as thebasis for our student tutorial system, with the intention of encouraging stato develop the skills and practices of working with a strengths-based and

appreciative framework. I am undertaking Ph.D. research to understand andidentify the positive pathways that organisations and GGS in particular can

take to operate as a ourishing institution. Development of a pre-interventionbattery of questions is currently underway and testing will be undertaken in Ma

2011, with the development and implementation of specic positive pathwaysin the second half of the year. I am condent that AI will be an underpinning

inuence in many of those and look forward to sharing our further progress anddevelopments with the AI community.

ReferencesBen-Shahar, T. (2009) The Pursuit of Perfect. New York: McGraw-Hill.

Bloom, J., B. Hutson and Y. He.(2008) The Appreciative Advising Revolution.Stipes Publishing Llc.

Fredrickson, B. (2009) Positivity. New York: Crown Publishing Group

Huppert, F. A. and J. E. Whittington. (2003) Evidence for the independence of

positive and negative well-being: implications for quality of life assessment.British Journal of Health Psychology, 8, 107-122.

Huppert, F. A. (2004) A population approach to positive psychology: Thepotential for population interventions to promote well-being and prevent

disorder. In: PA Linley and S Joseph (eds.) Positive Psychology in Practice. Ch.4693-709, New Jersey: John Wiley and Sons Inc.

Huppert, F. A., N. Marks, A. Clark, J. Siegrist, A. Stutzer, J. Vitters, and M.

Wahrendorf. (2009) Measuring well-being across Europe: Description of theESS Well-being Module and preliminary ndings. Social Indicators Research, 91301-315.

Lyubomirski, S. (2010) The How of Happiness. Piatkus Books.

Seligman, M. (2003)Authentic Happiness. Nicholas Brealey Publishing.


Positive Education inuences every

student in the classroom, on the

sports eld and in their boarding house at each of our campuses, every day.


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Michelle McQuaidis a principal with PwC Australia, where she has

worked with Martin Seligman, David Cooperrider,

Carol Dweck and Tal Ben Shar among others on how

to create a thriving organisation across brand, culture

and change initiatives. She is a graduate of the UPenn

Masters of Applied Positive Psychology (MAPP)

Program.Contact: [email protected]

ABSTRACT

Imagine priding yourselfon a successful career as atechnical expert who tellsorganisations how to identifyand mitigate risks, only todiscover that your future

depends on developingpositive conversationalhabits. This article exploreshow PwC Australia employedthe application of HopeTheory and AppreciativeInquiry to inspire analytically-inclined minds into inquiry-led conversations to satisfythe changing needs of itsclients.

What Would You Like to Changeand Grow?

When the Australian rm of PwC explained to its 6,200 auditors, tax advisorsand business consultants that client research had revealed their technical

excellence alone was no longer enough to ensure value you could feel the waveof scepticism ripple through the rm. Traditionally, most of PwCs work involved

the collection, review and analysis of nancial, tax, legal and business data. Butnow their clients wanted this information synthesised and contextualised intoconceptual narratives and big picture thinking. They also wanted PwC to do it in

a way that was caring and didnt induce anxiety by focussing on business threaand concerns.

What would you like to be?The rm had been experimenting with the practices of positive psychologywithin its diversity programs with good results, so the leadership team decidedto wrap some of these techniques, especially the premises of Hope Theory

(Snyder, 2000) and the practices of Appreciative Inquiry (Cooperrider, WhitneyStavros and Fry, 2008), in a highly visible brand and culture program to help ge

people started.

A three-year strategy was initiated, centred on the behaviour of asking clients,sta and the communities PwC served positively challenging questions. Thequestioning platform is based on the phrase What would you like to? and

alternate endings are used to initiate dierent conversations. For example, therst twelve months saw PwC ask, What would you like to change?. One year on

the current investment asks, What would you like to grow?

The brand strategy included an advertising component (see images throughouthe article). Prior to launching this in the market, PwC undertook two monthsof extensive internal education, engagement and coaching to help its people

understand the promise of delivering an open, interesting, possibility-lledconversation. It had to be acted on by everyone representing PwC. Ready to

walk the talk, 400-plus partners committed to taking the rst steps and being

AIP May 11 McQuaid: PwC and Positive Conversational Habits

Price Waterhouse Coopers Explores PositiveConversational Habits


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accountable for asking their clients and their people What would you like tochange?

What would you like to grow?The leadership team immediately got to work to create the foundations thatwould better meet clients needs. The rms noble purpose was updated to

create a compelling vision of how PwC would build on its strengths to create amore rewarding experience for its clients, people and the communities it serveValues were reviewed to amplify existing behaviours such as collaboration,

agility, commerciality and positivity evidenced in the feedback from the rmsmost satised clients. Strategies to realign growth priorities, talent manageme

and performance rewards were designed and put in place.

