AI for Leaders
Series: Skills for the Modern Leader
“The task of organizational leadership is to create an alignment of strengths in ways that make a system’s weaknesses irrelevant.” - Peter Drucker
AI is a skill that can significantly help the modern leader, both with their teams and across their organziation. And it is not the AI (Artificial Intelligence) that you are thinking of. It is actually Appreciative Inquiry. Dr David Copperrider and Suresh Srivastva were the original researchers on this subject back in the 1980s. AI helps an organization rewire problem solving. Instead of focusing on the problem AI helps an organization use the science of positive psychology and identified strengths to facilitate change.
What can you do as a leader to make an impact right now using Appreciative Inquiry? First, ditch the problem statement. Instead try the 5 D Cycle as a guide.
The 5 D Cycle
Define - determine the “affirmative” topic vs stating a problem to solve. “How do we create an amazing ticketing process” might be something an airline company explores instead of “how do we reduce ticketing misprints”
Discover - or appreciating, “What has worked for us before? What are our successes, wins, positive experiences?” A technique people can use is called an appreciative interview.
Dream - Envision the outcome. “AI asks participants to consciously envision a preferred future that is grounded in past successes but imaginatively and creatively unrestrained.”
Design - Co-create as an organziation what is next. Take what the group envisioned and begin to build steps to move forward. Who can work on this? What talents do we have?
Destiny - This is the how, moving forward to make the dream and design a reality. Set up small experiments and trials. What do we do first to get moving forward? How can we reinforce the culture with follow ups using appreciative inquiry?
Why is this relevant to you as a leader?
Focusing on strengths and a 5:1 positive to critical feedback ratio have a significant impact on how your brain works. The positivity opens up more “out of the box” thinking while negative feedback or focusing on weaknesses has the opposite affect.
These techniques can help you recognize your own strengths and how to leverage those strengths at work and in life. Win-win for you and your teams.
Gallup studies show the following remarkable statistics when employees receive strengths based development:
29% increase in profits,
6x increase in engagement
72% lower turnover where employees receive
3x more likely to have higher quality of life
7.8x more productive at work
Change and problem solving can be very complex human endeavors, especially in the work place. Using science based techniques that leverage both an organization’s and employee’s strengths to facilitate growth creates a prosperous and healthy environment for everyone.
Here are some resources to get you started:
https://www.gallup.com/cliftonstrengths/en/253937/strengths-articles-videos.aspx
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/basics/positive-psychology
https://organizingengagement.org/models/appreciative-inquiry/
Cooperrider, David; Whitney, Diana D.. Appreciative Inquiry: A Positive Revolution in Change (p. 2). Berrett-Koehler Publishers. Kindle Edition.
