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Posts from the ‘Kathleen’ Category

Jul 20

A Restructuring Puzzle

Prompted by a question from a reader about the uses of Appreciative Inquiry (AI), I’ve spent some time today pondering the idea of restructuring organizations. Restructuring generally refers to a reconfiguring of the organizational chart by either eliminating or adding people, processes, departments, or organizational divisions.  Restructuring is often driven by a perceived need to turnaround the organization, to bring it back from the edge of disaster or oblivion.

In some cases, restructuring can be helpful, a pruning process that allows the organization to eliminate inefficiencies of outdated processes, re-shape the culture, and regain momentum. In other cases, restructuring is a reaction based on fear or panic, an attempt to recover from an economic blow or damage to the core purpose or business. Some organizations go through multiple restructuring plans, grasping at possible ways out of their dilemmas, destroying forward momentum with every cycle.

The question on the table is whether or not AI can be used in restructuring? My reflection as of this moment is, “Yes.”   A successful restructuring requires that organizations have a mechanism to create and re-gain momentum. It requires that leaders provide hope in the midst of change as well as create and sustain a culture of disciplined people with disciplined thoughts and disciplined actions. These actions are strategically directed at building on the core values and delivering results. AI can provide this as it focuses on remembering why an organization and its people exist, generates a vision of shared values and opportunities, and creates actionable change.

I suspect that many people believe that while AI can be generative, they still think it is the leader’s responsibility to decide how to restructure, reconfigure, or redraw the organization. And so the results of the AI process become one more piece of the restructuring puzzle for the leader rather than acting as the restructuring mechanism. The challenge for AI practitioners is to be able to describe the possibility of using AI as the method for putting the puzzle together, not just as a puzzle piece. My friends at Innovation Partners came up with the following description of AI for finding a path forward:

  1. What you seek, you find more of.  The more positive and inspiring the strategy development process, the more likely innovative ideas will emerge and shape your future direction.
  2. People commit to what they help to create. The more participative the plan creation, the more committed people are to implementation success.
  3. Prototype and empower. Enabling participants to identify, design, and try-out new ideas in real time – brings life, energy, and ownership to your strategy.
  4. Nurture a living strategy. Sustainability is ensured by a “less is more” approach – simplicity and strategic focus – thus balancing the need for planning with the desire for inspired implementation.

Yes, AI can be a cornerstone of organizational restructuring. AI balances the ability to build collaborative relationships with the need for flexibile and adaptable strategy. AI allows the organizaiton to stand firmly on its core values and cycle in a disciplined manner through the process of Discovery-Dream-Design-Deliver . . . over-and-over-and-over. As organizations go through repeated iterations of the cycle, they will discover new strengths, let go of the old strengths and processes that no longer serve them, build on what is working in the here and now, develop and test new ideas, and focus on ongoing renewal.

Jul 19

The Shortest Distance

Let’s make it as easy as possible. Let’s get there as fast as possible. If you formulate the perfect question, you’ll get precisely the data you need the first time. The reasoning comes from a geometry proof, “The shortest distance between two points is a straight line.”

And yet, the shortest distance reasoning, which can be directly proven, may be contradicted in organizations. In my experience, the shortest distance between where I am and where I want to go in an organization is often a trip through stories. A story has the potential to produce multiple points of connection for listeners.

As we listen to a story, the mind is working to make sense of what is being said. The mind constantly sorts through past experiences, opinions and beliefs, thoughts and ideas, emotions and feelings. It generates a configuration that allows us to access the story being told. It builds a connection between the new information presented and prior information stored . . . a map of the terrain with a “you are here” flag prominently displayed. When multiple people in a group or organization share their stories, it is possible to generate a communal map with a “we are here” flag. While not everyone may agree on the map’s terrain, road layout, or even orientation and scale, a shared understanding can begin.

In groups and organizations, the shortest distance between two points may be a conversation that includes stories. So, let the questions be ones that are generative, that ask for people to share stories out of their experiences in coming to the place they find themselves in today. Let the questions, stories, and conversations begin to discover a shared map and shortest distance between us.

Jul 18

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The Right Answer or the Right Question

I’ve been thinking further about creating effective questions.  I’m guessing that one of the reasons most of us don’t create good questions is that our minds are always busy thinking of the right answers. Our minds are busy with thoughts of what we’re going to say next, our opinion on the topic at hand, or our next appointment.

Nancy Kline suggests that in order to get to good questions, we have to create time to think. It is a learned behavior for being in the present moment, paying attention in the here and now.

To continue thinking about the question of questions, here’s a quote from Fran Peavey:

Questions can be like a lever you use to pry open the stuck lid on a paint can. . . . If we have a short lever, we can only just crack open the lid on the can. But if we have a longer lever, or a more dynamic question,we can open that can up much wider and really stir things up. . . . If the right question is applied, and it digs deep enough, then we can stir up all the creative solutions.

