Our Approach
We are different from many change agents. Instead of the common deficit approach, we use several positive ways of co-creating conditions for success. For example, Appreciative Inquiry (AI) generates several essential conditions that together liberate personal and organizational power where people are permanently transformed.
People are free to be known in relationship with others beyond their roles or titles, as real human beings. Depersonalization is interrupted. People begin to know each other as unique individuals and as part of the web of relationships.
Organizations become psychologically safe place places where people can dream and share those dreams in dialogue with one another. AI makes a space where people are free to be heard, recognized and valued. They are listened to with sincere curiosity, empathy, and compassion in ways that bridge barriers and bring new groups to life.
People choose to contribute and act with support. AI opens the way for people to be positive. Collective currents of negativity are often common where deficit discourse spews complaining, criticism, blaming, suspicion and anger. AI gives people permission to feel positive and be proud of their working environments.
AI creates a self-perpetuating momentum for positive change.
Our Story
We have had careers working with firefighters, law enforcement officers, and interagency incident management teams that respond to large size and enduring crisis situations around the globe. We have helped large organizations move from their traditions to embrace new, more effective learning. We have served responders with an emphasis on caring for their mental well-being as well as physical health. Generating hope for a better future beyond command and control autocratic styles is often a very real need everywhere we work.
(2014 – ) David is currently consulting on the integration of the “New View” with Human & Organization Performance Optimization, Operational Safety, Organizational Learning and Risk Management, Resilience Engineering, and High Reliability Organizing. He has been an invited speaker with presentations in Spain, Greece, Sweden, Norway, France, Australia, and Slovenia in addition to all regions of the U.S. on these subjects.
As a consultant, David has worked with Falck Nutec of Norway on crisis management for oil & gas producers, US and European structural and wildland fire departments on leadership development, and US electrical power generation plants on organizational learning. He specializes in high reliability organizing, systems safety, and appreciative leadership development.
David is researching Relational Leadership and Social Constructionism as a Ph.D. Candidate with the Taos Institute in the USA.
(2002-2014) Formerly the Assistant Center Manager of the U.S. Wildland Fire Lessons Learned Center (LLC) at the National Advanced Fire & Resources Institute, he focused on developing organizational learning, high reliability organizing, and beginning a widely used knowledge management system for his nation’s interagency 300,000 member wildland fire community. He served as a technical specialist on these subjects coaching national and regional incident management team (IMT) leaders during their wildfire and non-fire events at the local, regional, national and international levels.
Associates
Next Steps…
How can we help you? Get in touch with us and let’s just talk for a few minutes. We’re certain it will be interesting!