Re: AI and Solution focused management?Eva, The responses below are from a similar question on the AI listserv.
Peggy ----- Original Message ----- From: "Steve Wolinski" <[email protected]> To: "'Punya Upadhyaya, Ph.D.'" <[email protected]>; "'Fritz Walter Organisationsberatung'" <[email protected]>; <[email protected]> Sent: Wednesday, June 11, 2003 4:54 PM Subject: RE: [Ailist] history of ai or family tree required > The "miracle question" that is often used, to great effect, with AI, is > directly taken from Solution Focused Therapy. I believe it was Steve de > Shazer and Kim Insoo Berg who invented it. I was trained by Berg as a > family therapist and the miracle question was always a wonderful > therapeutic option to use. I find that it is one of the questions in AI > protocols that get the biggest "wow" response from clients. In the > early days the brief family therapy "gurus" were always on the look for > the next miracle question or big impact therapeutic intervention. They > came up with a couple more -- but the miracle question was definitely > the most elegant and effective. > > The postmodern/brief family therapists in many regards transformed the > field of psychotherapy. There is still a ton to be taken from them in > terms of theory and technique. I think it was Jay Haley who about 20 > years ago stated that "resistance is dead". He was challenging > therapists to "reframe" what they saw as clients being resistant as, > instead, clients trying to tell therapists how to better help them. > Haley didn't think there was such a thing as a resistant client -- just > impatient therapists! I think that the OD field would benefit immensely > from adopting a similar conception of clients. Haley and his wife, Cloe > Madanes, were some of the second generation family systems people who > greatly influenced the solution focused/oriented/brief therapy > originators. Haley helped originate and popularize the "reframing" > technique. > > A seminal influence on all of these folks is Milton Erickson. I see > Gregory Bateson and the MRI group as the "Freud" figure to family > systems and Milton Erickson is equivalent to Karl Jung. Milton was in > large part responsible for such wonderful ideas such as "prescribing the > resistance" and "paradoxical interventions". He is also largely > credited with the concepts and insights that launched neurolinguistic > programming (NLP) which made a big splash in the OD field a dozen years > or so ago. > > I know that some of the therapists who are skilled in the postmodern > approaches feel a certain degree of skepticism, or even disdain, for AI. > What I gather from their comments is that they see is as too simple and > formulaic to be credible. I have gone from being a family systems > trained, postmodern therapist to a postmodern OD consultant, and active > user and believer in AI. My opinion is that individual, marriage, and > family therapy is a great deal more difficult than OD work. The work is > harder, the pay is way worse, and the positive outcomes much more > incremental. The reason I say this is that I think it is hard for these > therapists see the incredible outcomes that AI begets. AI often results > in big, positive, systemic shifts with huge groups of people. We are > talking about global social change. I think it must be hard to hear > about how great AI is -- when they have been using similar techniques > for 20 years. And that it is hard to hear about how great AI when they > are having to convince an insurance company to cover three sessions (at > $50 an hour) that are used to keep a 14 year old trauma survivor from > committing suicide. > > Steve Wolinski, MS, LP, LMFT > Taos/Tilburg Doctoral Program > > > -----Original Message----- > From: [email protected] > [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Punya > Upadhyaya, Ph.D. > Sent: Wednesday, June 11, 2003 11:49 AM > To: Fritz Walter Organisationsberatung; [email protected] > Subject: Re: [Ailist] history of ai or family tree required > > Dear Fritz, > > There are several roots for the formation of AI, but Solution Focused > therapy is not one. It is a kindred idea, just like Asset Based > Community > Development is a kindred idea in the development world. > > The formal intellectual source is generally 'Social Constructionist' > theory, > which begins with Vico a few hundred years ago, goes through some > post-Marxist analysis, e.g. Berger and Luckman, and the immediate idea > that > prompts David and Suresh and their colleagues at Case is Ken Gergen's > notion > of 'generative theory'. > > A related intellectual issue is the general problem of action research > which > was the frame for much of the early work published on AI. It is not a > psychological venture, as much as it is a social change process. The > development of the theory was in a 'grounded' mode (e.g. Glaser and > Strauss) > and is really built on the experience of a team at Case Western. > > Last, when you read the papers, there is an obvious theological > influence, > notably Gabriel Marcel, and other tropes. Some of this is common to all > EuroAmerican social science, but some of this is specifically notable > for > AI. Empirically, it has usually done very well in Church related > organizations, which 'get' it quickly. > > Hope this helps, > > Punya > > > Punya Upadhyaya, Ph.D. > Cell: (505) 770-7718 > [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://mailman.business.utah.edu:8080/mailman/listinfo/ailist > ---------- From: Eva P Svensson <[email protected]> To: [email protected] Subject: AI and Solution focused management? Date: Sat, May 28, 2005, 4:26 AM Hello dear list members! Sometimes I have heard here in Sweden of Lösningsfokuserat arbetssätt - Solutions focused management I believe is the English term. And today Istumbled over a webpage and I have been searching around there for a bit. It says that the method was invented or described by Steve de Shazer och Insoo Kim Berg from Brief Family Therapy Centre, Milwaukee, USA. And as I understand its used for example in short time therapy but also in groups/companies to create better work environment, improve teamwork and results. My question is if anyone of you know what the difference is between a Solution focused approach and Appreciative inquiry? Both talk about focus on whats working, that the answer is within us All the best from a soon to be summer weather and the west coast of Sweden Eva Bästa hälsningar Eva P Svensson ................................................................... EPS Human Invest AB "Verksamhetsutveckling genom människor skapar långsiktigt välmående företag och organisationer!" 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