Today, people live in possibilities that continue to change with time. The possibilities make opportunities for the formulation of strategic responses from all persons including community members as well as local and state governments. The ability of people to act on the opportunities and positively build on organizational and community strengths usually depends on the perception of change. The analysis enhances engagement and leadership by the use of an Appreciative Inquiry approach (AI) to channel opportunities and make them provide the best possible services for the entire community. The method of AI consistently requires repeated reminders and disciplined thinking. As it will be observed in this paper, AI calls for people to focus on their strengths rather than their weaknesses.
The Appreciative Inquiry Process
In this scenario, I worked with a workgroup of 5 employees of a local manufacturing firm. The employees work individually and in collaboration with each other and the organization to ensure that the company is self-sufficient and develops its capacity for innovation to expand research and development as well as earn more market share in the industry. In this case, my strategic focus or affirmative topic is improving innovation. The AI process followed four phases known as the 4-D Cycle: Discovery, Dream, Design, and Destiny.
In the first phase, the Discovery
phase, I found examples of when the organization was at its peak performance in connection to innovation, and I identified common factors in those periods. Secondly, in the Dream
phase, I spent time thinking about the features of an innovative organization. For instance, how would resources, leaders, behaviors, organizational processes, and physical space change? I worked on developing a vision for the company that is both inspiring and invigorating. Once my vision for the organization`s future was clear, I moved to the next stage of designing the future. It involved determining the steps needed to reach my vision. In this phase, I got as tactical and strategic as possible, creating prototypes and models of different future elements, identifying required resources, mapping steps, and engaging outside support. Lastly, I worked with my team on the destiny
stage to implement the design and make the vision a reality.
Before developing powerful questions of the AI, there was a need to pay attention to three factors that include the construction, scope, and assumptions of the desired questions. I spent time working on the questions to be addressed by first discussing the intended goal of the process, then working with partners to come up with several relevant questions. I then examined and rated the questions in connection to how they promote creativity and reflection, and their scope for the result, and their underlying assumptions. As required in this process, my goal was also to ensure that the questions have the right assumptions to lead the group and move it forward. I also experimented with changing the scope and construction of the questions to realize how they may alter the course of the inquest. It was also vital for me to give every single question the “genuine test” and find out whether the questions address what is missing. Finally, I ran the questions by an outside party to investigate how well they work and how they direct the course of the discussion.
Powerful Questions and Responses
I. What do we intend to achieve here? What is the main purpose that is worthy of our collaborative and best effort?
II. What do you consider some of the most significant trends, events, and developments shaping the future of this organization?
III. What’s emerging in this process? What connections do you make?
IV. What are the challenges that might affect our goal of improving innovation and how might we navigate through them?
V. How can we ensure the success of our plans and developed goals?
The respondents had varying responses, but after using appreciative inquiry, the answers to the above powerful questions were more robust and progressive. In the first question, all the participants recognized that our primary goal was to improve innovation, which is worth a collaborative effort as it will increase the firm`s potential and profits. In the second question, the group was able to connect ideas and establish deeper insight by describing departmental achievements and organizational plans that have directed the company. In regards to the third question, the participants agreed that the process is promising as it has a strategic foundation that can propel the firm to greater heights. However, it was the concern of three employees that lack of enough finances is a major impediment as the other two claimed that they could seek funding from concerned stakeholders. Lastly, the workers agreed that success would only be achieved by a focus on individual strengths and a combined effort.
Reflection
As it was realized in the process, the framework of the AI focuses on the core capabilities and strengths of individual members, as well as collaborative successes. The process invited them to envision their desired future as it also initiated collaborations to the design. AI enabled the individuals to explore their innate strengths and previous successes. The positive approach facilitates excellent performance by reinforcing culture and relationships, building common direction and vision, promoting innovation and learning, and embracing collective action. The use of AI also helped to affirm ways to embrace personal and organizational change. It acted as a change methodology by offering a structured approach to make the workers move towards improving innovation. The use of AI and the powerful questions provided a framework for strength-based discussions while also helping people to share knowledge, and build on previous positive experiences. By asking appreciative questions, the group developed efficient working relationships. When a communication challenge is shared by two people or observed by a workgroup, asking and answering real questions help people to communicate more clearly as it builds their communication skills. In a nutshell, the AI framework encouraged generative dialogue.
Conclusion
An AI approach to a research on improving innovation is seen to uncover resiliency factors within an organization that can be useful in developing ways to achieve the desired state of technology enhancement. Wherever there is a desire for productive, healthy relationships and sustainable outcomes; whenever there is a need to foster trusting, healthy relationships amidst complexity, diversity, and multiplicity as well as enable all voices and ideas to be heard, the AI framework facilitates such outcomes. Hence, appreciative inquiry methodology is an effective qualitative research strategy for the development of interventions and factors that can aid any organization.
