A Comparison of Appreciative Inquiry and Solutions Focus

An Overview
Compiled by Kendy Rossi, Tricia Lustig & Mark McKergow (2003), used with permission Appreciative Inquiry Definition/Primary Purpose A strategy for intentional change that identifies the best of "what is" to pursue dreams and possibilities of "what could be"; a co-operative search for the strengths, passions and life-giving forces that are found within every system and that hold potential for inspired, positive change. A process of collaborative enquiry, based on interviews and affirmative questioning, that collects and celebrates "good news stories" of a community; these stories serve to enhance cultural identity, spirit and vision. A way of seeing which is selectively attentive to - and affirming of - the best and highest qualities in a system, a situation, or another human being; an appreciation of the "mystery of being" and a "reverence for life." (phrases from Cooperrider and Srivastva, 1987) Potential Uses Mission Statement/Vision Development Strategic Planning Organisational/System Redesign Process & Service Enhancement Quality Improvement Initiatives Group Culture Change Civic/Community Development Umbrella for Multiple Change Initiatives in a System Appraisals and Performance Management Leadership Development Conflict Resolution

Solutions Focus

An approach to change that focuses on solutions (not problems) and what is going well in order to make positive and pragmatic progress. Stay as simple as possible, find what works and do more of it and stop doing what doesn't work (from Jackson and McKergow, 2002) It is the process of co-constructing "better" rather than right/wrong/good/bad SF recognises the emergent nature of behaviour in complex systems and helps people to take small steps that ripple across the organisation.

Individual Coaching & Development

Coaching and professional development solutions Team Solutions Organisational Solutions - large and small scale Strategic Planning Individual self-help Stress Management Appraisal and Performance Management Safety Management Quality/continuous improvement/kaizen Knowledge management Leadership development Facilitation Conflict Resolution

Ideal Conditions for Use

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Identified heart-felt need or desire for: - Enquiry, discovery & renewal - Positive, grass-roots revolution

Identified need or desire to do something in a better and/or different way

There has to be at least one 'customer for change' Systems & situations in which there is (or are): - somebody who wants to have something - Support for full participation at all levels different, AND is prepared to do something about - Commitment to change as an ongoing process, it. not a one-time event - Leadership belief in the positive core of the Ideally (but not strictly necessary): Systems & system, and in affirmative process as a viable situations in which there is (or are): change driver - Support for trying something new - Structure/resources to encourage sharing of - Support for participation "good news stories" and to support creative - If the change is to be large and ongoing, action commitment to the time and effort needed Times to Avoid Use Situations in which: Situations in which:

Predictable, linear process & outcomes are required Problem-identification/problem-solving is the preferred method for change There is a lack of support for passionate dreaming & inspired self initiative

There is no 'customer for change' The only 'customer for change' is the consultant (!) A particular outcome is mandated (unless the customer is the mandator, and is prepared to do some work themselves) There is 'solution-forcing' - trying to take a path to solutions before enough people are ready. In the first instance, progress with the identified issue(s). This is the main criterion. Change in basic orientation from problem-focused to solutions focused Positive and empowering for all concerned as they discover what works and do more of it Establish a climate of small steps for change More using of affirmations, compliments and appreciation in day-to-day work, leading to Renewal of group 'energy', hope, motivation and a "can-do" spirit. Can lead to whole system changes, but equally can lead to changes in the smaller group or system Improved working relationships Awareness of the power of language and conversation to construct futures.

Potential Outcomes Change in basic orientation from problem-focused to possibility focused Clarified or enhanced sense of identity, shared values & culture Established climate of continual learning & inquiry Renewal of group energy, hope, motivation & commitment Increased curiosity and sense of vitality. Whole system changes in culture & language (increase in co-operative practises & decrease in competition; increased ratio of positive to negative comments; increase in affirmative questions and/or narrative-rich communication) Improved working relations/conflict resolution Decrease in hierarchical decision-making; increase in egalitarian practices & selfinitiated action

Successful achievement of intents listed above (see "Potential Uses")

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Key Principles and Assumptions Four Guiding Principles: 1. Every system works to some degree; seek out the positive, life-giving forces and appreciate the "best of what is." 2. Knowledge generated by the enquiry should be applicable; look at what is possible & relevant. 3. Systems are capable of becoming more than they are, and they can learn how to guide their own evolution - so consider provocative challenges & bold dreams of "what might be." 4. The process & outcome of enquiry are interrelated and inseparable, so make the process a collaborative one. About Reality...

