arts-based Appreciative inquiry project
 Appreciative Inquiry and Diversity Trainees interviewed 50+ organizational members.
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In 2007, Dreamfish facilitated an Arts-based Appreciative Inquiry Training Project. The project accomplished three goals.
1) The project served as a practical professional training for over twenty organizational consultants in the Appreciative Inquiry method, and the use of arts-based methodology to engage diversity in an organization. 2) The project advanced the practice of Appreciative Inquiry to engage diversity, by applying a performative instead of a text-based research approach. 3) By using Dreamfish as the organizational client in the training, the project enabled Dreamfish's strategic planning. On Day one of the training, Dr. Don Bushnell, Dr. Tiffany von Emmel and Dr. Linda Crafts introduced the Appreciative Inquiry method. Then, the training group formed as a consulting team and planned the project. In the data gathering phase, the trainee-consultants used Appreciative Inquiry questions to interview by phone and email over fifty organizational members of Dreamfish. Dr. Laura Shaffer managed the data gathering process. |
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Next, a smaller group tasked with data analysis then took the raw interview data and made a first cut of thematic patterns. In the photos on the left, these are the sticky notes on the wall. Continuing the analysis phase of the Appreciative Inquiry, the analysis team then met for the arts-based data analysis session (photos are to the left). Dr Rita Venturini led the group through the protocol of arts-based analysis. Dr. Tiffany von Emmel served in the observer role. Group members included Dr. Paul Loper, Loni Davis, Dietmar Brinkmann, Dr. Linda Crafts and Pien van den Herick. The group broke into two sub-groups of three, which each analyzed emerging themes from an initial text-based data analysis process. Individuals made drawings of the emerging themes. Then, each sub-group identified common patterns in their drawings, and used these to develop a performance, and a collaboratively-made drawing. The sub-groups reported out with their performance and drawing, and the witnessing group gave their reflections. (Photos by Patty Nason) |
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In the photos on the left are the five themes articulated in drawings, performance pieces and text. These then became the input that fed the final stage of the Appreciative Inquiry, a Dreamfish Leadership Summit (see below).
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Dreamfish Leadership Summit
June 9, 2007, Thoreau Center for Sustainability San Francisco, CA Dreamfish members, board, and consultants participated in a participatory planning summit. To the left are photos from the day (photos by Eugene Kim). After a Spectogram activity outside, the group first reflected on Dreamfish as a new organization. The five themes from the Appreciative Inquiry were then presented. The group then engaged in a World Cafe, a group method for participatory strategic planning. (see below) |
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In the World Cafe, three tables represented the three focus areas of Dreamfish's strategic planning: the Organization, the Network, and Financial Sustainability. The group rotated among the three rounds of World Cafe until everyone had engaged with each area. The large group then reconvened, synthesized learnings and generated action items to carry forward the learnings.
The artifacts to the left were generated during this process. (Photos by Eugene Kim) |