Ultimately however, success would rest on PwCs people accepting and learningto balance their expertise, of identifying and articulating risks, with authenticinquiries about organisational hopes and potential. In a system populated with

individuals who were comfortable and successful crunching numbers, this ideamade many feel quite anxious. Concerns were raised that if they started asking

and inviting broad-based business questions they might not know the answersand their expert positioning might itself be questioned. Objections were raised

that clients would not be keen to pay to hear what was going right in theirorganisation.

In order to ease peoples feelings of uncertainty, leaders heeded the advice ofchange experts and decided to: clearly script the critical move of engaging in

meaningful conversations; shrink the change by focusing on just one question;and build the practice of making appreciative inquiries into conversational

habits. (Heath and Heath, 2010) All that was needed now was a way to spark tcontagious nature of behaviour.

What would you like to learn?

Even the most experienced partners expressed feelings of uncertainty aboutthe conversational challenge in front of them. To support them, an AI inspiredframework was created oering the following guidance:

Begin the conversation by nding out what the clients hopes are for the

future by asking the question What would you like to change?

Ask them When have you experienced this kind of change at its best inthe past? and be sure to let them tell you how it looked, how it felt andhow it worked.

Now help them to begin exploring pathways to move from where theyare today to the future they aspire to. Try using questions like How

would you go about making that type of change happen here?

Finally, gauge their appetite and timeline to act on this desire. Perhapsask What would be the rst steps you might take?; When would youbegin? and Who could help you?

The aim was to adapt the AI model to inspire inquiry-led conversations thatwould be relevant to analytically-inclined minds. The rm didnt expect anyoneto use the framework as a script but rather as an example of how a conversatio

can ow productively when you are not telling someone how something should


The aim was to adaptthe AI model to inspireinquiry-led conversationsthat would be relevantto analytically-inclinedminds.


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be done. As PwCs partners began encountering topics that ranged from the roof government in business to the surprising details of personal relationships th

found the framework made it comfortable for them to sit outside their roles astechnical experts and engage authentically as fellow human beings.

What would you like to see?Good progress was being made on the conversational habits when PwCsleadership invited AI founder, David Cooperrider, to the rms annual partnerconference to further sharpen the focus. They decided the morning would be

spent discovering and dreaming about PwC at its best, and the afternoon wouldfocus on putting the partners conversational skills to the test in small groups

with 25 clients.

To be honest I wasnt sure what they were doing would really work, saidCooperrider. I was concerned that the question What would you like to change

may open up a decit-based can of worms. Before I headed to Australia, I had ameeting with the CEO of a US aviation company and so I decided to put PwCsframework to the test. To my surprise, not only did it work but it worked well.

Cooperrider wasnt the only person who was surprised. Framed for clients as

a learning exercise for PwCs partners, the clients graciously allowed dierentteams to practice the conversational routine repeatedly. Both parties reported

back their awkward rst steps, but everyone agreed inquiring appreciatively waentirely appropriate and rewarding, and enjoyable conversations began owing

What outcomes would you like?Twelve months on and the results speak for themselves:

The advertising sparked viral conversations right across Australiawith more than 170,000 people joining face-to-face and online

opportunities, enabling PwC to learn more about the hopes of their

clients customers (you can see this conversation continuing to unfoldat http://www.whatwouldyouliketogrow.com.au).

More sta than anticipated are reporting that the campaign is helpingthem strengthen and deepen their relationships with clients.

Brand health measurements have improved across Australia, placing

PwC as the rst or second preferred provider in every state (PwC,2010).

Finally, the BRW Client Choice Awards (national client-determined

business awards) named PwC the leading professional services rm,the best consulting rm and the market leader for 2010 (Tydd, 2010).

Of course, habits dont change overnight, but with eighteen months ofthe campaign still to run, it looks like PwC is well on the way to makingAppreciative Inquiry a conversational habit.


I was concerned that thequestion What would youlike to change? may openup a decit-based can ofworms ... To my surprise,not only did it work butit worked well. DavidCooperrider


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ReferencesCooperrider, D. L., D. Whitney, J. M. Stavros, and R. Fry. (2008)Appreciative

Inquiry Handbook: For Leaders of Change. Ohio: Berrett-Keohler Publishers andCrown Custom Publishing.

Heath, C. H. (2010) Switch: How To Change Things When Change Is Hard. New

York: Broadway Books.PwC. (2010) Brand Health Survey. New York: PwC.

Snyder, C. R. (2000) Handbook of Hope: Theory, Measurement, andInterventions. New York: Academic Press.

Tydd, J. (March 18, 2010) 2010 Beaton Consulting/BRW Client ChoiceAwards. Retrieved February 18, 2011, from BRW: http://tv.brw.com.au/

video/27360?hl



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Many Voices, One Purpose

ABSTRACT

What does it take to activateand grow communityinvolvement so that helpingeach other is a normalpart of community life andfamilies are well supportedto raise their children safely?Through innovations inAppreciative Inquiry practicethat draw on communitydevelopment and socialmarketing methodologies,local communities arediscovering, believing in andgrowing their own capacityto ensure the protection and

nurturing of their children.

