Need to Re-energize Your Organization? Try a Strength Based Approach
by Barry Frey, Senior HR Consultant & Certified Talent Management Consultant
It's been tough. We had to downsize. Everyone's been working longer and harder. Morale's kinda down. People are tired.
Sound familiar? There's a lot of this going around. The recession has been a long, tough slog. The recovery is coming, but it's not here yet. In this environment, how can you help people re-energize and find a reason to stay?
An approach that is working for some organizations is a relatively new methodology called Appreciative Inquiry. By applying the concepts of Appreciate Inquiry, or AI as it's often called, leaders are seeing a restored sense of enthusiasm and commitment among their people.
AI is an organization development process that builds resilience and increases a group's capacity for adaptability and change. Developed by David Cooperrider and others at the Case Western Reserve University, it is a strength-based philosophy and toolkit that enables leaders to build on the positive core that exists in every organization. That's correct - in every organization, no matter how challenged and stretched.
AI is a highly participative process that strengthens relationships across functions and levels. It's not training and it's not facilitation. It's a process that engages employees in working collaboratively with each other to discover the very best about themselves and their team. It moves their thought process from negative, deficit-based traps to strength-based, possibility oriented positive energy. As one amazed AI participant stated, "Wow. Will you listen to us? We're never this supportive. We usually put each other down and argue all the time. This is great!"
Appreciative Inquiry works because it recognizes that the people who give life to an organization are the greatest resource for creating a new and better future. It engages people with each other in relevant and positive ways, using their combined strengths and collective knowledge. It's been successful in many different enterprises - manufacturing, healthcare, government, service and not for profit.
For information on how Appreciative Inquiry can help restore energy and confidence in your organization, contact Barry Frey at 717.509.8889 or bfrey@lmaconsulting.cc
Barry Frey, is a Senior HR Consultant with LMA Consulting Group. He is also a Certified Talent Management Consultant. Contact Barry at 717.509.8889 or via email bfrey@lmaconsulting.cc.
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