2009 Assembly of the Whole:
Managing Partner Report to Members
Dear AIC’ers, As you know, we expected this year, due to the difficult economic times, to hold two AOWs, one in Philadelphia and one at the NTL AI Colloquy in Bethel Maine. That decision was made in an effort to tie these meetings to other meetings that members may have already committed to attend. I have waited to give you a summary of both events until the Colloquy was over.
A report of these meeting follows, the navigation below will help you find your way through the report or you may download a pdf version here >
AOW: Philadelphia
NTL AI Colloquy
Conclusion
Assembly of the Whole
Philadelphia Pennsylvania
June 17-18th 2009
Hampton Inn
There were twenty-one participants at the AOW. We began on the late morning on the 17th so as to make it possible for some to travel to the gathering on the morning of the 17th. Those who participated in the AOW were:
Phillippe Belien
Jay Cherney
Kristen Crusoe
Charlotte Dalsgaard
Loretta Donovan
Rebecca Harmon
Joan Hoxsey
Michael Hoxsey
Lisa Kimball
Michael McCann
Susan Meyer
Page Morahan
Sarah Lewis
Anne Radford
Loretta Randolph
Anne Rarich
Susanne Reventlow
Neil Samuels
Michael Schwartz
Angus Skinner
Ray Wells
We began by checking in about the most exciting things going on for people and why they were attending the AOW. It would seem that AI is alive and well in many parts of the world as testified to by our participants who came from a variety of geographic locations. Global Council members in attendance were Anne Radford, Loretta Donovan, and Charlotte Dalsgaard.
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Positive Deviance
The first presentation of the day was given by Lisa Kimball, Executive Director of the Plexus Institute. Lisa laid out the principles of positive deviance (PD) and made comparisons between PD and AI. A spirited conversation about several of the points made about PD followed the presentation – the conclusion of which was how PD might be a way to get people looking for the positive side of any problem. It seemed that the AI idea of “in every system there is almost always something that is working” to some degree, applies to the ideas surrounding PD. PD is based, as AI is, on the value of questions. Perhaps the most interesting learning was in the area of health care and the how the use PD has changed the outcomes for things like MRSHA.
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The European Community (Begiestering)
Anne Radford gave a wonderful overview of what is happening in the European AI community – the first thing she noted was that the European community is organized much more around the idea of “strength based processes” like AI. She offered the group a new term “Beigeistering”, a term used in the European community that is rather difficult to define. The closest definition is something like “en-spirited” or enthusiastic. These strength-based communities have begun to be named “Beigeistering” communities. (on a personal note, I recently did some work in Barcelona with a group of engineers from a number of different counties and when I asked them about this term they got very excited saying “yes, that is what we want to be.” It is a term often used by rugby or soccer coaches wanting their teams to be encouraged.) Anne also spoke about the practice of hospitality and action that has developed in the European community. When gatherings are held the host group plans for the group to visit some of the note-worthy locations in the area so that they get a sense of the need, the strengths and the work that is being done in the local community. The group does some “action” or work in the host community. The European community seems to be thriving using this model.
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The Seven Hundred Fifty AI Summit
Neil Samuels gave an inspiring presentation of his work with Glaxo Smith Kline (GSK) Pharmaceutical Company. Neil’s presentation, complete with images of the work done during the Summit, was very exciting for those attending the AOW. There were many questions asked about how Neil managed the sessions and what the outcomes were. Perhaps the most surprising outcome was after the Summit when GSK laid off one-hundred and fifty employees and they managed to do that in an appreciative way. Neil has been asked to do another Summit for the company in October 2009. The AOW participants evidenced their desire to know about the next chapter in this great story of AI’s value to companies like GSK.
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Appreciative Inquiry into AIC
Loretta Donovan opened the morning of the 18th by sharing some of the results from the recent request for AIC owners to engage each other in AI interviews of their best AIC experiences. The number of respondents was small, so Loretta suggested we look at a new software program that searches out the number of times in a given document certain words are used. The more times a word was used the larger scale of the word. Words most used in the AIC interviews were community, relationship, support, encouragement, learning and collaboration. The exercise provoked a lively discussion that included comments about what the group heard from Anne Radford the day before. The discussion ranged from comments of some who liked the European way of doing work in the community after having visited the community to others who said they saw coming to AOWs as action in and of itself, the action of learning and supporting one another. Concern was evidenced about getting younger people to AIC in response to Phillipe Belien having noted that the youngest people in the room were those from Europe. The group spent some time talking about how AIC might reach out to young people.
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The World AI Congress
Phillipe Belien, a member of the World Congress Planning Team, shared some highlights about the congress and asked the question, “What would keep you from attending this congress?” The most often stated reason was the financial cost of going to Nepal. Others noted health concerns and other personal reasons. Philippe encouraged the group to participate in either the actual congress or the virtual one. A number of members indicated they are giving workshops online or participating online.
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Closing
Participants were asked to reflect on the parts of the AOW they thought were most rewarding and the gifts they received from one another. There was general agreement that the AOW was very worthwhile. People said the learning about PD was an enhancement to their practice. Some members spoke about their renewed interest in AIC as a result of the interview process and the AOW. Guests indicated that they thought the AOW had been beneficial and they would be joining AIC ranks.