Releasing community resourcefulnessOn Sunday, 17th October, 2010, a unique community event took place in New

Zealands North Island coastal town of Thames. Over sixty people, from dierenparts of the Thames community, shared stories that revealed the wealth of thei

personal experience of what works best to get alongside children and familiesin positive and useful ways to promote safe, thriving children and ourishing

families. Together, they identied patterns of supportive behaviour thatconsistently produced positive and helpful outcomes and concluded that if the

patterns could be embedded into everyones everyday life in Thames, all localchildren and families would grow up safe and nurtured.

The participants in this community-based conversation have now become thechampions of a new social movement in their town. They are at the forefront ofnew thinking that is gaining traction within and beyond New Zealand, based on

the premise that the solution to our unacceptably high rates of child abuse andneglect is already inherent within our communities.

Until now we have relied on helping professionals, social service organisations

and government systems to nd a solution for what has been an intractableissue. This conventional paradigm is now shifting. While professional expertisewill always be valued and needed when challenges arise, we have come to

understand that families and communities themselves have the greatestcapability for looking after their most vulnerable members, once they have had

the opportunity to appreciatively reveal their own expertise and resourcefulnesand re-claim that responsibility. Thats what the people of Thames began to do

last October.

As a leading and entrepreneurial national New Zealand not-for-protorganisation, Jigsaw has chosen to champion this paradigm shift through anational social change strategy called Many Voices One Purpose. This strategy

Liz Kinleyis the Chief Executive (strategic operations) for Jigsaw

Family Services New Zealand. A manager, facilitator

and educator, she thrives on managing change and

implementing large national projects. She is trained

in Appreciative Inquiry and strongly committed to

strength-based principles.


AIP May 11 Kinley and Christie: Many Voices, One Purpose

Innovations in New Zealand in AI Practice for thePrevention of Child Abuse and Neglect

Sally Christieis the national project coordinator for Jigsaw. She has

been involved in the health, social services and local

government sectors for many years. Her passion is

discovering how communities can play their part in the

well being of children and their families.



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Jigsaw seeks to coordinateopportunities for localcommunities to discover,believe in and grow their

own capacity to ensure theprotection and nurturingof their children.


based on the belief that when we bring together our collective ideas, inuenceand wisdom, the impossible becomes the possible. As an agency with a dual

purpose preventing child abuse and family violence, and promoting the safetand well being of children, their families and communities Jigsaw seeks to

coordinate opportunities for local communities to discover, believe in and growtheir own capacity to ensure the protection and nurturing of their children.

The transformational conversation that took place in Thames launched the pilofor Many Voices One Purpose, branded locally as Thames Linking Communitie

(TLC). This leading edge initiative is funded through a partnership betweenJigsaw and The Todd Foundation, a respected and innovative New Zealand

philanthropic trust.

Innovating through interconnected methodologiesMany Voices One Purpose is based on Appreciative Inquiry methodology. Itis founded on the assumption that once people experience an appreciative

conversation, hear stories validating their own and others successfulexperiences and absorb the wisdom and skills inherent within these stories, the

are more likely to consciously and condently initiate helpful interactions withothers.

The propensity for strengthening and sustaining these new helping behavioursover time is further heightened when the appreciative conversation takes

place within a community development context, and is combined with a socialmarketing communications strategy specically designed to inform and inspire

people in ways that promote positive changes in their behaviour towards otherWhile Jigsaw has worked with each of these three methodologies over the past

ve years, this is the rst time we have purposefully combined them within oneintegrated project. Early results suggest this innovation has produced a potentcatalyst for social change.

Table 1 on page 20 illustrates the way that the three methodologiesinterconnect with ease. They have similar core principles, which in combinationstrengthen, extend and create. Most importantly from Jigsaws perspective, the

are all whole-system oriented, inclusive, empowering and facilitative, and matcwell with the fundamental assumption that drives Many Voices One Purpose:

that all communities are inherently capable entities. We believe that oncecommunities reveal their own resourcefulness and discover that change is bothdesirable and possible, through the evidence of their own stories, they will take

action to bring their own dreams to life, producing their own social entrepreneuand forging their own pathway to social transformation.

Jigsaws relationship with Maori as our indigenous peopleJigsaws organisational infrastructure, values and practices reect the specialrelationship that was established between Maori (as the indigenous people ofour land) and the English Crown, through the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi

in 1840. While historical debates about the meaning of the Treaty provisionscontinue today, its three foundation principles embody the Treatys spirit and

intent, and shape the relationships between Maori and Tauiwi (people who havearrived here since 1840) within Jigsaw. Table 2 on page 21 illustrates principa

values that guide Jigsaws relationships with Maori.


