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“No one dislikes a person whose story they know.”

~~Meg Wheatley

!!

Introduce: Dialogic / Story Telling Approach: Appreciative Inquiry

Plan for Presentation

Present: 2 - Insights 8 - Assumptions 1 - Take Away.

Wish: You will weave story telling into your work to strengthen your current practice.

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Focus of Evaluation for the purposes of:

the systematic investigation of the quality of programs, projects,

subprograms, subprojects, and/or an of their components or elements,

together or singly for the purposes of decision making, judgments,

conclusion, findings, new knowledge, organizational development, and capacity

building in response to the needs of identified stakeholders.

Evaluation as cited in the JCSEE Program Evaluation Standards (2011) by Yarbrough,

Shulha, Hopson and Caruthers

70% of Change Projects are Unsuccessful ~~John Kotter.

1995

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McKinsey & Company conducted a global study on success rates of change projects with 1600+ CEOs

2008

The Inconvenient Truth About Change Management Why it isn’t working and what to do about it.

~~McKinsey & Company Article

2008

Still …70% are unsuccessful

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Appreciative Inquiry in a Nutshell

David Cooperrider

Fairmount Minerals Professor of Social Entrepreneurship at the Weatherhead School of Management, Case Western Reserve University. Faculty Director at the Center for Business as an Agent of World Benefit.

�Might it be that the methods we use

determine what we find?�

Circa 1984

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Positive Image � Positive Action Culture is formed by the stories we tell ourselves

about ourselves.

�We have reached the end of problem solving as a

mode of inquiry capable of inspiring and

sustaining human system change. The future

belongs to methods that affirm, compel, and

accelerate learning while including the voices of

all the people who will be affected by the change.� ~~David Cooperrider

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Hunter Douglas Case Study

Hunter Douglas Video Appreciative Inquiry

Case Study (3 minute video)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eLOM4kxOO_Q

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2 Insights

Insight(#1:((The$story$$STARTS$the$change$$

Stories$(Inquiry)$

Together$make$

meaning$

Assess$/$Adjust$Mindset$

Reframe$Mental$Model$

Take$Ac?on$

Stop$&$Reflect$

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�Storytelling has the power to transform

change resistant organizations.���~~Steve Denning

Noboru Kitahama

Street Kids Ghana Tell me a story of a time when you felt

really happy living in the streets.

Google Images Ghana Street Kids

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Street Kids Ghana

�Without shedding some of their own assumptions, the interviewers would find it nearly impossible to meet each street child on his or her own terms

and then accept that child as he or she is in order to learn more.��������� ~~ Mette Jacobsgaard

Google Images Ghana Street Kids

Insight # 2:

Power of Reframing

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It’s not about ignoring the negative.

It’s all about seeing the world differently validating and reframing

It’s not about ignoring the negative.

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Chronic Pain Analysis

On a scale of 1 to 10, describe your comfort level? If comfort level decreased: What has helped in the past to increase your comfort? Focusing on what you want

to have more of INSTEAD of what you don�t want!

Deficit Issues Focus!!!Low morale!!Bullying!!Lost luggage !!!Customer dissatisfaction! !!!!

Affirmative Inquiry Focus High motivation Safe & inclusive school Creating an exceptional arrival experience Creating brilliant customer experiences

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8 Assumptions

8 Assumptions of AI 1.  In every society,

organization or group something works.

2.  What we focus on becomes our reality - organizations move in the direction of what they study and inquire into.

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3.  Reality is created in the

moment and there are multiple realities.

4.  The act of asking questions of an organization or a group or an individual influences them in some way.

8 Assumptions of AI

5.  People will have more confidence and comfort to journey into the future (unknown) when they carry forward parts of the past (known).

6.  If we carry forward parts of the past they should be the best parts.

Bring our luggage NOT our baggage

.

8 Assumptions of AI

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7.  The language we use

creates our reality.

8.  It is important to value differences.

8 Assumptions of AI

Practical Examples of Weaving AI into Work

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Examples

Employee Engagement Summit Creating Brilliant Customer Experiences

250 participants for 2.5 days Post Summit: everyone conducted 5 interviews with colleagues in different

departments and functions.

Within 3 weeks, 43% of 3,500 person organization engaged in sharing stories &

creating new ideas for improving customer service (Summer 2008)

8 months later

(Spring 2009) 2nd summit

Additional 250 employees brought together for 2.5 days.

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CLBC Community Action Employment Initiative 720 interviews conducted in 30 communities across BC (pre-summit);

160 self advocates, funders, service providers & other stakeholders came together for a 2 day summit to create recommendations & begin to

develop action plans.

CLBC Community Action Employment

Plan – 2013 to 2015 (Link to the report is in the AI Resource handout)

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453 Pre-Summit Interviews (10% of staff + 135 students + 40 parents)

2 day Summit (Students, teachers, admin, support,

parents & community partners)

Six Qualities of Service Excellence:

Culture of Care Recognized & Valued Individualized Care

Collaboration & Communication Above & Beyond

Action: Start to Finish

School Board – Service Excellence

When the best leader’s work is done, the people say: “We did it ourselves!” ~~ Lao-tsu

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Welcome to Kindergarten

Parent Evening June 2013

Results from student survey

on what they love about being in kindergarten

Naismith Welcome to Kindergarten (WTK) June 2013: Parent Interview Questions - Survey

1.  Describe a time when your child was really engaged in or excited about an activity. What was happening and what made it a special moment?

2.  Tell us about a �star� moment from your WTK experience at Naismith.

3.  If you had three wishes for your child�s first week as a Naismith student, what would they be?

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School Initiated Student Evaluation

Fall 2013 •  Conducted interviews with 46 grade

4 & 5 students •  Staff used student voice to create

commitments & measures

Spring 2014 •  Students assessed school actual

performance against commitments •  Meaning making completed by staff,

actions incorporated into 2014/15 school success plans

Fall 2014 •  School success plans implemented •  Plan to recycle through process.

1 Take away

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Apprecia2ng(&(learning(from(the(

PAST((

(Con?nuity)$

Imagine(an(ideal(FUTURE((

(Novelty)(

Releasing(the(energy(to(take(ac2on(

NOW((Transi?on)$

Take(Away$A.I.R.(Framework(

Framework by Maureen McKenna

Parenting What you focus on … you get more of

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Coaching for Performance Invitation to share stories of the past and of the future ….

Building Relationships?

Fixing Problems?

�While hard data may inform the intellect, it is largely soft data that generates wisdom. They may be difficult to �analyze,� but they

are indispensable for �synthesis� – the key to strategy making.�

~~Professor Henry Mintzberg, McGill University

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Thank you to David Cooperrider, Jane Magruder Watkins and the international Appreciative Inquiry

community for generously sharing their knowledge, ideas and resources.

I am grateful to be part of this vibrant community – focusing on the triple bottom line:

People, Planet and Profit

Contact Information: Maureen (Mo) McKenna

mckenna.maureen1@gmail.com www.innovationworks.ca

416-921-3204

$$$

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!!

In groups of 3 or 4, reflect on the morning presentations …

How might you weave storytelling into your work?

OR if you use storytelling

How are you currently weaving storytelling into your work? Be prepared to share one insight or practice

Table Group

“If$not$us,$who?$$$$ $ $ $ $If$not$now,$when?”$$ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $~~Annon.

Personal Reflection:

What is one small change

or action that you will take as a result of participating in this session?