MOOC slides Fry Weeks 4 6 (PDF)

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Leading Positive Change
through Appreciative
Inquiry

Ronald Fry, PhD

Department of Organizational Behavior

LeadingPositive
PositiveChange
Change
Leading
Through
appreciativeInquiry
Inquiry
Through
Appreciative

Week Four
Session A
“Rethinking How and Why
Human systems Change”

Leading Positive Change
Through Appreciative Inquiry

Principles of “AI”
• Constructionist Principle

Our questions are fateful: Change
begins with the first questions we
ask;

• Principle of Simultaneity
• Open Book “Poetic Principle”
• Anticipatory Principle
• Positive Principle
• Narrative Principle

Words Create Worlds: We move
in the direction of what we most
interact about

Whatever we study…will GROW:
We can study anything in any
human system

Fundamental change comes from changing
the Images of the Future
Positive Images  Positive Actions
Stories unite across boundaries; generations

Leading Positive Change
Through Appreciative Inquiry3

Many
Disciplines

The New Model
of Strengthbased Change

• Positive Anticipatory Images — research on positive
health, placebo effect
• Positive perception — pygmalion research
• Language and words — inner/outer dialogue research
• Positive emotions — hope, inspiration, joy
• Power of stories — studies on rise and fall of cultures
• Positive relationships — high quality connections

Leading Positive Change
Through Appreciative Inquiry

Positive Image  Positive Action

PLACEBO EFFECT

PYGMALION EFFECT

Leading Positive Change
Through Appreciative Inquiry5

2:1 Imbalance in favor
of Positive Images
for Health and Well-being

“No, not Trees!”

Leading Positive Change
Through Appreciative Inquiry6

Research on High Performing
Business Teams
HIGH PERFORMING
6:1 ratio of positive– (strengthbased and opportunity)
focused dialogue to negative
(deficiency focus) dialogue.
1:1 balance of inquiry (learning
focused questions) versus
advocacy (closed positions)
type conversation.
Losada & Heaphy (2005)

LOW PERFOMING
1:3 ratio: one positive statement
in the team for every three
deficiency focused
statements.
1:20 ratio: one inquiry (openlearning type questions) for
every twenty remarks based
on advocacy.
Leading Positive Change
Through Appreciative Inquiry

The “Imbalance Ratio Effect” Example 2: Co-Elevation
Ratios in 10 Organization Change Programs Linda Robson, 2015
High
Performers

Moderate
Performers

Low
Performers

4

3

3

All Data Combined

4:1

2:1

1:1

Interview Data

3:1

1:1

1:1

Group Meeting Data

2:1

1:1

1:4

Website Data

26:1

28:1

12:1

Number of
Programs

Leading Positive Change
Through Appreciative Inquiry

Our studies show that to Succeed as a
Positive Change Leader, you need 3 things:
1. A Guiding Change Platform to provide a shared roadmap
2. You need to excel in the Management of Continuity
3. You need tools and methods to create at least a
4:1 Ratio of Hope and Inspiration vs. Despair and Deficit

Leading Positive Change
Through Appreciative Inquiry