Foundations of

Appreciative Inquiry

September 18-20, 2017

Leadership Foundations Board Training Initiative:

PARTICIPANT WORKBOOK

Great Boards

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Purpose and Objectives

The purpose of this workshop is to help you gain an initial understanding of the mindset, skillset, and experience provided through Appreciative Inquiry (AI) so that you can begin to use it with excellence in your personal and organizational life. Our objectives are to:

1. To build a safe and collaborative learning environment that is enriched by the wisdom, passion, and experience of each person in this room.

2. To help you understand and be able to articulate the generative power of AI.

3. To help you build the capacity to design, implement, and lead AI processes focused on strategic issues in your organization through action-learning in this workshop.

4. To apply an AI to building great Boards and maximize the Board Chair/ Sr. Staff relationship.

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Agenda Coaches Day 1: Monday Evening, September 18 5:00-5:30 Dinner (9-13 people) 5:30-5:45 Review Agenda & Expectations 5:45-6:15 Introduction to Appreciative Inquiry 6:15-7:15 DISCOVERY: Great Boards (1-on-1 interviews) 7:15-7:30 Debrief Interviews Coaches Day 2: Tuesday, September 19 8:00-8:15 Welcome (Dave/ Larry) 8:15-9:00 Devotion (Jack) 9:00-9:15 Positive Core 9:15-10:15 DISCOVERY: Identifying and Mapping the “Positive Core” of Strengths (2x2x2 tables) 10:15-10:30 Break 10:30-11:00 The Positive Image/Positive Action Relationship 11:00-12:00 DREAM: Great Boards – Our Images of the Future (2x2x2 small groups) 12:00-12:45 Lunch 12:45-1:45 Creating Affirmative Topics 1:45-3:00 The Power of Positive Questions & Dealing with Negatives 3:00-3:15 Break 3:15-5:00 Sneak Peek into DESIGN & DESTINY 5:00-6:00 Q & A Coaches Day 3: Friday, February 20 8:00-8:45 Devotion (Melissa) 8:45-9:45 Living Water Case Study 9:45-10:00 Break 10:00-11:00 Q & A on all things AI 11:00-11:45 Strategic Next Steps (Jack/ Debbi) 11:45-12:00 Closing Prayer 12:00 Conclude Coaches Training Coaches Joined by Cohort (24-20 participants) 2:00-2:30 Welcome (Dave) 2:30-3:00 Agenda Review/ Calendar (Deb) 3:00-3:30 Brief Introduction to Appreciative Inquiry and Update on Key Elements of Great Boards

(Mike) 3:30-4:30 DISCOVERY: High Performance Chair/ CEO Teams (1-on-1 interviews, includes break);

(Dave/Larry) 4:30-4:45 Debrief Interviews 4:45- 5:30 Introductions: Discovering the Resources in our Community & Report from Interviews

(Dave/Larry) 5:30-6:30 Dinner 6:30 Conclude for the Day

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What is Appreciative Inquiry? Appreciative Inquiry is an approach to organization change based on the simple idea that organizations move in the direction of what they ask questions about. For example, when groups study human problems and conflicts, they often find that both the number and severity of these problems grow. In the same way, when groups study high human ideals and achievements, such as peak experiences, best practices, and noble accomplishments, these phenomena, too, tend to flourish. Appreciative Inquiry distinguishes itself from other change methodologies by deliberately asking positive questions to ignite generative dialogue and action within organizations.

How to Use Appreciative Inquiry

The basic assumption of problem-solving methodologies is that people and organizations are fundamentally “broken” and need to be fixed. The process usually involves: (1) identifying the key problems; (2) analyzing the root causes; (3) searching for possible solutions; and (4) developing an action plan. In contrast, the underlying assumption of appreciative inquiry is that people and organizations are by nature full of assets, capabilities, resources, and strengths that are just waiting to be located, affirmed, stretched, and encouraged. The steps include: (1) discovering and valuing; (2) envisioning; (3) design through dialogue; and (4) co-constructing the future. In other words, the appreciative inquiry 4-D model includes discovery, dream, design, destiny.

