Sometime in the early 1990's, David Cooperrider (along with Suresh Srivastva at Case Western Reserve) started using a model for decision-making called Appreciative Inquiry when he was hired to assess an organization's strengths and weaknesses. In years prior when an Organizational Design Specialist was hired, s/he looked for what was wrong in the company and set about to fix it. With this new perspective, Cooperrider started asking employees with whom he worked..."What do you like most about your job? What here enlivens you?".
I think it was Niels Bohr, the physicist who said you get what you look for. If you look for a particle in physics, that is what you will find. Look for a wave and you will find a wave. The scientist has an impact upon the experiment...right? Dr. Cooperrider took this concept from physics to organizations and started looking for what was right in the companies with which he consulted...what was working not what was "broken"! He affected change by improving on what was already working instead of focusing on what was not! Although "the tank" is a long way from my graduate school studies and is NOT an organization in the most common sense of the word, perhaps I can improve my attitude by being more appreciative. Maybe I can look for what IS working, what is "right"? Could this room be filled with positive thoughts, feelings, creativity and desires? I think ... YES! As an example, during the past three months I have complained about the food, the bedding, the uniform and on and on and on. Last week we had a couple of homeless men assigned to "the tank". They were "beyond delighted" to be dry and warm, to have a blanket and sheets and clean clothes. They didn't have to "dumpster dive" for their meals. They were APPRECIATIVE for things I had complained about over my time here. What did I learn from my "appreciative self-inquiry"? Perspective is relative...and a choice. I was myopic in assessing my circumstance in such a negative light. What I will do in the coming days is to consider events with a 360-degree perspective...mmm...circum spect? My intention is to "look for what is working...what is right!". Wish me luck in this new endeavor... That's it for today. OH! The sunrise was magical. The shades and hues of pink, rush and magenta were "beyond description"! Suffice it to say, the event made me appreciative!
1 Comment
Susan Howe
1/21/2015 12:06:37 am
This is a magnificent reversal and it will make all the difference in your experience of life in prison. It will affect all around you, too. But you may not want to leave! and I could not bear that.
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AuthorPatrick Michael Leonard Archives
August 2020
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