While no specific action was taken, the group noted that the interaction during the AOW was a very positive one, it was good learning experience and fit within the goal articulated at an AOW two years ago when the AIC participants indicated the value of being a ongoing learning community.
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NTL AI Colloquy
July 23rd-26th
Bethel Maine
I have just returned from the NTL AI Colloquy in Bethel Maine. It was a very good experience and, as it always is, a great joy to meet with AI folks from AIC and other AI practitioners from across the world. There were people from as far away as India, England, and Kurdistan as well the west coast of the United States. The agenda was focused on how to deepen Appreciative Inquiry practice around the world. AIC folks attending were Anne Rarich, Jane Magruder Watkins and Ralph Kelly, Joep deJong, Dan Saint, Tony Silbert and yours truly. We had a number of excellent Open Space sessions including: AI and traditional practice such as Forced Field analysis, Emerging Themes in organization and world development. Social construction and case studies.
In addition there were wonderful speakers whose presentations enriched our conversations.
Sheila McNamee gave an elegant description of Social Constructionism, David Shaked helped the group understand how to Integrate AI into Six Sigma, Mette Jacobgaard gave an inspiring session on Valuation vs. Evaluation, Merilee Adams gave a workshop on her book “Change Your Questions, Change Your Life” and facilitated some AIC work (see Goal statement below).
The sunrise sessions ranged from using film to sharing the value of the AI process (Lisa Hirsh), Emerging OD practice (Tony Silbert) and Non Violent Communication (Bob and Megan Coty).
Highlights from these sessions include:
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Sheila MacNamee’s description of how meaning is co-created through dialogue and the ways in which individuals and groups participate in the creation of their perceived social reality. It involves looking at the ways social phenomena are created, institutionalized, and made into tradition by humans. Sheila talked about how socially constructed reality is seen as an ongoing, dynamic process; reality is reproduced by people acting on their interpretations and their knowledge of it.
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Metta Jacobsgaard’s description of another D in the 5 D Cycle for the word “Describe” thus making it a 6 D Cycle was very helpful. Mette showed the group slides of places and people with whom she has worked, many from very poor areas of the world. Places where literacy might be low and an interpreter might be needed. Traditional evaluation process might be difficult in these situations. Metta spoke about changing the process to an appreciative one. Mette showed the group her process of VALUATION. She described how when asked to evaluate these processes she describes what and how AI (not always mentioned as such) has worked to achieve the desired outcome. Her presentation was elegant in its simple but complex awareness of how to stay true to your client’s need for reporting while at the same time, integrating AI into the process.
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Dan Saint and Joep deJong’s wonderful presentation about how, as organizational executives, they have integrated AI, without ever naming it, to produce important results for their companies. In Dan’s case one of the results of AI was moving from a 32% retention rate to 1%. Joep talked about how his company has been awarded the largest e-learning contract in Europe and his conviction that continuing to ask the AI questions has enabled that success.
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Merilee Adams talked about the two paths we are offered – The Path of the Learner and The Path of the Judger. The Learner path is the path in which we use questions to build relationship and the Judger path is the one in which we judge others and ourselves to be inadequate and ultimately leads people to relationship and personal failure. Merilee helped AIC participants through a series of questions to develop the following statement of intention for AIC.
AIC Goal: Co-create an Identity going forward, as a Custodian and Light-Bearer of the Spirit and Practice of AI such the Possibility of AI is realized Globally
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David Shaked spoke about how, in his work as an internal consultant, he had begun to question the value of Six Sigma and Lean the longer they were used. He noted that such concentration on the difficulties in a system can be very de-energizing. He talked about his own decision to leave a company, and using these processes, begin to think, write and do these processes from a strength-based position e.g. moving from the 7 Wastes of LEAN to the 7 Strengths/Successes. He asked participants to give feedback and offer suggestions about this kind of integration by contacting him at his website almond-insight.com.
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Conclusion
The last two months have been filled with activity in AIC – we have had two wonderful meetings, lots of opportunities for working together, including a project on advertising being done by a group of AIC co-owners and an inquiry into our organization, we have had former members renew their membership, we have had three new members join and the promise of several others. The work on the above goal offers us the opportunity to think about and design new initiatives. There will be more to come in this regard so stay tuned, or better yet, give some feedback about what you think of this goal. The Global Council will soon be having a conference call and it would be great if you, as an AIC co-owner, would contribute your thoughts before that call. I would also like to invite anyone who attended either the Philadelphia AOW or the Colloquy to add their thoughts to this summary. It is always great to get the impressions of others since each of us experiences these kind of events from our unique vantage point.
My final thought for this report would to encourage members to think about how they can contribute to making AIC a vibrant, energized organization. I would also ask that you think about some project you would like to do that would include other AIC members e.g. one of our new members is very interested in health-care and may have an opportunity to study some work being done in that area. It would be great if those of you interested in that field would consider working together.
Joan Colleran Hoxsey
AIC Managing Partner
August 3, 2009
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