Fractals of Innovation

Discovering the Ability behind Creativity, Leadership, and Success
In most of my past counters at my job, before attending my management program at Kellogg, I looked for “needs” or “gaps” in skills to help fill gaps or solve problems. Because we looked for problems, we not only found them but helped them bigger than they were before. We all focused more and more discovering problems. Prof. Uzzi’s New Science of Leadership is a great learning experience and an eye opener for me. I realized that I had placed the spotlight on problems. I started to explore what’s working well or what are our key strengths. This is my first encounter of  three decade old methodology, Appreciative Inquiry,  to put to practice at my work. Appreciative Inquiry is a way of thinking, seeing, and acting for powerful, purposeful change in organizations. Appreciative Inquiry works on the assumption that whatever you want more of, already exists in all organizations.

When leaders see what’s right and possible with positive core, and move from strength to strength(rather than always trying to identify and fix what’s wrong), leaders can move from discovering the best of what’s to dreaming or envisioning what might be to achieve a sustainable destiny through new form of intelligence called Appreciative Intelligence.

Appreciative Intelligence is the ability to perceive the positive inherent generative potential within the present.  It is an ability to see a breakthrough product, top talent, or valuable solution of the future that is currently hidden in the present situation. Appreciate Intelligence offers a new perspective on successful people and provides a roadmap for those who want to realize their full potential. It also offers another perspective on what it means to be smart or intelligent.  There are three components of Appreciate Intelligence:

1. Reframing: Framing is the psychological process whereby a person intentionally views or puts into a certain perspective any object, person, context, or scenarios.
2. Appreciating the positive: This refers to a process of selectivity and judgment of something’s positive value or worth. Successful people have a conscious or unconscious ability to view everyday realty – events, situations, obstacles, products, and people – with appreciation. Because they are reframing to see the positive, they often see talents or potential that others might miss.
3. Seeing how the future unfolds from the present: People with high appreciative intelligence connect the generative aspects of the present with a desirable end goal. They see how the future unfolds from the present.

As we imagine the future and elevate strengths, we achieve high engagement and creative magnetic work environment with strong bonds and a culture that attracts and keep the best talent. Appreciate Inquiry generates images that affirm the forces that give life and energy to a system.