Traditionally organisational change is seen as a management led, carefully planned, leadership driven, process of getting from a known state A, the present, to a predicted state B, the future. The role of the bulk of the organisation in the change process is to keep up with what is being planned and to adapt their working practices as instructed. Sometimes the adaptation of their work practices extends to taking them, and themselves, elsewhere. There is a whole organisational language associated with this model of organisational change such as ‘shape up or ship out’, ‘get on the bus’, ‘cascading change through the organisation’ and, the perennenial favourite ‘all singing from the same hymn sheet’ otherwise known as ‘getting our ducks in a row’. Anyone unable to do these things is typically characterised as being ‘resistant to change’.
An alternative approach
Research is increasingly demonstrating that such a directive approach to change has very limited success (Rowland and Higgs 2008). A far more successful approach is emergent change (ibid). This practical research is supported both by neuropsychological research that identifies that change begins in the limbic (emotional) brain system not in the cortex (‘thinking’) brain system (Brown 2010) and by theoretical appreciation of the impact of different ways of understanding the organisation. Lewis and colleagues (2007) point out that understanding the organisation as a linear mechanical entity leads directly to directive, logic based approaches to change. Whereas understanding the organisation as a living, complex, adaptive human system leads to a very different understanding of how to achieve organisational change.
Appreciative Inquiry (Cooperrider et al 2001) offers an alternative approach to organisational change. Developed initially from practice experience, it is increasingly being supported by research emerging from the field of positive psychology (Losada and Heaphy 2004, Cameron 2008) which demonstrates the powerful role of positive emotion in excellent organisational functioning and change. Appreciative Inquiry approaches the organisation as a living human system, and works to effect change in the whole system drawing on organisational strengths and resources. Together, people in the organisation create positive images of desirable and achievable futures and begin to work together to move towards them. Change is very clearly positioned as a social and emotional process. This isn’t to say that analytic thought and planning abilities don’t have a role to play; they do, but its role is consequent to the generation of a co-created vision of positive change, supported by the development, growth and maintenance of shared positive organisational energy.
Letting go
While Appreciative Inquiry has been around as an approach for about 25 years, it has had limited take up. It is a very challenging approach to those raised on traditional views of organisational change. It requires that leaders develop a different understanding of their role in the organisation, and that they relinquish the illusion of control of the system. However, it is becoming increasingly difficult to remain wedded to the traditional approach to change as its disadvantages, too slow, too difficult, too energy consuming, become costs too high to bear. On the other hand the advantages of an Appreciative Inquiry approach to change; quicker, easier and self-energised, become more valuable. Now is the time to consider embracing a different approach to change, and here are ten reasons why.
Ten reasons to do it differently
1. Change is changing
Traditional, top-down, designed-then-implemented change takes too long and is too hard to push through an organisation. The plan is out of date almost as soon as it’s made. People resist. Change needs to be fast, flexible and proactive and focused on maximising tomorrow’s possibilities rather than rehashing yesterday’s mistakes. Change needs to take everyone with it. Appreciative Inquiry is a change methodology for our changing times.
2. Feeling good is good for business
Positive psychology research shows that positive workplaces, where people feel hopeful, encouraged and appreciated, reap many benefits. People are likely to be more creative, more generative, share information better, grow and learn better, be more energised, be bolder and braver about innovating, be able to deal with more complex information, and respond better to change. Appreciative inquiry builds positive energy. Appreciative inquiry helps people feel good in the hardest of circumstances.
3. The future exists only in our imagination
Imagination is more powerful than forecasting in an unpredictable world. The past does not predict the future: it suggests possible trajectories. Using our imagination, we can create other, more attractive, more creative, more inspiring trajectories, to inspiring and attractive futures. Collective imagining has the power to create dreams that pull people to work together to achieve them. We can use our analytic powers to analyse data, we can use our creative powers to imagine pictures of the future that pull us towards it. Appreciative Inquiry uses the power of imagination.