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What to Expect as We Work Together

Role of Facilitators

• Introduce Appreciative Inquiry

• Set the structure and time frames

• Manage the overall summit flow

• Provide customized suggestions for your opportunity Your Role

• Contribute your best ideas

• Lead with your energy and optimism

• Self-manage your group Ground Rules

• Everyone participates

• All ideas are valid

• Everything is written on flip charts

• Observe time frames

• Seek higher ground (differences acknowledged—not “worked”)

• Move to action Group Leadership Roles Throughout the week, we will work in small groups to explore the material. Each small group manages its own discussion, data, time, and reports. Here are useful roles for self-managing this work. Leadership roles can be rotated. Divide up the work as you wish:

• DISCUSSION LEADER—Assures that each person who wants to speak is heard within time available. Keeps group on track to finish on time.

• TIMEKEEPER—Keeps group aware of time left. Monitors report-outs and signals time remaining to person talking.

• RECORDER—Writes group’s output on flip charts, using speaker’s words. Asks people to restate long ideas briefly.

• REPORTER—Delivers report to large group in time allotted.

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Activity #1: Discovery: Learning from Stories of the Ideal Organization

Appreciative One-on-One Interviews

Guidelines:

• Select an interview partner – someone you do not know, or do not know well – someone whose role or job is different from yours.

• Interview your partner using the interview guide on the following pages. Each person will have approximately 30 minutes to interview his or her partner.

• Encourage your partner to tell his/her story, draw them out with your positive energy and excitement.

• Take good notes and be listening for great quotes and stories. You will share the results of your interview in small groups.

• The information you collect in this interview will be used throughout the workshop to help design the ideal organization.

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Activity #1: Appreciative Interview Guide

Building a Great Board 1. What Attracted You?

Think back to when you first decided to start or join your organization, what attracted you? What were your initial excitements and impressions?

2. High Point Experience

During your time with your organization, I’m sure you’ve had some ups and downs, some peaks and valleys, some high points and low points. I’d like you to reflect for a moment on a high point experience – you have had with your Board -- a time when you felt most alive, most engaged, most proud of your involvement…tell the story. What happened? What were the forces and factors that made the experience possible?

• What was it about you that made it a great experience?

• Who were significant others and what was it about them that made it a high point?

• What was it about the organization that made it a high point for you?

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3. Images of the Future

Imagine that tonight you fall into a deep relaxing sleep, and you don’t wake up until the year 2022. When you awake, you see that a miracle has occurred. Major changes have taken place with your Board, and your organization has become everything you ever hoped it could be. You can truly say, without reservation, that this is the Board and the organization of your dreams. What do you see? What does it look like? What’s going on around you? What’s happening that’s new and different? What do you see in terms of purpose, values, systems, people, ways of working, fiscal performance, others?

4. Three Wishes

If you could develop or transform your board in any way, what three wishes, in order of priority, would you make to heighten your organization’s overall health and vitality?

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Activity #2: DISCOVERING

the Key Elements of the Great Board

When are We Most Successful and Why?

Purpose: To discover the root causes of exceptional Boards—that is, the “positive core of

strengths” that enable them to perform at their highest levels, in both human and economic terms.

Guidelines:

4. Select a discussion leader, timekeeper, recorder, and reporter.

5. At your tables, have each person share stories and highlights from interview questions 1-2.

6. As a group, talk about what these stories tell you about the ideal Board for your

organization when it is at its best? What are the “positive core of strengths” that make them great?

Use the “story analysis” process to capture the stories and positive core of strengths in a T-chart:

STORIES ELEMENTS OF THE POSITIVE CORE

Tom’s story … •

•

• Neelima’s story … •

•

• Jo’s story … •

•

•

7. Prepare a 5-minute presentation that includes:

• A story from the interviews that powerfully illustrates the ideal Board at its best.

• A list of the 5-7 most important “key elements of the positive core.”

• A work of art that embodies the key elements of the positive core.

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Activity #2: DREAMS of the Great Board

Purpose: To imagine a future you want to work toward. Guidelines: 1. Select a discussion leader, timekeeper, recorder, and reporter. 2. Share in detail responses to question 3 & 4 from the interview guide. As a group, put

yourselves in the year 2022. Visualize the ideal Board the way you really want it in order to provide exceptional results in both human and economic terms. Imagine it as if it exists today—now. Be bold. What does it look like? What does it feel like? What’s going on? What are you most proud of? What’s new, better, best? What are you most excited about? How does your vision help the organization be truly exceptional?

