Appreciating Systems

Dan Heath (who co-wrote “Switch: how to change things when change is hard“) talks about focusing on the positive rather than the negative here: Silver Linings: Positive Deviance, Appreciative Inquiry | Thunderhead Works.

This also is the topic of my own book “The Colors of Change” that currently under writing but for which you can download the first chapters. In it I explain why it is that we do that wrong step of digging into problems (hint: this is natural to how the brain is wired), and what should be done instead, and how.

The day that Bob & Mary were liberated at work to be who they really are – YouTube.

Who have you liberated at work recently?

This is a really good video, which reminds me of Appreciative Inquiry and Solution Focus at the same time.
Here is it:

I’ve just viewed the video here about the DSRP “thinking toolkit” I’ve already blogged about. Indeed, I even used it for my introductory Systems Thinking Slides out of my recent Napkin skills.

Level 1 Module 1 – ThinkNation.

Check the web site!

This is the most hilarious, serious and extraordinatry video I’ve seen in quite some time on how to change the world and help people.

Drop whatever you’re doing at the moment, and look at it now (less than 20 minutes).

That video speaks about helping people, listening, entrepreneurship, creating successful organizations, making people thrive, and hippos. Yes, hippos.

To me, Ernesto Sirolli holds the keys to successful Lean turnovers… or whatever else is needed by the people that want to thrive in their lives and work.

Ernesto Sirolli: Want to help someone? Shut up and listen! | Video on TED.com.

Someone (Franck V.)  sent me this nice cartoon about Overcoming Resistance :: TOC.tv. Check it out, it’s nice!

It’s the classical 4 elements of change:

• what are the positive aspects of changing (need to have a lot)
• what are the negative aspects of changing (as few as possible)
• what are the positive aspects of staying the same (as few as possible)
• and what are the negative aspects of staying the same (need to have a lot)

If all these variables are right, then people will most probably change.

Of course, this is the logical side of change, and it needs to be right.

But there are other aspects not evoked in this video that others (including myself) have found important for a change. Here’s an example why logic only isn’t enough of a motivation to change that I wrote some time ago about: Change or Die.

For instance, Self-Determination Theory explains that what’s motivating people ought to be intrinsic to them to be the most effective (surely, a motivation to change follows the same pattern). And intrinsic motivation mostly comes out of:

• Autonomy: the decision has to be theirs
• Competence: they need to feel competent to achieve the change
• Relatedness: they need to feel being part of a group

I have other hints as to what needs to be true for the change to be accepted and done, and it has to do with the cybernetics of mental models (or that the mind needs the requisite variety to understand the change and its consequences). The less a mind is “adapted” to a change, the more it will find discrepancies between how it is now and how the change would have it then. And since that’s discrepancies against a (supposedly) good state, these are most probably seen as bad. And thus not wanted.

I have a paper in writing on this, so I’m not going to explain this in details here, I need to lay down my ideas properly first. Stay tuned!

Here’s a video of participants’ feedback on an AI summit. Can you spot a sad face? I couldn’t…

The video’s in french, but there are english subtitles. Congrats to Bernard and Claire for 1) facilitating this and 2) releasing the video!

Appreciative Inquiry AI Summit – Démarche appréciative on Vimeo.

SystemsWiki is a great web site for those that want to learn more about Systems Thinking. It relies heavily on the LinkedIn group Systems Thinking World (which I invite you to join if you’re so inclined). The group’s description is the following:

We believe a systemic perspective provides the best foundation for creating effective approaches for dealing with situations and shaping a better tomorrow. Our purpose is to create content which furthers understanding of the value of a systemic perspective and enables thinking and acting systemically.

Now, after some free webinars, SystemsWiki releases the training videos on Youtube. Check them out!

Please help yourself: quick (around 4 minutes) and right to the point!

Solution Focus introduction par Mark McKergow, co-author of “The solution focus” book.

Also, I can’t help but recommend the book Mark co-authored, as it is a real pleasure to read: Solution Focus in its most elegant and simple apparel: The Solution Focus.