4. The best organisations positively flourish
Interestingly research shows that being good and doing well go together. The organisations that focus on creating positive cultures, and leading with values, where people thrive, where the organisation flourishes, where there is a bias towards the positive, where there is a sense of abundance, often also do very well commercially. Timberland, Merek Corporation, Cascade, Synovus Financial Corporation, Fedex Freight, Southwest Airlines and the Marine Corp are all a testament to the possibility of doing the right thing and doing well. Appreciative inquiry is a values based change approach that focuses on doing right and doing well.
5. Social capital is a source of sustainability
Relational reserves are what see organisations through difficult times as much as financial reserves. Relational reserves is the goodwill your people feel towards you, the trust they have in what you say, the willingness they demonstrate to forgive leadership errors, or accept bad luck, and work with you to put things right. It is built over time through building social capital. Appreciative Inquiry builds social capital.
6. Speed is of the essence
The world is constantly changing, organisations need to be nimble and flexible, able to recast themselves to meet new challenges; and quickly. Cascading change takes too long. Change needs to happen simultaneously from top to bottom. Appreciative inquiry works with the whole system simultaneously, so the need for change is experienced, absorbed, understood from top to bottom. And ideas for change are designed and tested for impact by, and on, those they affect before the money is spent.
7. Resistance costs too much
Planned change frequently induces resistance. Resistance slows down change and diverts managerial energy and attention. It also frequently illuminates unforeseen problems and obstacles to the change that cost money to put right at this late stage in the change process. Resistance to change costs both negatively (wasting time and energy) and positively (helping the organisation make necessary corrections). Appreciative inquiry works positively with all reactions to change to co-create a sustainable, valued, endorsed and appreciated approach to change. Resistance is no longer part of the change conversation.
8. Change is not a commodity to be bought
Organisations put a lot of energy into getting ‘buy-in’ to their plans for the future. This activity comes after the plans have been made when other people have to be persuaded of the rightness of the plans. Appreciative inquiry involves those affected by change from the start. Helping to co-design it, bringing their expertise to bear at an early stage, being heard, being valued, having a role in shaping their destiny, co-creating a future that holds attraction for them, means that people have built it themselves and don’t need to be sold it. Appreciative Inquiry achieves this.
9. We need to use our intelligence
The world is more interconnected that ever before. Everything affects everything else. We need all the intelligence we can get to keep up and get ahead. Treating most of the organisation as ‘hired hands’ and only the top echelons as the brains of the business wastes a huge amount of organisational intelligence. Appreciative Inquiry brings all brains, and experience, and skill, and knowledge, in the system to bear on the challenges of keeping up, getting ahead, doing right, doing well and flourishing.
10. Strengths are a source of competitive advantage
Organisations spend too much time trying to fill gaps in people’s profiles, adapt people’s personalities, and helping them become better at things they aren’t good at. And not enough time on building on strengths and abilities. Positive psychology research demonstrates that the more time spent working to their strengths, the more productive, fulfilled and energised people are likely to be. Building on the strengths of individuals, and building on the strengths of the organisation creates a strength-based organisation. Such an organisation has a competitive advantage. Appreciative inquiry is a strengths-based approach.
References
Rowland D and Higgs M ( 2008) Sustaining Change: Leadership that works. Jossey-Bass
Brown P (2010) ‘Will the brain sciences generate a completely new and integrated way of understanding behaviour in organisations?’ Presentation at Association of Business Psychologists 10th Annual Conference 6-8th May 2010 at Wyboston UK
Lewis S, Passmore J and Cantore S (2007) Appreciative Inquiry for Change Management: Using AI to facilitate organizational development. Kogan Page
Cooperrider D, Sorensen P, Yaeger T and Whitney D (eds) (2001) Appreciative Inquiry: an emerging direction for Organizational Development. Stipes LLC
Losada M and Heaphy E (2004) ‘The role of positivity and connectivity in the performance of business teams: A nonlinear model. ‘American Behavioral Scientist. Vol 47 pp 740-765
Cameron K (2008) Positive Leadership: strategies for extraordinary performance. Berett Koehler Publishers Inc.