Using Appreciative Inquiry Methods to Facilitate Knowledge Transfer, Capture, and Collaboration

Transcription

1 Using Appreciative Inquiry Methods to Facilitate Knowledge Transfer, Capture, and Collaboration Karla S. Phlypo PhD (c) May 30, 2013

2 Presentation layout Harvesting Group Knowledge Appreciative Inquiry How AI was used at General Motors Engineering Knowledge Management Initiatives Facilitating Knowledge Capture, Transfer, Collaboration One on One Knowledge Harvesting Facilitating CoP Collaboration

3 Exercise Have people from the audience volunteer all the things that went wrong on your way to work or home yesterday.

4 Appreciative Inquiry - Brief History Developed by David Cooperrider (1986) the theory was conceptualized in his doctoral dissertation Appreciative Inquiry: Toward a Methodology for Understanding and Enhancing Organizational Innovation The concept argues that one must go beyond the deficit and problem focus, to one in which the desired state takes precedence and all attention is shifted to enabling that state. If I think about all the things that go wrong I really am not thinking about how to do it the best way What is the best approach?

5 Appreciative Inquiry Appreciative Inquiry is the cooperative coevolutionary search for the best in people, their organizations and the world around them. 1 Cooperrider, D., Whitney, D. & Stavros, J.M., Appreciative inquiry handbook 1st ed., Bedford Heights OH ;San Francisco: Lakeshore Communications ;;Berrett-Koehler.

6 Recommended Video Dewitt Jones

7 Exercise Have volunteers from the audience express all the things that went right yesterday.

8 Applying AI in an Engineering Product Development Environment - Benefits Benefits of facilitating knowledge development Developed methods that consider prevention over correction. Shifted the focus from problems to solutions (lessons to describing contextual solutions). Provided a level of empirical explicit knowledge, not just tacit beliefs. Provided common picture of engineering practices for cross-functional CoP. Provided a method to capture knowledge of those with a passion for the subject matter.

9 What GM Knows is Captured in a Product Knowledge-base for Sharing and Re-use Quality Reliability Durability Known Feature-to- Performance Relationships Desired Performance from Design Features Wieneke and Phlypo (2003) Boston Summit

10 What GM Knows is Captured in a Product Knowledge-base for Sharing and Re-use Quality Reliability Durability Known Feature-to- Performance Relationships Desired Performance from Design Features Product Knowledge-base Wieneke and Phlypo (2003) Boston Summit

11 What GM Knows is Captured in a Product Knowledge-base for Sharing and Re-use Yet to be Discovered Relationships Newly Discovered Relationships Quality Reliability Durability Known Feature-to- Performance Relationships Desired Performance from Design Features Product Knowledge-base Wieneke and Phlypo (2003) Boston Summit

12 Applying AI in an Engineering Product Development Environment - Uses In this case, AI was used to: Enhance collaboration for cross-functional knowledge construction and innovation projects. Balance engineering practices by including cross-functional voices.

13 Collaboration and Knowledge Creation at GM 2 4hr sessions 36hr-48hr depending on complexity 24hr depending on complexity Unique Perspectives Truths deliver what is known and balanced ongoing will provide a list of knowledge that is unknown and needs to be built Truths Truths Rapport and Storytelling Refine collaboration topic Capture Voices Capture Contextual story about all key areas (video, text, Illustrations) Balance solution to enable first time application Balance Voices Understand what still needs to be learned Knowledge Creation

14 Who Benefits from Applying AI to Knowledge Management Activities Knowledge Building Activities Knowledge Capture and Transfer Activities AI Knowledge Facilitation AI Knowledge Facilitation Innovation Design for Six Sigma Invention Activities Mergers and Acquisitions, Process Improvement, and Knowledge Automation

15 Harvesting Group/Individual Knowledge This process can be used to harvest through interviews of groups, or individuals When to use: When conducting knowledge retention interviews of retiring knowledge experts When improving processes or practices within a group When integrating knowledge from a group merger When integrating knowledge from an acquisition When harvesting decision trees for automation

16 Facilitate Collaboration in CoP This process can be use as a method to help teams become self sufficient and knowledge aware. When to use: Coaching the process to teams that need to construct balanced knowledge Coaching the process to teams that are developing innovations Coaching the process to ongoing knowledge transfer between CoP

17 Step 1- Prepare Yourself Prep Checklist Know about the groups (and individuals) you will interview or facilitate. Understand, at a holistic level, their role and how they fit into the organizational process. Understand, in general, the terminology and acronyms most commonly used by these groups. Prepare, by using creative visualization, to practice the interview or facilitation. Be aware of your role as an active listener. Understand the importance of body language.

