When Birgitt sent her message about her negative experience with appreciative inquiry a week ago, I was curious what response it would draw from AI practitioners. I posted the message below. It generated quite a few responses. The two I found most useful are below. For me, the key insight is about understanding the distinction between "positive" and "appreciative". I think these two messages speak well to that. Peggy
WHAT WENT TO THE AI LIST: ----- Original Message ----- From: "Peggy Holman" <[email protected]> To: "Appreciative Inquiry List" <[email protected]> Sent: Thursday, August 17, 2000 11:39 AM Subject: Fw: Re: Teacher Mentoring Report > > This message came off of the Open Space list. Thought I'd see what > perspectives my colleagues on the AI list have on it. > > Peggy Holman > > > > My experience with Appreciative Inquiry is that it has its place, but that > > it precludes grief cycle work from doing its work and those items that > need > > to be spoken that are rooted in being mad or sad or in denial don't get > > their chance to lead to their healing work. At least in the early stages. > > > > In my personal experience, I have been in an OST meeting in which I was > > angry. I needed to express what was so for me. Appreciative Inquiry caused > > me to feel that it was wrong to offer my input from my passion. And I > ended > > up angrier. I was asked to think of highlights and positive stories, when > > what I really wanted and needed to do was to share was was REAL for me. > > Honoring me and my wisdom in the MOMENT. Experiences such as this one have > > caused me to use caution with Appreciative Inquiry and to go back to the > > root understandings of second order change work and to create contexts for > > the space to be OPEN. > > > TWO RESPONSES: ----- Original Message ----- From: "Jack Brittain" <[email protected]> To: "AIList" <[email protected]> Sent: Friday, August 18, 2000 9:48 PM Subject: [Ailist] grief, despair, and anger > Several comments have hinted at this, but not directly hit it for me. > Many past discussions have struggled with the difference between AI and > positive thinking. The appreciative mode is not the power of positive > thinking, it is finding those forces that sustain people in > organizations and lead to desired outcomes. > > Those that are carrying grief, despair, and anger, but still giving of > themselves, are powerful examples of sustaining forces because they are > persisting despite emotional pain. They certainly need to give up the > pain for their personal well being, but those things that sustain them > -- indeed that they personally embody -- are worthy of inquiry, things > like core values, dedication to service, selflessness. I am wondering if > the power of AI is not that it ignores the pain, but that it validates > it and identifies the strengths that people have to move beyond the > pain, strengths that also allow them to let go. I have found that a > sense of power and control can do wonders to cure anger and despair. And > for me, this is a core part of the AI experience, helping those in > organizations identify the strengths they possess to become the people, > team, community and organization of their dreams. > > Just maybe the fallacy of "dealing with grief" is that implicit in the > method is accepting powerlessness. Certainly relevant to dealing with > individual issues like death of loved ones, but I am dubious of the > validity of this model for organizational applications. > -- > =================== Jack <[email protected]> > > _______________________________________________ > The Appreciative Inquiry Discussion List is hosted by the David Eccles School of Business at the University of Utah. Jack Brittain is the list administrator. For subscription information, go to: > http://lists.business.utah.edu/mailman/listinfo/ailist > SECOND RESPONSE: ----- Original Message ----- From: "Brenda Turnbull" <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Sunday, August 20, 2000 4:45 PM Subject: [Ailist] AI and Feelings > Yes I'm very interested in this discussion too. > > It was thrown into high relief for me last week when I was working with > a group along AI principles (context was re-energising self in an > academic environment), and had some very vehement responses along the > lines of 'but this is positivity, and there's anything BUT reasons to be > positive in this environment'. > > The best way I could struggle at the time to explain it, is that it's > really not about positivity at all....it's about > life-bouyancy.....seeing that what I'm/you're experiencing and where > I'm/you're 'at' right now is valuable and provides the guide to the next > shift. So with people experiencing any of the feelings of grief, how I > see it is that wherever they're 'at' is totally valuable, and if I can > be with them exactly there, embracing (not colluding), and explore, > feel, understand that space with them, then that's A.I.(or whatever else > we want to call it....A.I.will do)....I see it as an attitudinal thing > that's about using everything as an opportunity for living, I > suppose....everyting has a value....buoyancy in life....not about > plastering over life with some false sense of 'always look to the bright > side' etc etc. > > So with the people last week, we started to really explore their > feelings of hopelessness, cynicism, pain, and as we did, started to get > underneath that to the unrealised hopes, dreams, passions etc etc, and > then that created further shifts etc > > Anyway that's how I'm understanding it at the moment. > > Brenda Turnbull > * * ========================================================== [email protected] To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options, view the archives of [email protected] Visit: http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html =========================================================== [email protected] To subscribe, 1. Visit: http://www.egroups.com/group/oslist 2. Sign up -- provide an email address, and choose a login ID and password 3. Click on "Subscribe" and follow the instructions To unsubscribe, change your options, view the archives of [email protected]: 1. Visit: http://www.egroups.com/group/oslist 2. Sign in and Proceed