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Table 1: Combined methodologies: a potentmix for innovation in child abuse prevention


Table 2: Working together within Jigsaw

Appreciative Inquiry CommunityDevelopment Social marketing

In every society,organisation or group,

something works

Just about everyonewants whats best for their

community

People change theirbehaviour because they

because they discover,co-create and chose

alternatives that addgreater value

What we focus on becomes

our reality

Once people understand

others circumstancestheyre usually willing to

help

People do things because

they acquire informationor skills they did not

previously have

Reality is created in the

moment and there aremultiple realities

If people are treated with

respect, they usuallyrespond the same way

Change is more eective

and sustained whenpeople are collaborators,

pollinators and participant

within their own changeprocess

People have more

condence and comfort tojourney to the future (the

unknown) when they carry

forward parts of the past(the known)

People have to believe

something is possiblebefore theyll work to make

it happen

Change happens most

powerfully when people arenabled to become heroes

of their own stories

If we carry forward parts

of the past, they should be

what is best about the past

People working together

are better o and more

successful than peopleworking alone

Communities are the most

eective place for change

to happen, with communitleadership and support

It is important to value

dierences

Our dierences can enrich

the resourcefulness of ourcommunities

Respecting, acknowledging

and combining our dierenstrengths provides powerf

leverage for change

(Hammond, The Thin Book

of AI)

(The Community Tool Box) (National Social Marketing

Centre UK)

Treaty principles Treaty principles in action Jigsaws Vision and Value

Tika - doing the right thingPono - doing it withintegrity

Aroha - driving it withsincerity

Partnership - We sharedecision-making powerat all levels within our

organisation and its

activities.Protection - We worktogether to protect ourindigenous treasures,

including Maori mythology,knowledge, values, stories

and traditions, Maori

language, our sharednatural environment and

our people.Participation - We partnerwithin our organisation,

seeking equality ofopportunity and outcomes.

Vision - Spark the dream thriving children, ourishinfamilies

Values - We value all peopland act with generosityand integrity. We are

inclusive, transparent andcollaborative, seeking

always to promote genuinerespectful relationships

and to provide outstanding

service.


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Its like an octopus: abody of people who areat the centre driving thenew ideas, and then new

tentacles growing outinto every corner of ourcommunity. member ofthe Thames community


The Thames Linking Communities [TLC] rolloutWe chose Thames as the pilot location because, as a compact service town

of only 6,000 people, it is a discrete entity. This made it realistic to design acommunity development initiative which, over time, would touch the life of

everyone living there. It was an additional bonus for the TLC pilot that ournational project manager Sally Christie lives there, so she could immediately

access a wide range of networks across the local community.

With any community based initiative, Jigsaw always works in relationship with

its local partner agency so the readiness of CAPS Hauraki to warmly welcomethe initiative and the immediate support oered by Kaye Smith, in her role as

the local child advocate for child witnesses of family violence, were both vitalsuccess factors for community trust and engagement.

As Many Voices One Purpose has been implemented in Thames through TLC,we have brought our strengths together for the same cause: the safety and wel

being of our children. This has involved:

Engaging with mana whenua (local Maori tribal leaders and theirrepresentatives) from the outset;

Seeking their mandate and blessing so that all local people, both Maori

and Tauiwi, feel fully welcome and able to participate;

Involving a bi-cultural team in the design of the TLC launch dayand conversation design and creating a conversation that enables

everyones voice to be heard;

Inviting mana whenua to open the day with a Maori process of welcome;

Strengthening local cultural understanding and relationships andseeking to ensure that Maori cultural concepts, values and protocols

become embedded into every aspect of the initiatives design anddelivery.

Working together in this way has been an essential element in ensuring that

Maori living in Thames can experience TLC as inviting, inclusive, strength-basedand benecial for their tamariki (children) and whanau (extended families).

During one of Sallys earliest local conversations about Many Voices OnePurpose, a member of the Thames community, who had no prior experience

with child abuse or professional service delivery, summed up the initiative in onsentence: Its like an octopus: a body of people who are at the centre driving

the new ideas, and then new tentacles growing out into every corner of ourcommunity.

Imagine that every day in our community every family had someone to call onto share their hopes, their good times and their hard times. Lead the change.

Together we have the skills to make this happen.

As this concept of the octopus caught on, a small local coordinating groupquickly emerged, engaged strongly with the concept of community ownership

and leadership, and excited by the sense of local empowerment and thehope for change this initiative engendered. They organised the launch eventfor what came to be called TLC and publicised it widely with an inspiring


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More Articles at www.aipractitioner.comAIP May 11 Kinley and Christie: Many Voices, One Purpose

Collage created by TLC community

postcard, utilising social marketing language to promote the benets ofpersonal responsibility and invite every person in our community to accept

responsibility for actively supporting the families and children of Thames.

