Continuous Improvement toward Self-Sufficiency
We plan to work our way out of a job by helping people learn how to learn both as individuals and as groups. Group sensemaking is highly recommended by Karl Weick, Ph.D., because no one individual will be able to see the whole picture. Enabling groups to share what they see from multiple perspectives might help a collective response to emerge. Learning together by stimulating new kinds of conversations are crucial. Learning how to question assumptions and recognize the messiness of situations where there are competing commitments and misalignment of priorities are skills that require emotional maturity as much as systems functionality understanding. These skills take time and patience to develop. Mindful practice will cultivate the art of effective application.
Self-sufficiency in these human performance optimization arts is well worth the efforts required. Safety and efficiency, superior quality of products and/or services, and relative stability in a dynamic environment, are all attainable through flexible adaptations – resilient actions by a knowledgeable and collaborative workforce. People contribute if they feel safe to share knowledge and ideas because they are seen as more than their title or role. They are included in conversations that seek out their ideas through positive questions to learn how people and things work when they are at their best. Positive outcomes: curiosity, learning, elevated respect for differences, deepened relationships, and change for the better are all results of appreciative leadership.
Organizing for resilience is more than our company name, it’s action-oriented for a reason. We seek to break the mold and challenge the status quo while at the same time strengthen relatedness and guide people to values-based performance and higher levels of consciousness. We ask more and tell less. We study the foundations for your everyday successes rather than root causes of failures. We wonder how people decide to do what they do, rather than judge or berate them. We live the appreciative leader role in our working with your organization by asking about, caring for, and celebrating what works well. We trust that by doing our work with you good things – what you want in your work and your life – will emerge.