18 Quiz

19 Quiz What are the two primary roles of the facilitator?

20 Quiz What are the two primary roles of the facilitator? To keep them in an appreciative state of mind (always focused on the desired state)

21 Quiz What are the two primary roles of the facilitator? To keep them in an appreciative state of mind (always focused on the desired state) To keep them talking

22 Using Creative Visualization Creative Visualization to reach a desired outcome is not a new concept. Sports teams and athletes have been using guided meditation and visualization for the last 50 years. Creative visualization is the technique that utilizes one's imagination to visualize specific behaviors or event s outcomes beforehand. 1,2

23 Creative Visualization -Sports Studies In one of the most well-known studies on Creative Visualization in sports, Russian scientists compared four groups of Olympic athletes in terms of their training schedules: Group 1 = 100% physical training; Group 2-75% physical training with 25% mental training; Group 3-50% physical training with 50% mental training; Group 4-25% physical training with 75% mental training. Group 4, with 75% of their time devoted to mental training, performed the best. "The Soviets had discovered that mental images can act as a prelude to muscular impulses." 1 Ronald A. Finke, Creative Imagery: Discoveries and Inventions in Visualization, Published by Routledge, Robert Scaglione, William Cummins, Karate of Okinawa: Building Warrior Spirit, Tuttle Publishing, 1993.

24 Body Language Your first impression, when meeting someone for the first time, is always physical. How you stand, how you shake a person s hand as well as the look on your face - all contribute to how you will be perceived, and responded to, during an introduction. Body language can also be important indicator of how well your interview is going. The body language of the interviewee will provide the clues needed to help you determine which inquiry methods should be used. A study by Albert Mehrabian, and Susan Ferris, (1967) 1 reveled that, how individuals are perceived is determined by 7% in spoken words, 38% voice tone 55% general body language. 1Mehrabian, Albert, and Ferris, Susan R. Inference of Attitudes from NonverbalCommunication in Two Channels, Journal of Consulting Psychology, Vol. 31, No.3, June 1967, pp

25 Understanding Inquiry Scenarios Inquiry Styles Interviewee Responses Verbal Nudging Clarifying Reasoning Requesting Examples Verifying Relevance Verifying Completeness & Accuracy Defining Terms Restating Question Observing Emotions Verifying Information Processing Preference Off-Track Response Confusing Response Clear Response but too General Clear Response with optimum detail No Response Negative Response

26 AI 4-D Model Discovery Appreciating what is going well Destiny How to adjust and Improvise to sustain the Dream Dream What might be Design What should be the Ideal Reference: Illustration adapted from: Cooperrider, D., Whitney, D. & Stavros, J.M., Appreciative inquiry handbook 1st ed., Bedford Heights OH ;San Francisco: Lakeshore Communications ;Berrett-Koehler.

27 Using AI 4 D Model to Facilitate Collaboration Discover - facilitate an understanding of what s what. This phase helps to define and clarify common language for all participants. Provides an opportunity to level set cross-functional perspectives. Provides graphic representations that support understanding. Dream - Have cross-functional teams present their shared understandings and develop a picture that represents the desired state. What would the future look like if we could change any one thing? Teams begin storytelling of the ideal future (process, practice, culture, etc.). Each team or individual would write a vignette that describes the corrected state and how it will help organizational effectiveness

28 Step 2 Rapport and Discover Discovery Appreciating what is going well Practice active listening Be aware of your own and group/individual's body language Keep the storytelling going by using inquiry styles Give everyone a voice to explain why they are passionate about the topic and what their experiences about the topic have been. Establish common vocabulary and one set of definitions Determine scope of knowledge to be transferred, created/harvested With key participants, make sure all stakeholders that have a voice have been included Select common ways to illustrate the knowledge concepts. Have them draw their ideas not just verbally express them. Write out the process, draw the illustration, have the product available. Storytelling and Parameter Discovery Common Vocabulary Pictures to describe The Knowledge

29 Step 3 Begin Facilitation/ Interview Dream What might be Dreaming Practice active listening Be aware of your own and group/ individual's body language Keep the storytelling going by using inquiry styles Create knowledge capture form suitable for the type of session Brainstorm within constraints established at step 2 Have teams present shared visions Have them write vignettes that depict the ideal state and what can be gained by such a state.

30 Using AI 4 D Model to Facilitate Collaboration Design: Describes the tactical plan - develop a step by step plan to begin initiating the transfer, capture or collaborated knowledge of the session (i.e., what each person and/or the team will do to implement as well as what knowledge was understood, constructed or incorporated. Destiny: Describes the strategic plan - How to make the jump to the future state.

31 Step 4 - Identify Tactical Solution Design What should be the Ideal Develop a tactical solution to address knowledge transfer, creation or collaboration. How will the organization use the new knowledge? Who needs to be informed of the new knowledge? How do we get this knowledge into the hands of those who need it? How do we describe the voices of those who contributed to a balanced solution?

32 Step 5 - Identify Strategic Plan Design What should be the Ideal Develop a strategic plan to address knowledge transfer, creation or collaboration. What will become the common and accepted way of capturing, revising and sharing knowledge? Go live New Knowledge System Phase in Phase out What knowledge awareness training needs to be conducted? How might we include other knowledge building activities into the process? Old Knowledge System How might we structure knowledge for reuse, revision, and vetting?

33 contact information: Karla Phlypo PhD (c) PK & Associates Inc. (248)

34 Q and A?