The bi-cultural conversation design team included Sally and Kaye on behalf ofthe local coordinating group, with Tau Huirama and Liz Kinley from Jigsaw. At

rst, we struggled to discover the question that would most perfectly engageparticipants hearts and minds in purposeful story telling and conversation. TheTau created a breakthrough by taking it back to his own personal experience,

recalling positive memories of large whanau Christmas gatherings at his auntshome: the deliciousness of her homegrown strawberries and the way this

memory has sustained his life-long sense that abundance is possible even in thsimplest of life styles. Within moments we had our central question:

Can you tell me about a time when something someone did for you or yourfamily created a good experience that has had a lasting and positive eect on

your life?

Signs of positive impact in Thames: where to from here?Unsolicited feedback received throughout and immediately after the TLC launc

day reected participants excitement about being part of a meaningful changeinitiative for their community. As one participant wrote to the coordinating

group:

What can I say? What a tremendous opportunity it was to really connect with

each other. After the rst round of really meeting with another person I washooked. And the day just got better.

It was a delight and a pleasure to hear the round up of the ideas that hademerged from the process. What couldnt we achieve, if we took the time more

often to really listen?


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More Articles at www.aipractitioner.comAIP May 11 Kinley and Christie: Many Voices, One Purpose

Its clear that an abundance of goodwill, curiosity and commitment has beenawakened in Thames and is ready to provide a robust community-owned

platform for the next phase of TLC development. A further community eventin March, 2011 has now increased the size and spread of people involved

and agreed the next set of actions for generating and spreading new helpingbehaviour through all parts of the community. A DVD of the highlights of the

original conversation has proved to be a valuable resource for enhancing andmobilising further action at both personal and community agency levels.

Community members attending recounted stories that illustrated their ownpersonal behaviour changes in relation to helping others. Their comments

demonstrated signicantly increased levels of self-reection and intentionality.For example: I now listen much more; I nd being consciously present when

someone is with me makes a huge dierence; I make a point of acknowledgingstrangers. Community agency representatives also reported agency-basedbehaviour changes, with many who have traditionally worked in silos now

coming together to share resources.

Beyond the boundaries of Thames, other communities where Jigsaw has partnagencies are eagerly exploring options for their own involvement. Some of thes

are geographical locations, while others are communities of interest such assporting networks and large community-based workplaces.

In the words of one group of TLC community participants:

It is about the rebuilding and weaving of the fabric of our community into a clothat ts us all.

ReferencesThe Community Tool Box, http://ctb.ku.edeu

Hammond, S. (1998) The Thin Book of Appreciative Inquiry. Plano, TX: ThinBooks.

National Social Marketing Centre, UK. www.nsmc.com

It was a delight and apleasure to hear theround up of the ideas thathad emerged from the

process. What couldntwe achieve, if we took thetime more often to reallylisten? participant in TLClaunch


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Lisa Doigis director of Corporate Evolution Pty Ltd, a

leadership development consultancy based in

Perth, with associates worldwide. She is part of

McKinsey&Companys global network of facilitators.

She specialises in Appreciative Inquiry Summits,

Executive Team Alignment, Leadership Development,

and coaching and training facilitators.Contact: [email protected]

ABSTRACT

In 2010, we conductedan Appreciative InquiryVisioning summit with thepurpose of igniting a nation-wide dialogue to transformculture in Australia. The goal

of the one-day summit wasto create a shared visionand roadmap for the BigConversations contributionto unstoppable positivesocial change. A valuesdiagnostic tool provided akey innovation in the 4-Dplanning model. This articlewalks you through the steps

of the summit, outcomes andlearnings.

It is the language of values that people use to map their world. It is what caninspire them to take action and move them beyond their isolation. Barack

Obama

The Big ConversationThe Big Conversation1 is a cross-sectoral network that is seeking to createunstoppable social change in Australia through values dialogues. Its objectives

are simple start a broad dialogue, through small group conversations, on

values in Australia what they are currently, what we want them to be, and whawe need to do to get there. Instead of waiting for someone else to have theseconversations, we are beginning and facilitating a grass roots national dialogueto build awareness and ownership of the cultural agenda.

The Big Conversation began as a group of passionate individuals from the

private, NGO and public sectors who were concerned about the impact of theglobal nancial crisis on the future direction of the country. They sensed that th

was a critical moment in time when proactive dialogue about who we are andwho we want to be could create a powerful viral eect at all levels in society. Itcould shift the level of consciousness in the country.

We need to make these important conversations bigger and louder. We need ttalk about our values, because this is where our decisions and our actions comfrom. What values best reect how our society should operate? What values

does our society want to see in the future? We want to know what Australiansthink. We want to start a conversation. A Big Conversation!