3. Spend enough time talking as a group to imagine fully the ideal Board—the kind of organization you want to work toward.

4. List on a flip chart the key elements of your collective dream, and prepare to report to the

large group.

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Examples of Affirmative Topics American Baptist International Ministries (2000), global, 2000+ people, one-year strategic planning process: “Called to the Future Together: Planning for Mission in the New Millennium” American Baptist International Ministries (2013), global, 2000+ people, one-year strategic planning process; 50 people, 9-month operational planning process: “Believing in the Future: Following God into Our Third Century of Mission” John Deere Front End Business (2005), domestic, 250 people, three-month process redesign, “Working Together to Build Our Future: Increase quality, Reduce Costs, Improve Product Cycle Time…and do it FAST! Exelon (2008), 200 people, six-month process redesign, “Serving Our Customers, Our Communities and Our World through Operational Excellence” FirstCaribbean International Bank (2004), 100 people, six-month customer service initiative: “Live, Inspire, Lead! Customer Centric Leadership for Maximum Business Results” GlaxoSmithKline (2009), 450 people, six-month, market growth strategy development: “Build Empowerment—Align Together (BEAT): Pride, Performance, Possibilities” Harley-Davidson Engineering Group (2002), 100 people, one-year process redesign, “Unleashing a Positive Revolution in Engineering Excellence” Horseshoe Casino (2001), 600 people, six-month customer service initiative, “Building a Culture of Superior Quality Where Our Guests Can Indulge Themselves without Apology” InsperaHealth (2010), 60 people, one-year business model redesign, “Vision 5000: Designing Our Program to Maximize Health and Healing for Our Participants, Our Clients and Ourselves” K.O. Lee Company (2005), 100 people, one-year innovation and growth process: “Recharge and Sustain the Innovative Spirit of the K. O. Lee Company to Ensure Prosperous Growth for the 21st Century: Empower Company-Wide Leadership, Forcefully Expand Core Markets, Increase Subcontract Customer Base and Capacity, Vigorously Investigate New Markets” Living Water International (2010), 150 people globally, one-year strategic planning process: “Watershed: Cultivating our Strengths for Growth and Impact” Living Water International (2016), 30 people globally, 6-month ops redesign process: “Build It: Designing the Ideal Structure for LWI Program Leadership and Support” McDonald’s Chicago Region: “FOCUS 2002: Defining and Planning for Our Strategic Competitive Advantage” McDonald’s Great Lakes Region, strategic planning: “Back to the McFuture” McDonald’s Global Leadership Summit, “Driving Success by Retaining Great Leaders at Every Level” Merck Latin America Human Health, "Elevando la Excelencia Organizacional"

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Take Home Work: Writing Appreciative Questions

Guidelines: Using this worksheet, draft your own appreciative questions based on your affirmative topic. Remember that good AI questions are:

• Unconditionally positive

• Stated in the affirmative; build on “half-full” assumptions

• Convey positive regard for the other

• Reflect an authentic desire to learn, discover, and grow

• Begin with the “best of what is” and then invite imagination about what “could be”

• Give broad definition to the topic; give room to “swim around”

• Presented as an invitation

• Invite people to share their experience

• Use words that evoke positive emotions

• Ask for story, after story, after story, after story

My Affirmative Topic

Stage-Setting: What attracted you?

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Stage Setting: High Point Experience

Stage-Setting: What do you value?

Sub-topic Question

Sub-topic Question

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Sub-topic Question

Strategic Direction: Images of the Future

Strategic Direction: Three Wishes

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Sample Questions: Living Water International

Doubling Growth and Impact by 2015

Stage Setting: What attracted you?

1. What Attracted You? Think back to when you first got involved with Living Water, what attracted you? What were your initial excitements and impressions?

Stage Setting: High Point Experience

2. High-Point Experience During your time with Living Water, I’m sure you’ve had some ups and downs, some peaks and valleys, some high points and low points. I’d like you to reflect for a moment on a high point experience, a time when you felt most alive, most engaged, most proud of your involvement… tell the story. What was going on? Who was involved? What happened?

Stage Setting: What do you value?

3. Core Factors As you think about your high point experience, I’d like you to break it down and identify the forces and factors that made it possible.