Guiding Principles:

We co-create reality through our language, thoughts, images and beliefs about reality. The act of asking a question influences the system's reality in some way (i.e. Background model, SIMPLE questions are a form of intervention). The types of questions we ask determine the types of answers we receive; and "the 1. Solutions not problems seeds of change are implicit in the very 2. Inbetween - the action is in the first question we ask." interaction, not in the individual We manifest what we focus on, and we 3. Make use of what's there - not what isn't "grow toward what we persistently ask 4. Possibilities -from past, present and future questions about." (both quotes from 5. Language - simply said Cooperrider & Whitney, 1999) 6. Every case is different

Change is happening all the time: our job is to identify and amplify the useful change. There is no one "right" way of looking at things: different views may fit the facts just as well. Detailed understanding of the "problem" is usually of little help in arriving at a solution. No "problem" happens all the time. The direct route lies in identifying what is going on when it does not happen. Clues to the solution are right there in front of you: but you do need to be able to recognise them. Small changes in the right direction can be amplified to great effect. It is important to stay solution focused, not solution forced. Keep things as simple as possible, but no simpler - Occam's Razor.

About Problem-Solving...

(From Jackson and McKergow, 2002)

About Problem-Solving: Solutions focus is different from problem solving in that it - it concentrates on what is working (not what isn't), - it focuses on progress (not blame), - on influence (not control), - on collaboration (not expert input), - on resources (not deficits) Ai doesn't ignore problems - it recognises - on simplicity (not complication) them as a desire for something else, then - on actions (not definitions). works to identify & enhance the "something else." Nonetheless the problems become less important and tend to fade from the scene. Background Theory and Other Influences
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Ai is distinctly different from problem solving: Ai focuses on a desired future or outcome, built on strengths/passions of the past and present. Problem-solving attempts to analyse deficits, identify root causes, then fix problems or correct errors; because it searches for problems, it finds them.

Constructionist Principle: we construct realities based on our previous experience, so our knowledge (the way we know) and the destiny of the system are interwoven. Principle of Simultaneity: inquiry and change are simultaneous.

Poetic Principle: the story of the system is constantly being co-authored, and it is open to infinite interpretations. Anticipatory Principle: what we anticipate determines what we find. Positive Principle: as an image of reality is enhanced, actions begin to align with the positive image. Other related research/theory:Sports psychology re: visualization; educational research re: Pygmalion effect; medical research re: mind/body health, placebo effect, etc.; spiritual practices of meditation and visualization.

Story, metaphor, image, and dialogue are powerful change agents. Reveals common ground (shared values & dreams). Ai reveals higher ground (the most compelling, desirable possibilities).

Affirmative competence (ability to recognize & affirm the positive) is a skill that can be practiced and learned. But note that understanding these is not necessary to practice SF - if one can stay simple enough. The approach has been described as a 'grammar' (as Wittgenstein would have used the word) encompassing distinctions in language-in-use, giving prominence to "distinctions, which our ordinary forms of language easily, make us overlook."

After the WWII, the English anthropologist Gregory Bateson was instrumental in developing systemic thinking. He and his team studied paradoxes in communication. They connected with Milton Erickson, a doctor interested in how language was used. In 1959 Bateson's team (led by John Weakland and Don Jackson) founded the Mental Research Institute in Palo Alto, California to work further on their study of communication in groups and to extend their work with families. An approach to change stemming from the 'Interactional View' of Watzlawick, Bavelas and Weakland (1967) - behaviour is rooted in responses and context. In the mid 1970's Steve de Shazer and Insoo Kim Berg came to MRI. They had a shared interest in language and philosophy and set up the Brief Family Therapy Center in Milwaukee in 1978. They adapted and simplified the approach. There are important parallels and learnings from o complexity science and emergent systems o Wittgenstein and philosophy of language o Narrative and discursive psychology o Drama and improvisation

Number and Type of Participants "Everyone" who is within the system or touched Those affected by and prepared to work on the by it in some way"; issues (though this assumes a set-piece of work not always the case). From 1 to a small group or those who hold images and have stories more. Can be taken on by whole organisations, though this is not recommended as a first step about the system; 1 - 2000 or more, involved in interviews, growth by 'rumour and results' is usually preferred. meetings and collaborative actions
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Typical Duration Ai Summit: large scale meeting that "gets the whole system into the room;"