The interest spread. A committee was formed to take the idea into reality,spearheaded by the Emerging Leaders for Social Change (ELSC), a network

of emerging leaders from all sectors social, government and private who

1 http://bigconversation.org.au

Creating a NewParadigm of UnstoppablePositive Social Change

AIP May 11 Doig and Muller: Unstoppable Positive Change

Karen Mullera practice expert with McKinsey&Company, has

over 20 years experience in consulting. Her focus is

organisational and people issues, especially culture

transformation, change management, and leadership

development. Karen holds a Masters in Coaching

Psychology and HRM from the University of Sydney,

and an MBA from IMD, Lausanne.Contact: [email protected]


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want to create positive social change in Australia. The committee also includedmanagement consultants to the private sector. There were challenges in our

ability to represent the whole system: aligning on what success would look likedetermining how to narrow down such an all encompassing topic to one that is

manageable and can create tangible impact; and nally, creating an outcomethat sustains peoples energy and commitment.

With these challenges in mind, our answer was to organise a Visioning Summit.

The Visioning SummitOn 13 September 2010, the Big Conversation conducted an Appreciative

Inquiry Visioning Summit with the purpose of igniting a nation-wide dialogue totransform the culture in Australia. The goal of the one-day summit was to creat

a shared vision and roadmap for how the Big Conversation could contribute tounstoppable positive social change.

In launching such a big process, we learned new lessons that we believe addvalue to the current practice of Appreciative Inquiry. A values diagnostic tool

provided a key innovation in the 4-D planning model: the addition of a new D Diagnostic phase prior to the Dream. This diagnostic tool measured Australias

personal values, current culture values and desired culture values. Its value inthis AI Summit is that it provides a picture of the where we are now currentperceived reality and then lifts the group to a higher level dialogue around wh

they are (their personal values) to what the group most desires for the future(the desired values) an invaluable set up for Dream.

We conducted the one-day Visioning Summit through a 5-D process. We will wa

you through the steps of the summit and outcomes, to demonstrate how theDiagnostic phase t as well as to share how using AI advanced the denition andirection of the Big Conversation.

Purpose Outcomes

Discovery Build on our passion and best of

the current culture; experiences ofwhat creates unstoppable positive

change, and wishes for the future

Critical success factors of what

creates unstoppable change forculture transformation

Diagnostic

(new)

National values survey debrief:

reality check on what are thecurrent personal values, current

culture and desired culture bothat a society and organisational

level

Compelling case for change

Understanding of the gap between

where we are and what we desireas Australians

Dream Ignite the interest and passion

of the participants to create aninspiring picture of the future in

which the Big Conversation hasplayed a part

Shared vision of what the Big

Conversation could achieve

Design What are the key themes for whatwe need to do to achieve the vision

and some high level steps for howto get there

High level vision themes

Delivery What we can do in the next 30

days to maintain momentum

Next steps to action

Table 1: Visioning Summit: 5-D Process


The collective vision andpotential to create masschange is indeed a reality.Margo Ward, CEO


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Discovery phaseThe Discovery phase followed the AI process of paired shares in tables,

identifying the strengths and passion of the participants. The questions include Recall a high point time in your life when you felt you were living one ofyour values that you are most passionate about either at work or in

the community.

When have you been part of, or observed, positive change that thenbecame unstoppable? It could have been a major change (e.g. Obamas

election, the end of apartheid, the fall of the Berlin Wall, the Sorryapology, company restructure), or something smaller, but meaningful

to you (a local community movement, a change in a school or workteam).

Imagine, if anything were possible, what would be your three wishes for

the ideal Australian culture of the future?

The shares and synthesis at the tables created high energy and connected thediverse group of participants. There was a buzz in the room. The outputs from

this phase outlined the strengths upon which to build towards our desired futu

Diagnostic phase (prior to Dream)One of the innovations that the authors have included in their AI summits in theAustralia/Asia region is a Diagnostic phase that we share with participants prio

to the Dream phase. Because our audience is primarily large corporates, withoften cynical and skeptical senior managers, we have found greater engagemen

by creating a Current Reality Check between Discovery and Dream. This meetsparticipants IQ needs to have well-researched analysis and scenarios and canstrengthen the compelling case for change. It allows participants to let go of

their IQ needs (and fears) and frees them to enter the EQ/SQ arena of Dream.


Figure 1: Building on the collectiveexperience

What excites me aboutchange is: its big, itscoming and its inevitable.Its so exciting to meet agroup of people who know

that and who realise that.We cant avoid that, itsthe future. Cale Johnston,Year 12


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Maslow2 terms, it allows participants to have their safety, emotional and mentaneeds met rst, which then allows them to let go and move to a self-actualised

dream.

In this summit, the Diagnostic phase incorporated the rst-ever national valuessurvey of Australia as the compelling case for change. A statistically valid samp

of Australians shared how they see the current culture, their aspiration for afuture desired culture, and their personal values which can be used to leveragethis culture shift.