And so, I’m off to the porch where it is an unseasonably cool 75 degrees in the Kansas summer to do some thinking about creating better questions and being present in the moment.

Jul 15

Don’t Think Purple

The conversation last night around developing Focus Groups for the Kansas EMS Transition project turned toward a topic I have high interest in considering: Are the questions I ask too positive?

I will admit my questions are designed to discover what is working and what is successful. If we are asked not to think about purple, our mind will immediately think about the color purple. As human beings we do not have the ability to think “not purple.” We get more of what we focus on.

So what does thinking or not thinking purple have to do with the positive versus negative focus of my questions. Research has shown that when studying problems, human beings tend to begin by asking what isn’t working, where the problems exist, and looking for the gap between what they want and have. The results are focused on fixing what isn’t working with more energy invested in closing the gap rather than building for the future.

On the other hand, research has shown that when studying success, sharing stories of what is working well and examining what functions best moves organizations and people to create more success.  Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary defines appreciation as, “to grasp the nature, worth, quality, or significance of; to value or adminre highly; to judge with heightened perception or understanding; to recognize with gratitude; and to increase the value of something” (2003).

My goal is to create and ask questions that encourage people to communicate their understanding of the nature, worth, quality, significance, and value of a program or organization. When I ask questions about what they would wish for, I’m interested in ideas about how to increase the value of a program or organization. I choose to focus not on what people like or dislike, but on studying what experiences are successful . . . information that can be harnessed to create growth and future success.

So here are my goals for questions:

  • Create questions that identify and study the experience of excellence
  • Request information about successful processes, methods, and outcomes
  • Invite feedback for building on this information to develop actions and goals to move toward desired outcomes

I will continue to choose to research and seek to understand what works. If others define that as “too positive,” that’s okay with me. I will choose to appreciate and learn from life with gratitude, with the understanding that I will “think purple,” even when told not to do so.

Jul 14

Five Whys

In my experience, learning usually includes the following phases:

  1. Asking a question or questions, which sends me on a search for
  2. Investigating and information gathering, which generates ideas for 
  3. Experimenting or prototyping, which demands observation leading to
  4. Reflecting, which leads to more questions . . . .

The Five Whys is simple method used by organizations as diverse as IDEO and Toyota to refine the first step of asking questions. Simply repeat the question, “Why?” in response to five consecutive answers. The simple question leads to a better understanding the root issues that provoke thinking, behavior, and ideas.  It has the potential to make the entire learning process more efficient and effective.

When dealing with an increasingly complex world, going back to the simple question I asked as a child has been helpful. It has challenged me to be more honest and transparent, and has opened new possibilities and directions for investigation.

Jul 9

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Mid-Year Resolution: A Stop Doing List

“Wait,” you say, “people who are focused on the positive shouldn’t take time to think about a stop doing list.” And yet, that is just what I’ve been thinking about today. Spending time to reflect on what I want to stop doing can be as positive and forward looking as making a to do list.

We are each given an allotment of time on earth, but we don’t know how long that may be, only that it is finite. Over a lifetime, I’ve accumulated all kinds of habits and assumed many responsibilites. What I don’t usually take the time to do is to assess whether all of the accumulation is still the best use of my time and energy, or the best way to function in the world.

Jim Collins suggests the following questions to consider when making a stop doing list:

1) What are you deeply passionate about?
2) What are you are genetically encoded for — what activities do you feel just “made to do”?
3) What makes economic sense — what can you make a living at?

As David Whyte, echos with poetry, life can make …

Requests to stop what
you are doing right now,
and
to stop what you
are becoming
while you do it…

And so, a mid-year pause to make a stop doing list….

Jul 4

Focus – Reality

The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.  Franklin Delano Roosevelt

In the midst of the biggest international economic downturn in my lifetime, I ask myself, “What will I allow to shape my reality? Fear and anxiety? Stress? Or, will I choose another response?”

When reality is shaped by my fears and anxiety, I can take a variety of detours to creating the future. One detour is to spend time analyzing what happened, looking for answers, asking, ‘why?’. Another detour is to spend time blaming, asking, “Whose fault is this?” A third is to get caught up in trying to fix it, looking for a quick way out of the experience.

The detours are side-trips that can last a day or a lifetime. When I’m willing to stop going down the detour path and ask what really matters, I begin to move forward. What matters is spending time with my spouse, family, friends, and those who are part of my communities. What matters is that I find a way to show my commitment to being connected, fostering positive, life-giving experiences, and doing meaningful work. What matters is that I am present in the moment, grateful for the people and experiences I encounter.

And so, Friesen Group, launches in a new way, having come through three years of part-time focus. The focus will continue to be on what matters: compassion, trust, gratitude, and resilience. Gifts and growth will continue to come through relationships, both new and old. I’m looking forward to this next part of the journey.

Jun 12

Welcome to Friesen Group

Our new web site is being created and will grow every day. We’ve launched by updating our Philosophy.

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