Inquiry
‘Critiquing’ ... ‘Appreciating’
Constructionism ... Words create Worlds
‘Critiquing’ and ‘Appreciation’ ... the way they partner
Generative Inquiry
... Mindful Harmonization of ‘Critiquing’ & ‘Appreciating’
My experience with Generative Inquiry
Lets do it
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Intent ... Uncover or create truth, knowledge, possibility
Context ... Discovery
Value ... Curiosity, Creativity
Process ... Explore, Examine, Probe, Seek
Approach ... Focus on the Question or the Answer
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Starts by identifying ‘what’s broke’
Seeks to examine ‘problem’ , analyze root-cause & find ‘solution’
Encourages and stimulates critical thinking
Fosters ‘solution orientation’
Tends to create defensive energy !!! ... Always ???
How is it different from ‘criticism’ !!!
And how is it similar to ‘appreciation’ !!!
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Starts by identifying ‘what’s working’
Seeks to appreciate, affirm and amplify the ‘positive’
Encourages and stimulates appreciative thinking
Fosters ‘possibility orientation’
Tends to create positive energy !!! Yes of-course
... Always ??? Amongst all ???
How is it different from ‘appreciation’ !!!
And how is it similar to ‘critiquing’ !!!
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Focus versus
Intent Find Solution Find Possibility
Thrust What’s broke/missing/wrong
What’s working/present/right
Process Examine, Analyze Affirm, Design
Approach Address the ‘Negative’ Leverage ‘Positive’
Amplify the ‘Positive’ Reframe the ‘Negative’
Metaphor Dark Cloud Flash of Lightning
Reflection Intellect, Logic, Reason Affirmation, Intuition, Imagination
Impact Directive ... Defensive Innovative ... Isolative
and
Generate
Way Forward
Explore
Synergy
Symbiosis
Objective Partnering
Collaborative
Words create Worlds versus
and
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Appreciating Critiquing Together
Value Curiosity Curiosity Curiosity
Method Affirmation Question Generation
Driver Faith Logic Conviction
Capability Discover & Dream Discuss & Deliberate Dialogue
Impact Inspiring..Isolative Directive..Defensive Inclusive
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Premise
Negativity..Problems..Doubt..Skeptical Eye are just as real & impactful words & processes as Positivity..Possibility..Hope..Appreciative Eye
The ‘negative’ may have a ‘positive intent’ The ‘positive’ may create a ‘blinding view’
Dark & Light are symbiotic parts of a ‘Whole’
Mutuality has power to engage & co-create
‘Critiquing’ is not same as ‘Criticism’ ‘Appreciating’ goes beyond ‘Appreciation’
‘Critique’ alone may create defensive energy ‘Appreciation’ alone may create isolative energy
Both seek to move forward
Proposition
Acknowledge and accept their co-existive presence
Appreciate the ‘positive intent’ of the ‘negative’ Stay mindful of the ‘positivity’ exaggeration
Allow them shared space and frame
Dialogue ... An invisible ‘D’ between all Ds
Discover and Design ... Synergy possible between ‘Critique’ and ‘Appreciation’
Seek to include by first Pacing ... Then Leading
Allow movement together ... Generate
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Process
Discover Acknowledge.. Engage.. Co-frame
Dream Understand..Partner..Co-imagine
Design Discuss..Validate..Co-adopt
Deliver Align..Act..Co-achieve
Dialogue An invisible ‘D’ between all Ds
Generative Core &
Potential
Discover
Dream
Design
Deliver
Fragmented Energy ... One section .. dismissive of what emerged from ‘Discover’ ... Other section .. enthusiastic to experiment what emerged from ‘Dream’
My struggle to ... Make ‘Positive Core’ be appreciated & ‘Positive Potential’ be projected ... Amplify the Positive &
Reframe the negative ... Include the Isolated and enable partnership & co-creation
First Intervention ... With Myself ... My awareness, acceptance and insight about my own polarized exploration ... Re-visiting my approach ... Realigning with Initiative Sponsors
Second Intervention ... With the Group as ONE WHOLE ... Re-engaging with the ‘Critical Energy’ section with acknowledgment & curiosity ... Facilitating a dialogue between two fragmented sections of the group ... To understand & appreciate each other, explore together and partner to co-create
Facilitating generative mutual discovery ... Brought the two in the same frame
Some of the questions asked –
What is the positive intent behind the ‘wrong/problem/gap’
What is the possibility from this problem, and partnership with the ‘Positive Core’
What would enable ownership of the change/excellence agenda that THIS GROUP would design
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Apprehensive Energy ... The intimidating impact of the ambience and process of ‘Assessment Centre’ ... and of being under
the ‘observation lens’
My struggle to ... Make the participants feel the ‘positive core’ of the process and get engaged with it ... Make the Assessors/Observers understand the impact of their deficit-based approach and job
First Intervention ... With Myself ... Understanding my own worry ... Relieving myself of the pressure to resolve ... Re-visiting my approach
Second Intervention ... With the Assessors ... Pacing with their ‘Evaluative Stance’ ... Hearing them ... Making them feel understood & appreciated ... Inviting their ‘expertise’ to think up ‘Possibility’
Third Intervention ... With the ADC process design ... Becoming Interactive ... Transforming ‘Exercises/Tools’ into ‘Experiences’ and ‘Feedback’ into ‘Development Dialogue’
Co-framing ... Facilitating Assessors to feel & imagine the heat of pressure on participants ... and practice their
objectivity with humility ... Facilitating participants to guess the enormity of ‘responsibility’ for assessors & partner with them
Some of the questions asked – What is the higher purpose and positive intent of ADC What is the possibility from this process and partnership What would enable ownership of THIS GROUP for fair and engaged assessment
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Think of an AI experience where problem/doubt/worry became the theme
Pair up and ask each other
What was the positive intent with which this ‘problem/doubt/negativity/dissent’ showed up ... Heliotropic Principle
What possibility can be pursued once we acknowledge the presence of ‘defensive/isolative’ energy ... And facilitate a pusposefully mutual inclusion, partnership and engagement ... Poetic, Simultaneity & Wholeness Principles
Imagine such generative partnership has happened... Anticipatory Principle
Stimulate your creativity further to spin a success story about how this happened ... ‘what dialogue’ helped create ... what impact and meaning it created ... what all is done to sustain this energy and partnership ... how ... Narrative Principle in Prospect
Identify metaphors/themes from your story ... Design a Provocative Proposition ... Deploy and accomplish ... Constructionist Principle
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David Cooperrider & Frank Barett Generative Metaphor Intervention: A New Approach for Working with Systems Divided by Conflict and Caught in Defensive Perception Gervase R Bushe Appreciative Inquiry Is Not (Just) About The Positive OD Practitioner, Vol. 39, No. 4, pp30-35, 2007. Generativity and the Transformational Potential of Appreciative Inquiry Organizational Generativity: Advances in Appreciative Inquiry Volume 3.
Stephen Fitzgerald, Christine Oliver & John C Hoxsey Appreciative Inquiry as a Shadow Process Journal of Management Inquiry, 19(3), Page 220-233 Constructionist Principle
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