Using Barretts National Values AssessmentWe used the Barrett Values Centre National Values Survey diagnostic. 3

Barrett Values Survey:Who we are, what we value

and who we want to be

+ AI Process = Powerful AI Dialogue

Originally based on Maslows Hierarchy of Needs, Barrett Values Centre [BVC]

has developed a model called the Seven Levels of Societal Consciousnessdepicting how all human beings, organisations and nations grow and develop inseven specic stages.

We have used this diagnostic for corporate culture transformations with

our clients for about ten years and now incorporate it into most AI visioningsummits. It oers an analytic window on what is usually regarded as intangible:peoples core personal drivers, their current perceptions of reality, and their

desired future. At the same time, the nature of the values survey taps intoemotions and an individuals sense of meaning. It immediately creates a heart-

connected basis for conversation. It is a good t with AIs approach. The personvalues indicate core strengths that can be built on. The current values bring to

the surface the reality of todays starting point, while the desired future values

relate to the dream. The alignment or tension among the three lenses leads tomore grounded, yet at the same aspirational, dialogue between the Discoveryphase outcomes and the Dream. It gives the client language and a great sense alignment as they enter the Dream phase.

The database was compiled by one of the countrys leading public opinion polli

houses in December 2009 at the height of the global nancial crisis (GFC).

Australian personal valuesThe top ten personal values rang true of Australian values, including humour,family, honesty and, interestingly, compassion. The pattern of values showed

a people who value relationships, self-development and a strong sense ofcohesion.

Australian current culture valuesThe top ve current values showed were limiting bureaucracy, crime/violence, blame, wasted resources, materialistic. In Barrett terms, limiting valuerepresent entropy, or the amount of dysfunction in the system. The appreciativ

2 Maslows Hierarchy of Needs. See http://www.valuescentre.com/culture/?sec=barrett_model for the way Barratt Values Centre has adapted the model.

3 http://www.valuescentre.com


A social movementto enable greater socialchange inclusion canand will happen. Belinda

Morrisey, ExecutiveDirector


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view of entropy is that it represents the amount of positive energy that can bereleased and applied to creating our desired culture and dream. The only positi

values in the current society were freedom of speech and economic growth.

Australian desired culture valuesThe desired culture values were a reaction to the current limiting values and

included care for the elderly and future generations, and creating eectivegovernment services.

Current values were seen as less about personal experience and more aboutmedia headlines. It created that burning platform for change why should I

get involved in this dialogue and ignited a vision that allowed people to get intouch with their innermost desires for the Australia of the future. The lesson we

learned for AI Summits this is a powerful diagnostic to use to elicit meaningfuconversations.

Dream: visionWe followed a process for dream through self-reection, sharing of dreams as

a table and then developing a creative expression of the dream. We voted onthe dreams that evoked the most energy from the group. What emerged was arealisation that Australia is currently lacking an Australian Dream an Australia

identity. In the past it was the lucky country. What became clear through thedialogue was that there is a vacuum in the national dialogue around the new

Australian Dream. It was an aha moment. This was something that the BigConversation could bring into the national dialogue.


Figure 2: Australian personal, currentand desired culture values


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Delivery: taking accountabilityKick start the process with key leaders in my context.Get involved. Make sure Im living my values regardless of my environment, itstoo important to ignore.

Keep on keeping on! I try and weave the Big Conversation into most meaningfuconversations that I have.

The new conversation has begun ...

Key takeaways from the summitThrough a diverse group of forty key inuencers in Australia, a common

view emerged that what we yearn for most is a new Australian dream. Weconrmed that values data and the AI conversations are a unique way to createconversations that connect people at a deeper meaning level and add value to

many current conversations about Australias future. Actionable ideas emergedand attracted excitement in the room, to be implemented by participants who

signed up to each theme area.

What next?Following the summit, members of the working group met to consider the Desig

themes that had emerged, together with data from values debriefs that had berun. In prioritising the ideas, they used a number of criteria, including impact ocommunity wellbeing, unique contribution and passion and enthusiasm. As a

result, three focused initiatives have been established for 2011: Create greater public awareness around the need to dene a new

Australian Dream. Plans are underway to develop a narrative abouthow the Australian Dream has developed and changed in the last halfcentury and to provide a call to arms to dene what it should be now

using social media and community conversations. Many of the ideassurfaced in the Dream presentations at the summit.


Sharing the dream


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Inuence greater values-based decision making in a broad range ofdecision makers in Australia by promoting conversations and values-

based tools.

Inuence the inclusion of an annual values survey, alongside the WellBeing Index, for inclusion in the national measures of health of the

country. This was another of the ideas to gain traction in the summit.

A task force, including some of the attendees from the summit, has beenestablished to address each initiative. The agenda for the Big Conversation

seems more focused, more manageable, and aligned to the passions of thegroup and wider stakeholders.