• First, without being bashful or shy, what was it about you that made the experience possible (your values, commitments, experience, skills, ways of working, etc)?

• Second, who else was involved, and what was it about them that made it a high point?

• Third, what was it about Living Water as an organization that made the experience possible (…things like its purpose, focus, beliefs, commitments, guiding principles, approaches, strategies, structures, programs, partnerships, best practices, ways of working, etc)?

Sub-Topic Questions: High Point Experience, Dream

4. Program Excellence Living Water's purpose is to provide excellent water solutions to communities, while helping them experience the gospel of Jesus Christ. Think of the best field project that you know of. Tell the story of that project. Where is it? How did it develop? What did you, others, and Living Water do to make it possible?

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What are the key elements that make it excellent (partnerships, equipment, hygiene education, sanitation, community involvement, sustainability, etc.)? What are the 2-3 most important things Living Water can do to consistently deliver excellence in every program and region?

Sub-Topic Questions: High Point Experience, Wishes

5. Developing People The Lord uses people (i.e. staff, partners, donors, board members etc.) to accomplish his purposes through Living Water International. When it is at its best, Living Water develops and equips people to utilize their gifts and talents to their fullest capacity.

• Think of a time when Living Water (or any organization you have been involved in) has helped you develop personally and professionally. Tell the story. What did you, others, and the organization do to make this possible?

• As you look to the future, what are the 2-3 most important things Living Water can do to help people grow and develop to their full potential even more?

Sub-Topic Questions: High Point Experience, Wishes

6. Financial Growth and Stewardship The Lord’s blessings on Living Water are evident, and they have resulted in good financial health, increased program capacity, and staff growth. Think of the most creative and successful fundraising initiatives that have resulted in significant funds for Living Water. Tell the story. What happened, and who was involved? What was it about you, others, and Living Water as an organization that helped to make this possible?

• Based on these experiences (and those at other organizations), what are the 2-3 most effective fundraising strategies you would like Living Water to use?

• Every dollar saved or creatively stretched is even more valuable than a dollar raised. Think of a time when you have experienced innovative cost savings or efficient use of funds at Living Water. Tell the story. What happened, and who was involved? What made it possible?

• Based on these experiences (and those at other organizations), what are the 2-3 best ways for Living Water to increase its cost saving and efficiency with funds?

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Strategic Direction: Images of the Future

7. Images of the Future Imagine that tonight you fall into a deep relaxing sleep and you don’t wake up until 2015. When you awake, you see that major changes have taken place, and Living Water has become everything you ever hoped it could be. You can truly say, without reservation, that this is the organization of your dreams. How would you describe it? What do you see? What does it look like? What are you most proud of? What’s happening that’s new and different? What do you see in terms of values, people, programs, growth, size, structure, results, and core contributions? What is your ideal image of Living Water 2015?

Strategic Direction: Three Wishes

8. Three Wishes If you could develop or transform Living Water in any way to heighten its overall health and vitality, what three wishes, in order of priority, would you make?

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Sample Questions: GSK

Building Empowerment and Alignment Together:

Pride, Performance, Possibilities

Stage Setting: What attracted you?

Your Story o Please take a moment to share with me who you are,

where you’re from, and what you do. o I’d like to learn about your beginnings at Consumer

Healthcare. When did you come into the organization and what attracted you to join us? What were you initially excited about when you joined?

o What are you most proud of about your work now? What do you find most meaningful and fulfilling?

I’d like to move now and talk about some specific topics the planning team identified as being crucial to creating the empowered organization we want.

Sub-Topic Question: High Point Experience

Great Teamwork Great teams use various components, skill sets, and perspectives in achieving results. Teams are shaped by past experiences, passion, and members’ diverse strengths. Think of a time when you were part of such a high performing team at work or elsewhere. Please describe this situation in detail. If necessary to help the person tell their story, you might ask things like:

• What led to the success of the team?

• Who was involved?

• What was your contribution to the team? What did others contribute?

• What were the outcomes and benefits you experienced?

• What were the factors that made it successful?

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Sub-Topic Question: High Point Experience

Deep Respect Organizations are at their best when they value individual differences and strengths. When respect is demonstrated, people feel safe and confident to express their thoughts and opinions, fostering innovation and learning. Please tell me about a time when you experienced a strong sense of respect from another person? What gave you that feeling?