Can be as little as one meeting, or can be used in every meeting between people (and used by individuals for themselves) until it becomes embedded in the organisation - but note that the lasting 1 - 6 days main aim is progress with the issues, not progress Non-conference Design: interviews and dialogue with taking on SF. 'Guerrilla SF' is also possible small interventions that move things along, but that spread "web-like" throughout the system; are not very noticeable. timeframe indefinite Process - Steps of Implementation The process usually takes participants through Note: This process is designed to find what works the stages of The 4-D Cycle: as simply as possible. That is the goal - if in a particular case the tools below aren't helping, Discovery -- Appreciating & Valuing the then find new ones that do. The tools may or may not be used in the order given. Best of "What Is" Dream -- Envisioning "What Might Be" Design -- Dialoguing "What Should Be" Establish a platform. Convert the problem Destiny -- Innovating "What Will Be" or issue to platform to shift your perspective (like Discovery, this is about what worked and how you might have Ai Principles are adapted and customized to each solved something similar before.) individual situation; theFull Ai process typically Future Perfect. Suppose the problem includes: vanished overnight. How would you know? 1. Selecting a focus area or topic(s) of Scale. If 10 is Future Perfect and 1 is the interest opposite (as bad as it could ever be), 2. Interviews designed to discover strengths, where are you now? How did you get passions, unique attributes there? What would it take to go up one 3. Identifying patterns, themes and/or step? intriguing possibilities Look at Counters (resources, skills, 4. Creating bold statements of ideal experience and know-how) - what is possibilities ("Provocative Propositions") already present from the Future Perfect? 5. Co-determining "what should be" Even a bit? (consensus re: principles & priorities) Affirm what is helping. Unearth and 6. Taking/sustaining action comment on resources and skills. Small Actions. Identifying small actions At the heart of any Ai process are one could immediately take. These are unconditionally positive questions that assume taken in a spirit of experimentation and health and vitality in the system. Common exploration, and produce more Counters. appreciative questions include variations on the following: Then do more Affirmations, take more Small Actions, find more Counters, etc High point experiences: 'Describe a time etc in your life when you felt alive and engaged..' Valuing: 'What do you value most about yourself, your work, your organisation?' Core life-giving factors: 'What are the core factors that give life to this organisation? What are the unique attributes of this system, without which it
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would not be the same?' Wishes for/images of the future: 'What three wishes do you have to enhance the vitality of this system? Imagine this organisation five years from now, healthy and vibrant - what does it look like?' Creator(s) & Creation Date David Cooperrider, Suresh Srivastva in 1987 Steve de Shazer, Insoo Kim Berg and their team with colleagues from Case Western University & who, in 1978, founded the Brief Family Therapy Taos Institute Center in Milwaukee. Mark McKergow & Paul Jackson are taking their ideas into the organisational world (The Solutions Focus), Peter Szabo (Weiterbildungsforum Basel) and many others focused around the SOL conferences. References Used for This Fact Sheet Cooperrider, David L. & Srivastva, Suresh The following references are additional to the (1987). "Appreciative Inquiry in Organizational references for Ai, Life." In Pasmore,W. & Woodman, R. (Eds.), Research in Organizational Change and Paul Z. Jackson and Mark McKergow (2002) The Development, Vol. 1, p. 129-169. Greenwich, Solutions Focus: The SIMPLE way to positive CT: JAI Press. change. London, England. Nicholas Brealey Publishing. ISBN 1-85788-270-9. (The main Cooperrider, David L. & Whitney, Diana (1999). book so far to address organisational aspects Appreciative Inquiry. In Holman, P.& Devane, T. specifically) (Eds.), Collaborating for Change. San Francisco, CA: Berrett-Koehler Publishers, Inc. Watzlawick, Paul, Bavelas, Janet Beavin and Weakland, John; Pragmatics of Human Hammond, Sue Annis (1998, 2nd edition). The Communication, WW Norton (1967) Thin Book of Appreciative Inquiry. Plano, TX: The Thin Book Publishing Co. Steve de Shazer (1994) Word Were Originally Magic. W.W. Norton; ISBN: 0393701700 Holman, Peggy & Devane, Tom (Eds., 1999). The Change Handbook - Group Methods for Peter de Jong and Insoo Kim Berg (2001, 2nd Shaping the Future. San Francisco, CA: Berrett- edition) Interviewing for Solutions. Wadsworth; Koehler Publishers, Inc. ISBN: 053458473X

Kelm, Jackie (1998). "Introducing the Ai Philosophy." from Hammond, Sue Annis & Royal, Cathy (Eds., 1998). Lessons From the Field: Applying Appreciative Inquiry. (p. 161172). Plano, TX: Practical Press Inc. Pinto, Michael and Curran, Mary. (1998) "Laguna Beach Education Foundation, Schoolpower." from Hammond, Sue Annis & Royal, Cathy (Eds., 1998). Lessons From the Field: Applying Appreciative Inquiry. (p. 16 -47). Plano, TX: Practical Press Inc. Rossi, Kendy (1999). "Appreciative Inquiry - An Overview." Graduate work document posted on
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Evan George, Harvey Ratner and Chris Iveson (2000, 2nd edition) Problem to Solution. BT Press, London Ludwig Wittgenstein, Philosophical Investigations, Blackwell (1953)

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Ai List Serve November 1999. Whitney, Diana & Cooperrider, David L. (Summer, 1998). "The Appreciative Inquiry Summit: Overview and Applications." Employment Relations Today, p. 17-28.

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