Appreciative Inquiry and Change!
As humans we are spectacularly good at looking on the gloomy side. If I’m running a change workshop or one of my personal development courses and ask for examples of what’s not working I am usually inundated. But ask a different question, what is going well? or what do you do well? and the responses can dry up.
Moaning is Habit
Sometimes we just get into the habit of moaning. Low grade, not terribly serious, moaning. In fact, it can become a part of the culture of a workplace, particularly one undergoing change (and let’s face it, most workplaces have been experiencing change over the last few years). Moaning helps us bond with our fellow workers. In fact, we might even feel a bit guilty about being chirpy and moan even when we feel alright with the world. Does that sound familiar?
It’s insidious and it drags you down. Over time it will sap your motivation and you run the danger of becoming a drain (see ‘Drains and Radiators’). It’s not helpful to you at all.
Appreciative Inquiry
Which is why when working with groups at some point I’ll introduce the principles of Appreciative Inquiry, or, as I like to call it, the Pollyanna moment!
In brief, appreciative inquiry means shifting the focus off what isn’t working onto what is! Don’t waste your energy on looking at what you don’t like, what doesn’t work for you, but focus on the positive. Using the principles of appreciative inquiry throughout a change process can really bring out the best in people, tap into creativity and positivity.
You can start the process by simply thinking, ‘what works well in my life’? When work is good what is going well? Challenge your assumptions and the assumptions of your work place or working group. The assumptions are beliefs (unwritten rules) that have grown up over time which become the framework or context for all other decisions. You’re probably not even aware of them on a conscious level.
An example is flexible working. A few years back an assumption in many places was that everyone had to work the same hours and be available to each other at the same time; the assumption was that business couldn’t be done any other way. (Some places still hold this assumption or belief). But once companies rid themselves of this assumption they can begin to look creatively and positively at how work could be and introduce creative working practices which enhance the end result.
Challenging Assumptions Means Change
Once you begin to question in this way more will follow. Other long held assumptions will get questioned. Some will embrace this others will feel threatened and insecure and resist.
Here are 8 assumptions of Appreciative Inquiry:
- In every group or society, organisation something works
- What we focus on becomes our reality
- Reality is created in the moment, there can be multiple realities
- The act of asking questions in organisations or groups influences the group in some way
- People have more confidence and comfort in changing their future (unknown) when they can carry with them bits of their past (known things)
- When carrying forward it should be what’s best of the past
- It is important to value differences
- The language we use helps create our reality
In brief, if you view life as a problem to be solved you won’t be comfortable with Appreciative Inquiry. Appreciative Inquiry takes the view that life is a mystery to be embraced. Problem solving means you spend energy on identifying what is wrong and then trying to put it right. Missing the opportunity to look at all that is going really well can mean introducing a solution to fix the wrong bit, which impacts on all the good bits… I hear this regularly when working with organisations and change:
‘It used to work perfectly until…’
‘I could help customers much more until we had this new rule...’
I’m sure you can come up with examples from your own experience – the baby out with the bathwater syndrome!
Appreciative Inquiry Questions to help you cope with organisational change:
- Think back over your career in the organisation. Try to pin point a real highpoint for you, when you felt really engaged and effective at what you do. How did you feel? What circumstances made that possible?
- Think about what you value most about yourself, what value you bring into the organisation. Don’t be modest.
- If you could have 3 do-able, concrete wishes for your company or organisation what would they be?
- What do you want to take with you into the future?
Photo Credit: Cylonka
The Answer to Your Problems in 10 Letters!
Seeking answers to the meaning of life? Got a problem to solve? I have the answer for you -
It’s Crosswords!
Probably….
Problem Solving
Regular blog readers will know that I love crosswords. My favourite is the Sunday one which is particularly cryptic and takes me most of the week to complete (I say ‘complete’; usually there is one clue that drives me bonkers and I never solve!)
Over time I have got to know the style of the setters and try and tune into it on starting. So some I know will be tilting towards anagrams and others have a bias toward general knowledge for example. So when looking for clues that’s where I start; I’m either looking for anagrams or dredging up my general knowledge.
Stuck with a Problem?
And when I get stuck I put the puzzle down and pick it up the next day when the answer will often be staring me in the face! How could I possibly have missed it the day before?
The truth is of course, that I have been looking at the same problem for too long and got stuck in my self imposed terms of reference. As in:
“This is probably an anagram as the same amount of letters are in the clue as in the grid and this setter loves anagrams.”
When I take a fresh look and (crucially) forget about the anagram thing I seem to leave space in my mind for the answer to appear!
Like life, eh? Sometimes we have a problem that we’re just stuck with no matter how much time we have devoted to solving it. Sometimes we need a fresh pair of eyes to look, either our own or someone else’s. And sometimes we have to let go of our sacred cows, our own internally imposed restrictions and parameters.
Problem Solving Exercise
If you’re problem is a person try to imagine them as someone else. Let go of your preconceived ideas of what you think they are like and try to really LISTEN to them afresh. Imagine you know almost nothing about them. Your ideas of where they are coming from probably means you’re not really hearing them but instead are:
a) thinking of your next riposte
or
b) only hearing the bits that fit your preconceived idea of what and who they are.
Neither is particularly helpful in arriving at a good outcome.
And if your problem is not people focussed, try leaving it for a while and coming back to it. Go for a walk, try doodling, listen to music. Put your focus elsewhere and give your brain a boost and then come back to it and get creative!
If you enjoyed this, take a look at this article from the archives on problem solving. If you’re facing a problem there’s lots of advice on the blog – hope it’s helpful to you!
