+ Psychology

There is increasing interest in positive psychology as if it were something very new or different from psychology as we think we know it. The positive psychology emphasis is perhaps around seeking to develop what is working as opposed to what is not working. Yet even this approach is not new; Aristotle for example believed that there was a unique daimon for each individual and guiding that individual towards the positive. See your daimon as the potential that you have and by realising your potential you find fulfilment. You find the real you and not the impossible dream of being someone else.

Positive psychology is not about trite 'management speak'. All too often one hears people mouthing popular phrases with little apparent understanding of what they mean - if anything. I was in an organisation where a manager drove his staff to distraction by constantly asking for 110% and also telling senior management that both he and his staff gave 110%. I had to point out that for someone to give 110% was a mathematical impossibility and that no sports coach would expect performance levels of even 100% eight hours a day week after week without expecting injury or burn out, neither the brain nor the body can sustain continuous 100%. But it is possible to coach someone to achieve goals that they thought were impossible and they will sustain new levels of performance because they are really motivated by what they are achieving.

Appreciative Inquiry

Ap-pre’ci-ate, v., 1. valuing; the act of recognising the best in people or the world around us; affirming past and present strengths, successes, and potentials; to perceive those things that give life (health, vitality, excellence) to living systems 2. to increase in value. Synonyms: VALUING, PRIZING, ESTEEMING, and HONOURING.

In-quire’ (kwir), v., 1. the act of exploration and discovery. 2. To ask questions; to be open to seeing new potentials and possibilities. Synonyms: DISCOVERY, SEARCH, and SYSTEMATIC EXPLORATION, STUDY.

In their book, A Positive Revolution In Change - Appreciative Inquiry , (2005. Berrett-Koehler Publishers) David L. Cooperrider and Diana Whitney suggest that Appreciative Inquiry (A.I.) is about the search for the best in people, their organisations, and the relevant world around them. In its broadest focus, it involves systematic discovery of what gives “life” to a living system when it is most alive, most effective, and most constructively capable in economic, ecological, and human terms. Taking all as a whole, AI deliberately, in everything it does, seeks to work from accounts of this “positive change core”—and it assumes that every living system has many untapped and rich and inspiring accounts of the positive.

The model for business is:

Appreciative Inquiry utilizes a 4-stage process focusing on:

DISCOVER: The identification of organizational processes that work well.
DREAM: The envisioning of processes that would work well in the future.
DESIGN: Planning and prioritizing processes that would work well.
DESTINY (or DELIVER): The implementation (execution) of the proposed design.

The basic idea is to build organizations around what works, rather than trying to fix what doesn't. It is the opposite of problem solving. Instead of focusing your energy on fixing the 0.0001% that's wrong, AI focuses on how to create more of what's already working. The approach acknowledges the contribution of individuals, in order to increase trust and organizational alignment. The method aims to create meaning by drawing from stories of concrete successes and lends itself to cross-industrial social activities. It can be enjoyable and natural to many managers, who are often sociable people.

There are a variety of approaches to implementing Appreciative Inquiry, including mass-mobilized interviews and a large, diverse gathering called an Appreciative Inquiry Summit (Ludema, Whitney, Mohr and Griffin, 2003). Both approaches involve bringing very large, diverse groups of people together to study and build upon the best in an organization or community.

AI has been used extensively to foster change in businesses (a variety of sectors), health care systems, social profit organizations, educational institutions, communities, local governments, and religious institutions.

Our success with clients lies in:

Really helping people to understand their personal uniqueness
Exploring personal gifts and realising that we can go on developing our gifts and skills to surprising degrees
Developing the client's sense of self-worth and confidence.

In my public talks I focus on the power of individuality, positivity and creativity in developing effectiveness and inner happiness.