In addition, the national values data are being released freely through the Big

Conversation website so all parts of the system can initiate values dialoguesin their communities. We have developed a facilitator pack to guide peoplethrough the values debrief. At the end of the session, we ask three questions th

will be forwarded to the Big Conversation for collation and synthesis of what isemerging from within the whole system:

What is positive about the values survey results? What can we build onfor the future?

What are the top three Big Ideas for what we can do to get to our

desired culture?

What mindset shift is required?

To close the sessions, we asked each participant what action will you nowtake? and to share this around the room. The feedback we got from this last

question was that this was the most powerful part of the session when peopltake personal accountability and choose to be the change they want to see in

Australia.

The focal point for synthesis of the national debriefs is the Centre for Social

Impact (CSI) a partnership between the Business Schools of the Universityof New South Wales, the University of Melbourne, Swinburne University of

Technology and the University of Western Australia. We are working with CSI tohave the greatest impact at a national level.

Lessons learnedThere were a number of lessons learned:

Adding the Diagnostic phase prior to the Dream created more validity andgreater grounding to the AI aspirational visioning process, ensuring that Dream

are not divorced from reality. An alternative we have used in other work is toplace the Diagnostic after the Dream, before Design. In this case, the Diagnosti

informs the Design and Delivery phase and results in expansive and practicalideas and action plans.

The values survey is a useful addition to a visioning summit. As it works at threlevels intellectual, emotional and meaning it quickly engaged the group,

critical for developing an inspiring vision. While the current values were notentirely consistent with the idea of focusing on strengths, they are the current

perceived reality. Participants found hope and inspiration in the shared personavalues and desired values for Australia.

Today reinforced mybelief that at our core weall want to live in a betterworld. Amanda Fajak,

Group Manager BusinessTransformation



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In most AI Summits, there is a clear owner the client organisation and the

client leader who is responsible for the summit process and outcomes. In thisscenario, there was no organizational hierarchy or inner decision making core,

and thus no one owner. The working group was the primary decision makinggroup, a moveable feast of some 20-plus people! This made dening topics mo

complex. In hindsight, running a mini- summit with the working group wouldhave helped us rene the agenda.

A pre-summit would also have helped the working group to communicate to thinvitees. While there was a written invitation, the key method of recruitment wa

one-on-one conversations. On the summit day, we found there was more thanthe usual need to position why we are here.

We were limited in time from 9am-3pm to achieve the objectives. This was a

real stretch and towards the end of the day we were not able to oer the level ofdialogue around key themes in Design that the group desired. In hindsight, wewould have limited the AI process to include Discovery, Diagnostic and Dream

only.

Finally, this experience has reinforced our belief in the power of AI to providegenerative structure to complex situations to deliver productive results. Oneof the participants summed it up nicely at the end of the Summit: Today we

experienced the impact of mobilising/harnessing the latent power of existing

groups towards a singular, unifying and inspiring purpose. (Paul OByrne,Sustainability Project Manager)


Today we experiencedthe impact of mobilising/harnessing the latentpower of existing groupstowards a singular,unifying and inspiringpurpose. Paul OByrne,Sustainability Project

Manager

Figure 3: Design: Vision themesLooking back from success


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ABSTRACT

This paper explores thesignicant learning outcomes

that occur when combiningan experiential classroomdesign with AppreciativeInquiry and strengths-based

approaches within an MBAprogram. Describing asuccessful series of deliverytechniques in a LeadershipCoaching unit, the authorpresents key process steps,learning outcomes andstudent reections.

For almost a decade, Ive been curious about how to teach Master of BusinessAdministration (MBA) students to be better leaders within their diverse busine

environments. Driving my teaching practice have been three concurrentpursuits:

1. Challenge students to explore the beliefs that underpin theirassumptions and behaviours in their work as leaders and managers.

2. Facilitate opportunities for students to link theoretical frameworks to

new eective ways of managing and leading within their organisations.

3. Investigate how Appreciative Inquiry and strength-based approachesaccelerate the learning process.

BackgroundMy initial training in Appreciative Inquiry and later in strengths-basedapproaches exposed me to the power of using a desired future as a mechanism

for change. I had experienced signicant personal fullment when I discoveredmy own new possibilities and sought to engage with these by capitalising on m

available strengths. It inspired me to consider ways and means of linking thesetechniques to the MBA teaching environment (Wood and Gordon, 2009).

Given that MBA classes vary in size and represent a wide combination of studeexperiences, beliefs, ideas and values, I knew that my teaching would benet

from taking advantage of this diversity and its implicit and explicit strengths inthe classroom. I have endeavored to establish a learning environment through

techniques such as role-plays (real-plays), pair-shares, presentations, scenariodebates or discussions, all of which focus on real-life, pragmatic business

challenges. I wanted to oer an environment where students could: a) takeresponsibility for their own learning; and b) learn from each other through trueexperimentation (Grant & Greene, 2005).

Becoming Appreciative Leaders

Barb Woodan experienc

Documents

Aip May 2011 Ai Plus Plus Australia and Nz