Sub-Topic Question: High Point Experience

Innovation & Risk-Taking

Innovation, which is necessary for business success, does not occur without risk-taking. People take risks because they believe in the possibilities in the unknown. Warren Buffet, Thomas Edison, and Rosa Parks all took risks and they are known for their successes. Even the BEAT Summit is a business risk. Will you please describe a time when you felt inspired to take a risk?

• What made you want to take the risk?

• What made you comfortable taking the risk?

• What was the best you believed could happen?

• How did it feel?

• What did you learn?

• What gave you the confidence to persevere?

• How did that experience affect how you took risks afterward?

Sub-Topic Question: High Point Experience

Outstanding Management Support Managers support you when they have your best interests in mind and willingly roll up their sleeves and help --“they have your back”. They are readily available for guidance and empower you to reach your full potential. Think of a time when you gave or received such management support and tell me that story.

a. How did you feel? b. How did this affect you day to day? c. How has this support changed you? d. How has it affected others?

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Strategic Direction: Images of the Future

Your vision of the ideal Consumer Healthcare Imagine it’s January 2011. Consumer Healthcare is a place where everyone feels great pride in their work and brags about GSK to their friends and neighbors. We’ve doubled our business and everyone sees the limitless possibility for themselves and the organization. Empowerment has been at the heart of the transformation. As you walk around this organization full of possibility, what do you see, hear, and feel? Be specific!

• What are people talking about?

• What are associates doing differently?

• What are senior managers doing?

• What else has changed that has created such possibilities?

Strategic Direction: Images of the Future

How did we get there? When you think about the Consumer Healthcare you described above, what were some of the changes we could make to start creating that future?

• What are some of the larger or longer-term actions we could take?

• What is one small step we could take tomorrow that you think would have the biggest impact?

• What is one thing you could do?

Strategic Direction: Three Wishes

Wishes for Success If you had three wishes, which if granted, would help create an empowered and aligned organization characterized by individual and organizational pride, performance, and possibilities, what would they be?

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Sample Questions: BAWB

Business as an Agent of World Benefit

Interview guide written by David Cooperrider, founder of Appreciative Inquiry

Stage Setting: Extended preamble; What attracted you? High-point experience

Business as an Agent of World Benefit is a landmark inquiry creating a typology of human strengths of positive business leadership at intersection of organizations and society—and it focuses entirely on hopeful visions of the future and promising practices in the world today. Our belief is that business has the opportunity to aim higher and be a creative force for good. The same inventiveness and entrepreneurial spirit used historically to create wealth can and is being applied to world issues and societal change agendas. Our purpose: to elevate the contribution of business to society by discovering the change leaders, their stories, and the theories of positive change—where business is serving as an agent of local, regional, and world benefit. The world dialogue and search is solidly grounded in a method called “appreciative inquiry”. To appreciate means, quite simply, to value that which has value; it is a way of knowing the best in life. To inquire means to explore, to ask questions, to be open to discovery, to learn. Combining the two is what this conversation is about. It is our experience that Appreciative Inquiry, as an inspiring process for positive change, calls forth the best of life’s experiences with a creative energy that is compelling. This positive energy can be galvanized into powerful, shared visions for the future —visions from which we can act. So we have a set of questions to spark a dialogue. We will explore, for example, your future visions of a better world, stories from your experience of leading change, exemplars you have seen that perhaps should be celebrated and learned from, and the actual practices that strengthen you as a learner, as well as a leader, and have informed your sense of purpose or life direction.

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1. Let’s start with some things about you and your work…and larger sense of purpose. A. What is it that you do now, and what most attracted you to your present work -- the things you find most meaningful, valuable, challenging or exciting?

B. One could say a key task in life is for each of us to discover and define our life purpose…As you look back over important times in your life, can you share a story of a moment or a milestone, where clarity about life purpose emerged for you? For example, an important experience or event, or the gift of a special mentor or teacher, or perhaps you were given unexpected opportunities or faced difficult challenges?

Sub-topic question: High point experience

2. Creating Positive Change We have all been part of initiatives, large or small, where we have joined with others to create positive change—that is, change that brings ideas and dreams of a better world into being. As you scan the years of your work, certainly there have been ups and downs, high points and low points. For the moment we would like you to reflect on a “high point” moment—a time that is memorable and stands out where you felt most engaged, alive, challenged or effective as part of a positive change initiative.