And if you’ve been thinking about working one to one I have some spaces available very soon! Give me a call on 01761 438749 or use the contact page. I promise you I don’t talk in anagrams!
Photo Credit: Katia Grimmer-Laversanne
How to Have BRILLIANT Ideas!
Creative thinking
I was indulging in a little Twitter banter this morning (@JaneCWoods, since you ask). Someone put a light hearted tweet out about not wanting to put the heat on as she was mean with her money. Jumper or switch on?
Accustomed as I am to seeking the positives in everything (!) I replied that she wasn’t mean but being an eco warrior! In slippers…
Be Positive
There then followed about 20 minutes of a daft exchange of ideas. Another follower chipped in and we decided ironing was definitely a no no, creases were the symbol of eco warriors, and we could make a fortune and have an alternative source of energy by bottling hot flush! Thousands of middle aged women plugging into the national grid and saving the world! I think we’re onto something….
Can you see it?
Well, maybe not, but there is a serious point here. When faced with a dilemma, a problem we can’t see a solution to, the ‘sitting down and working it out systematically‘ approach can work, but if you really want to tap into your creative unconscious go mad!
A burst of silliness can work wonders in helping you seek solutions. It’s hard to have silly thoughts on your own so go grab a mate and have some serious fun! Tap into that inner child and if anyone looks askance tell them you’re busy being a creative problem solver! Good luck!
And if you’d like another tip on creativity, take a look at Boost Your Creativity in 3 Minutes.
P.S. If you’re looking for a burst of inspiration and would like to join some like minded women for a day, take a peek at RenewYou. I have just 3 places left!
Photo Credit: Lejla
Candy-floss Makes You Sticky (Stuck)!
I love to think in pictures. And when I get myself in a bit of a pickle my candy-floss picture comes to mind.
Candy-floss is wonderful stuff. Do you remember watching them spin yours at the fun fair or seaside, money clutched in your hot little hand as the magic began with a teeny sprinkling of sugar which was then spun and spun.
In a matter of seconds something had come of nothing. There was a huge cloud of pink fluffiness where previously there had been only air. And you gratefully grabbed it and within minutes had sticky sugar all over your face! Bliss. But then the stickiness persisted long after the candy-floss (cotton candy) had disappeared.
Possibly your Mum, aunt or sister did the wonderfully hygienic ‘spit on a handkerchief’ routine and then rubbed mercilessly at your face. Or maybe you just stayed sticky, attracting flies and other odd bit of debris in the air.
Adult Candy Floss Syndrome
You may not have heard of Adult Candy-Floss Syndrome (I think I have invented it!) but I suspect you might get an attack now and again.
It’ll creep up on you those times you don’t feel entirely in control, when problems abound. We all suffer from it. We take something relatively small and spin it until it looms large and leaves us stuck. We need the metaphorical equivalent of some vigorous face rubbing to help us get a sense of perspective and see where we can take back some control.
But first we have to acknowledge what we’ve done. Next time you begin to feel overwhelmed with an issue, bring the candy floss image to mind. Ask yourself, is this a real and tangible problem? if so, this post may help. If not, start spitting on that hankie!
Photo Credit: Vera Reis
Problem Solving From New Angle – ReFrame!
When you get stuck with a problem try this technique – re-frame your issue!
The idea of re-framing has its roots in family therapy work, in helping people look at issues from a new perspective. When you are able to grasp a new perspective, issues which have been a worry can be seen in a different light, different options may appear, and that can help to lighten the load.
Take a Different You
So the next time you feel overwhelmed with a problem, at work or in your personal life, try looking at it from a different angle. You can even do this using different facets of your self. For example, what would the you at your most confident and assured think of this? What might a much older version of you think of this situation? Or what might your view of this have been when you were much younger? This will help you realise just how much knowledge and experience you’ve gained in life.
Pick a Person
Another way of using the reframing technique is to imagine how someone else would view the issue. Literally put yourself in someone else’s shoes. Using everything you know about them, or can imagine, try to hear what they would say or do about the situation. Would it be a bother to them? An exciting challenge? Would they tackle it head on or would they come at it obliquely? Would they even see it as a problem? If there is a colleague you particularly admire try and imagine how they would deal with the problem. It gives you options.
Reframing for Success
Many of the biggest successes and ideas have come from someone taking a new look at a what on the face of it might be a problem. Remember, Post It Notes, now found in every office, started life as failed glue until someone re-framed the problem!
Cooking and Coaching!
I have just been baking, one of my favourite activities. And while baking, I was reminded of when I used to ‘teach’ cookery to lads in a youth club.
The lads were mainly from difficult or deprived backgrounds and regular truants. Violence was a feature of their daily lives. Hardly good prospects for cookery classes! Yet they loved it! And I never had any bother at all (although one boy did think it was really funny to hide in a cupboard and leap out brandishing a cook’s knife just as I was demonstrating how to separate eggs…)
Talking is Good
Teaching someone a new skill, or adding to their skill base, is a great place to talk things through and we had some amazing conversations over sieved flour! Nowadays I suppose it might be called coaching. For the boys it was general chat about life (with some discrete input from me) as we measured, stirred, cooked and created something together.
I took A level Home Economics at school (does that still exist?) and loved the chat and discussion as much as the cooking. With hindsight probably too much!
And when I was a social worker, working with traumatized children, it was always good to do something practical with them. It’s always easier to talk about ‘difficult’ things when you don’t have to look directly at someone, when you’re engaged in a practical activity, particularly for youngsters.
And now, I still find cooking a good place to gather my thoughts; it’s almost meditative. (Well, until I day dream too much and the pan boils over!) I often think I should maybe set up a cooking and coaching course!
When do you have some of your best thoughts?
