WELCOME ! “Short and Sweet AI”

The Basics of

Appreciative Planning and Action

(APA)

Organisasioner som BegeistrerTØnsberg, Norway11 & 12 Mai 2005

Marcia Odell, MS, MBA, PhD

Malcolm J. Odell, Jr., MS, PhD

modell@pacthq.orgmacodell@adelphia.net

APA BasicsSession Objectives

• Understand the origins and development of Appreciative Planning and Action (APA)

• “De-Mystify” Appreciative Inquiry

• Identify similarities and differences between AI and APA

• Practice the Appreciative Planning and Action approach to ‘problem-solving’

Appreciative Planning & Action Introduction & Origins

• The Mountain Institute and development of the ‘Makalu Model’– Need for simplicity

• To work with illiterate villagers, remote communities• To streamline Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA)

– Need to keep it short• To engage overworked women

– Focus on ‘Action’• Personal Commitments• “Do it now!”

Appreciative Planning & Action

Evolution of APA– Women’s Empowerment

• Reversing the ‘Dependency Syndrome’• Need to reach large numbers at low cost• Training trainers to scale up development programs

– Empowerment Art• Giving pride & confidence to shy, retiring, illiterate

women

– The Miracle of Exponential Positive Action• “Phakhel Story” – APA in Action – to follow• WORTH women replicate empowerment program

Appreciative Planning and Action (APA)

1. Goal - Seeking the Root Causes of Success2. Laws

– What you seek is what you find– Where you think you’re going is where you end up

3. Principles– If you look for problems, you find – and create – more

problems– If you look for success, you find – and create – more

successes– If you believe in your dreams, you create miracles

4 ‘Ds’ --> 7 ‘Ds’

Appreciative Planning and Action (APA)

Mission Statement

To empower organizations and individuals: • To take pride in what and who they are and

what they have achieved• To dream of what might be• To plan for what can be, and • To feel the energy that comes from making

commitments and taking the first step

To be simple enough that anyone can do it, profound enough to change people’s lives

Appreciative Planning & Action 7 Ds

Discover The best, success, what works

Dream Even better, what we want more of

Design Strategy, general plan to get there

Deliver Action plan & commitments to start

Do It Now! Take action to get going now

Discussion ‘Open Mike’ and “A-Valuation”

Dance and Drum ! Celebrate Success!

APA in Action Video

– Phakhel Village, Nepal

• Dependency Syndrome– “Spoiled Village”

• “Problem to Opportunity”

– No school..

– Village too small to support school

• Commitments & Action• “They never asked us

for anything!”

The Miracle of Exponential Positive

Action

– APA as process supporting the Women’s Empowerment Program -- WORTH

• 240 local NGOs• 6,000 women’s groups• 125,000 women

– “Impact before Intervention”• From 20,000 women in business to 80,000• From $600,000 to $4 million in earnings Before introducing Micro-Enterprise Curriculum

“Short and Sweet AI” Appreciative Planning & Action

• “Generating Organizational Energy”– Learn the APA approach to institutional

empowerment

– Turning problems into a positive opportunities in just a few minutes

– Problems can be either:• Things that discourage us and drag us down… or• Opportunities for achieving great things…

– It’s our choice….!

Appreciative Planning & Action Introductions

• Appreciative Pair-wise Interviews– Pair up with the person you don’t know – or

know least well among those in the room– Interview each other (2 min. each) – Question:

Tell me a story about a time when you felt you made a real difference, a real contribution, a time when you felt proud, excited about something you have done yourself – anytime in your life, your family, your community

Keep your conversations to just 4 minutes!

Discoveryof the best, of success, of what works

• Each pair joins with another pair (or 2) to form group of 4-6

• Introduce your partners and share highlights of their stories – what inspired you about your conversation

Keep this to just 4 minutes!

Dreamof even better, what we want more of…

In your group• Share your personal

dreams of life, your community, a world full of the best, of what we want more of…

• Draw a picture together of the year 2020, of what this looks like for our children, our grandchildren

Keep this to just 4 minutes!

Designa plan, strategy for achieving the Dream

In your group – decide • What you can do --

this year -- to begin to move toward your dream

• Jot these ideas down on your picture in 2-3 bullet points

Keep this to just 4 minutes!

DeliveryAction Plan to Get Started

• Jot down a few short tasks you might undertake -- during coming week -- to get started on to move toward achieving your Dream

• Each person take one simple task from the action plan that you will undertake personally

• Each person write your personal commitment on a sheet of paper

Keep this to just 4 minutes!

“Do it now!”• Find something, however small or simple, that you will do

RIGHT NOW to get started… – Anything – however simple…

• that symbolizes your action plan• that moves your process forward• that engages you or others in the room

– Use your imagination and any resources in the room

Remember:“Everything we need is in this room”

Keep this to just 4 minutes!

Sharing Dreams and Designs

• Each group makes a one-minute presentation summarizing the group’s– Dream– Design– Delivery

• Each person stand, give your name, and share your own – Picture– Personal Commitment

“Dance and Drum”

Celebrate !!!

Who has a drum? ….a song…a dance….celebrating… • Simplifying• De-mystifying• Adding power toAppreciative Inquiry

SuccessTree

Open Mike

APA - The Basics• Ideas…• Questions…• Stories…• Inspirations… ....to share?

…”How can we use APA in our organization, program?”

Appreciative Planning & ActionSummary

Discover The best, success, what works

Dream Even better, what we want more of

Design Strategy, general plan to get there

Deliver Action plan & commitments to start

Do It Now! Take action to get going now

Discussion ‘Open Mike’ and “A-Valuation”

Dance and Drum ! Celebrate Success!

“A-Valuation”

• “The Best” and “Even Better”

• APA for Evaluation

APA Session – “A-Valuation”

‘The Best’ Your favorite moments in

this session, what you enjoyed most, what was most valuable

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“Do it Now” What to do -- next? --

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‘Even Better’If we were running a full scale workshop or training together like this, how could we make it ‘even better’

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Who will do it? When?--------

References & Contacts

Marcia L. Odell, MS, MBA. PhD

Director, Global WORTH InitiativePact, Inc. Nairobi, Kenya

+0724-25-3015modell@pacthq.org www.worthwomen.org

Malcolm J. Odell, Jr. , MS, PhD

Appreciative Inquiry Consulting, LLC4 Whitehall Rd, S. Hampton, NH 03827

603-394-7890, 770-6006macodell@adelphia.net http://www.aiconsulting.org/