Leading a group of thirty extension and new congregation ministers in a pre-GA program at the Renaissance Hotel in Nashville, the Rev. Larry Peers, Education and Research Director for the UUA asked people to focus on what's working in congregations, rather than what's not. The session explored the use of the techniques of Appreciative Inquiry in ministry, with a particular focus on the opportunities and challenges of extension ministry.
This all-day session is one of many pre-GA activities currently underway in Nashville. Appreciative Inquiry, Peers explained, can be used as a method of organizing for purposeful, powerful change in organizations. It starts from the premise of building on what is already present in the community, assuming that what you want more of already exists in the organization. Identifying those strengths and working from them can bring about fundamental and lasting change, Peers explained.
A basic principle of extension ministry is that "Growth=Change," which leads to an interest in methods of nurturing successful organizational change. The use of the techniques of appreciative inquiry as part of the presentation, and the strongly participative nature of the session, gave some flavor of how different this process might feel from the problem solving approach, which works well for some things, but which does not suit all organizational needs.
The session used "The Thin Book of Appreciative Inquiry," 2nd edition, by Sue Hammond as a framework for the discussion and exploration of the process. Information on the book itself and some discussion of the concepts of Appreciative Inquiry are available at http://www.thinbook.com.
The model is structured around the four "D's": Discovery, Dream, Design, and Destiny, which
are seen as a cycle rather than a linear model.
- Discovery. Ask questions formed to draw out deep and positive experiences, with a real interest in the answers, and an understanding that the answers are truly an unknown. As the group utilized this process in role playing, it generated some deeply felt responses, even when done as an exercise.
- Dream. Ask what might be, and envision the results that positive change might bring.
- Design. Look at the steps to get there.
- And finally, Destiny. Sustain this process and continue to adjust and improvise.
