Important Definitions
Appreciative Inquiry
A philosophy built around the concept that building on what works is more effective in achieving desired results than trying to solve problems; focusing on the positive.
Ap-pre'ci-ate, v., 1. Valuing; the act of recognizing 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, e.g. the economy has appreciated in value. Synonyms: VALUING, PRIZING, ESTEEMING, and HONORING.
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.
"Appreciative Inquiry (AI) begins an adventure. The urge and call to adventure has been sounded by many people and many organizations, and it will take many more to fully explore the vast vistas that are now appearing on the horizon. But even in the first steps, what is being sensed is decisive new direction in our language and theories of organization and transformation - an invitation, as some have declared, to 'a positive revolution in change.'"
Hammond, S. A., Royal, C., Ph.D. (1998). Lessons from the Field: Applying Appreciative Inquiry. Buffalo, NY: Practical Press.
"AI is a tool for connecting to the transformational power of the positive change core by opening every strength, innovation, achievement, imaginative story, hope, positive tradition, passion, and dream to systematic inquiry. AI then uses the stories generated to create new, more compelling images of the organization and its future."
Cooperrider, D. L., Whitney, D. (1999). Appreciative Inquiry: A Positive Revolution in Change. In P. Holman & T. Devane (Eds.), The Change Handbook. San Francisco: Berrett-Koehler Publishers, Inc.
Community of Practice
A group of people who define themselves through sharing knowledge on an area of common interest.
"A group of people from which the learning and knowledge are central to a sense of belonging"
Dixon, N. (2000). Common Knowledge: How Companies Thrive by Sharing What They Know. Boston, MA: Harvard Business School Press.
"Informal and voluntary by definition, communities of practice are thought by many to be the true seat of collaboration, learning, and innovation in organizations." Ruth Williams and Joseph Cothrel, Sloan Management Review, Summer 2000.
Content Analysis
Finding the meaning contained within textual data.
"A popular technique for assessing qualitative data, especially interview data; attempts to summarize comments into meaningful categories that effectively summarize the issues or attitudes of a group of respondents." Cummings, T. G., & Worley, C. G. (1997). Organization development and change (6th ed.). Cincinnati, Ohio: South-Western College Publishing.
Distance Learning
The design, materials, and technology that allow participants to learn from remote locations. It should never be confused with video-conference lectures, although this medium may be a part of a distance learning design.
"In theory, the instructor does not act as a 'sage on the stage' but as a 'guide on the side'... It was never meant to be equivalent to the classroom. It is a distance-education medium. Its whole purpose is to provide educational opportunities when the classroom is not an option for various reasons...You could perhaps compare it to correspondence courses or other distance-education models and I think you would find that it is one of the most powerful distance-education tools out there." Online Learning: Here and Now , Training June 2000.
Facilitation
The process of helping others do what they wish to do.
"A process by which events are 'helped to happen' ; a kind of influence role that is neither authoritarian or abdicative."
Cummings, T. G., & Worley, C. G. (1997). Organization development and change (6th ed.). Cincinnati, Ohio: South-Western College Publishing.
Institutional Analysis
The study of the internal processes that help to achieve the mission of the organization.
"Institutional research is the evaluative self-study of an organization's" goals, operations, and accomplishments."
Dressel, P. (1971). Institutional Research in the University: A Handbook. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Knowledge Management
The process that attempts to facilitate the full generation and flow of knowledge within an organization.
"The exchange as well as the generation of knowledge within an organization; may be in the form of databases, best practice seminars, technology fairs, cross-functional teams, e-mails, and groupware"
Dixon, N. (2000). Common Knowledge: How Companies Thrive by Sharing What They Know. Boston, MA: Harvard Business School Press.
Leadership
The quality of an individual that inspires others to follow.
The position of directing, commanding, or guiding of a group. (Webster's dictionary)
"First, instead of seeing leadership as something associated only with higher positions in the organization, it will be thought of more as an activity. It will be an activity that everyone will be able to - no, that they will be required to - participate in..."
In P. Holman & T. Devane (Eds.), The Change Handbook. San Francisco: Berrett-Koehler Publishers, Inc.
Leadership versus Management
Leadership and management are two sides of the same coin. The roles and tasks that lead to either are part of a seamless continuum.
"The chief executive alone does not have to be the creator of the unifying vision. The vision may be more collective in origin than one individual, but clearly it must be shared and converted into management practice." Webber, The complete MBA
"We are told that there is a difference between managers and leaders - that managers essentially address the mundane task of organizational maintenance whereas leaders initiate and promote an inspiring vision of change." Wood, The complete MBA
Learning Organization
An organization that attends to and harnesses knowledge for its life.
"An organization that is continually expanding its capacity to create its future."
Senge, P. (1990). The Fifth Discipline. New York: Doubleday Currency.
"Firms that are skilled at 'creating, acquiring, interpreting, retaining, and transferring knowledge.'"
David Garvin, Harvard Business Review.
Management
The ability to harness resources and create the environment for people to do what is needed.
"Managers work with their people to build effective teams, focus on customer needs, and practice sound business management, create an environment of approachability."
Davis, B.L., Skube, C. J. et al. (1996). Successful Manager's Handbook. United States: Personnel Decisions International.
"Managers will continue to be employed to allocate resources and to create the conditions under which people are motivated to perform." Goffee, Hunt, The complete MBA
"The fundamental requirement for management remains: to allocate scarce resources, and to manage people and tasks... In future (sic) the management of relationships is likely to become more important..."
Goffee, Hunt, The complete MBA
Narrative Room
A sophisticated process used to transform organizational culture, understand latent meanings, discover blocks to action, and create new stories.
Future Story
Helps people bridge the change gap with self-generated ideas of what could be on the other side – ideas that have been self-generated. Future Stories are grounded in the reality of today and reflect a vision that is attainable.
Living Stories
An easy-to-learn process that creates a supportive setting for individuals to share personal stories in small and large groups. It has been used for opening retreats and conferences, creating understanding, building trust in groups, team building, and more.
Knowledge Harvest Systems
Story harvesters can be trained to allow for on-going story gathering and archiving. This has been used for assessing culture, capturing history, retaining lessons from those who are about to leave, knowledge management, and more.
Our Clients
Testimonials
"...The riding the current speech makes me rethink the way I learn, and I am sure, it will save me years of time learning new things I am and will be interested in."
Liu Xuehui, Knowledge Management Engineer at Strategy Planning department of Huawei Technologies