4. Please share the story of the experience…where was it? What happened? What were your feelings and insights about change?

5. Now beyond this story, let’s imagine we had a conversation with people who know you quite well and we asked them to share: what are the 3 best qualities they see in you, qualities or capabilities that you bring to the leadership of change? What would they say?

Sub-topic question: High point experience

3. Sources of Inspiration

As you continuously seek to develop into the best leader you can be, would you be willing to share with me how you generate your own inspiration? What are the personal, spiritual, development practices you have found most useful?

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Strategic-direction: Dreams of the future

4. Dreams of the future Let’s assume that tonight, after our conversation here today, you go into a sound sleep and when you awaken it is ten years into the future. The year is 2012…. A decade has passed and while you were asleep many small and large changes happened—some miracles happened—and the world changed in ways you would most like to see it—for yourself, for children, for grandchildren, for nature, the economy, communities, and people all over the world.

Now you awaken. You go out into the world and get a panoramic view. You are happy with what you see. It’s the kind of world you most want to be part of. Please share highlights of what you see. What is happening that is the same? What is new? Better? What has changed? How do you know it is better? Give as much detail as you can. Now, more specifically, what do you see in your vision of “business as an agent of world benefit”? Describe the ways you see businesses serving and benefiting your world of 2012. What are their agendas at this time? How do you see them creating wealth, for example? What kind of innovations or opportunities are they creating at this time?

Sub-topic Question: high point experience

5. Golden Innovation You probably already know organizations—your own or others—that are pioneering ways of being agents of world benefit. They may be creating practices that nurture the human spirit, or that are successful economically and ecologically, or that serve as catalysts for bettering society. Can you share one story of a truly “golden innovation” that you see emerging somewhere —an organization, a whole industry, or simply one initiative that demonstrates capabilities we now have to move in the direction of your vision? Possible follow up questions: - How did the innovation begin? - Who was involved – which stakeholders? At what levels? How

did they come to be involved? - How did it turn out?

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Strategic direction: dreams of the future

6. One small step Jonas Salk, MD, would ask people simple but powerful questions. None were medical questions about illness. In Salk’s view, “health” was not simply the absence of disease. He wanted people to discover, through systematic study and positive awareness, those things they do that make them healthy. Salk’s great hope was to discover the means and methods “to create an epidemic of health.” He realized through the power of the questions, and the insight and wisdom people displayed in answering them, that no action, no conversation, no thought was too small – in fact, most tipping points have very small beginnings, but they reverberate and, with positive intent, can result in positive change.

1. Sharing from your personal insight, if anything imaginable was possible, what is the smallest step of positive change you as a business agent can make to benefit the world?

2. Now, how about a bolder step, something perhaps you have not yet thought of? Can you offer an example to illustrate such an idea?

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AI Resources

Overview □ For a fast and general overview, see “What is Appreciative Inquiry? A Short Guide to the

Model & Process” by the Center for Values-Driven Leadership (CVDL) at Benedictine University

□ To understand the six questions that shape the Appreciative Inquiry, see the CVDL’s ebook, “Six Questions that can Lift Your Leadership, Shape Your Strategy, Transform Your Organization.”

□ For a more extensive overview, see the book “The Power of Appreciative Inquiry: A Practical Guide to Positive Change,” by Diana Whitney and Amanda Trosten-Bloom

Hosting a Summit □ To understand the AI summit process, see the book “The Appreciative Inquiry Summit: A

Practitioner’s Guide for Leading Large-Group Change,” by James D. Ludema, Diana Whitney, Bernard J. Mohr, and Thomas J. Griffin

For Incorporating Appreciative Inquiry into Your Leadership □ For overall perspectives on AI as a leadership development tool, see the book

“Appreciative Leadership: Focus on What Works to Drive Winning Performance and Build a Thriving Organization,” by Diana Whitney and Amanda Trosten-Bloom.

□ For ideas on how to use AI in giving feedback, see “Giving Appreciative Feedback.” □ For more ideas on how to ask appreciative questions, see the book “Encyclopedia of

Appreciative Questions, Volume 1” by David Cooperrider, Diana Whitney, and others. □ For one example of how AI can be applied in the workplace, see this Forbes article.