August 25, 2008

Expert: Staying positive best route to improving an organization

Alexander Crispo, associate professor of organizational leadership and supervision, says the practice of appreciative inquiry, in which leaders ask employees questions about what is successful in an organization, creates a sense of connectedness that can motivate workers.

"Appreciative inquiry seeks out the best of what is to help ignite the collective imagination of what is possible," Crispo says. "Every organization has some good, so it is the leader's job to ask the right questions to identify these strong points."

Crispo says managers can do this by making use of positive questions, such as "What do you like about the organization?" or "Describe the best time in the organization and what made it that way?" He says getting employees together and discussing their thoughts helps employees understand and appreciate each other's roles.

For example, he says if a company is missing deadline 5 percent of the time, don't focus on the failure rate, but instead examine the reasons that contributed to the success rate of 95 percent.

"Too often, we look at the financial bottom line and forget about people's feelings," he says. "If you leave that factor out, they will work hard because they are scared, but not as hard as if they are genuinely committed to the organization."

To use appreciative inquiry, leaders should first conduct an inquiry or survey to find the factors that give life to an organization. Then the group should identify common themes before the final step of deciding how to implement these ideas.

Crispo says appreciative inquiry, founded by Case Western Reserve University professor David Cooperrider, is based on five principles that leaders should keep in mind:

* The construction principle — Leaders must understand that all organizations are created as living human constructions.

* The principle of simultaneity — Once inquiry begins, so does change.

* The poetic principle — Human organizations are an open book and constantly open to interpretation, just like poetry.

* The anticipatory principle — Organizations always project into the future, helping guide them to new heights.

* The positive principle — The momentum to change occurs as a result of bonding, hope and inspiration.

Crispo will present a session on appreciative inquiry during the Conference for Collaboration and Innovation, being held at Purdue from Sept. 14-17. More information on the conference can be found at https://www.cci.purdue.edu/

Writer: Kim Medaris, (765) 494-6998, kmedaris@purdue.edu

Source: Alexander Crispo, (765) 494-5609, alwc@purdue.edu

Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu

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