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Discover AI: Constructionist Principle
Some of the components and basic principles that make up
AI are:
The Constructionist
Principle:
In its simplest sense, this concept describes how our
future reality is born out of our present thoughts and
activities that we collectively practice today. So as
individuals and groups we are constantly creating the
future that we are going to live into by the
conversations that we have, the behaviors we practice,
and the norms we establish.
Because of this principle, it stands to reason, that no
matter what the previous history may be, systems are
dynamic and open to new developments and possibilities.
The
Anticipatory Principle:
The next concept is the anticipatory principle which
describes how human beings live into their
“anticipation” of future events and also the effect this
can have on the people and systems around them. Many of
us are familiar with the term self-fulfilling prophecy.
In management, a self-fulfilling prophecy could guide a
company toward its expectations for blockbuster profits
or lackluster results.
In the art of managing people, we find that a manager
who believes people are lazy and need to be coerced or
given incentives to work, will eventually create that
behavior in his or her employees. In contrast, a manager
who believes that people actually want to do good work
and feel good about the work they do, will create an
environment that enables people to excel and produce
superior products and services.
The
Principle of Simultaneity:
The principle of simultaneity takes this one step
further.
It says that change begins the moment we begin inquiring
about a desired state. Therefore, change and inquiry are
actually simultaneous events that can happen in an
instant.
The Positive Principle:
People and organizations are free to seek
transformations based on the image of the future they
choose to create. At first this may sound somewhat
abstract or a lot like the suggestion of simply
practicing positive thinking.
However, when considering change efforts in comparison
to problem-solving methods, a factor that needs to be
considered is the energy that is created by the process.
Try to remember a time when you were in a meeting and
were very engaged in a problem solving process. Did it
give you energy or drain your energy?
If you're like most the answer is rather obvious.
Problem-solving can drain us of our energy and frustrate
us in our attempts to move forward into solutions, as we
focus on the problems.
However, designing solutions based on past, positive
experiences tends to elicit responses like hope,
excitement, inspiration, caring, camaraderie, a sense of
urgent purpose, and a sheer joy in creating something
meaningful together.
The Heliotropic Principle:
The heliotropic principle is one that I have some
difficulty with and have done extensive work on to
better understand and validate.
It says that human systems grow toward that which is
best and sustains life. The metaphor would be that like
plants and other organisms grow in the direction of the
sunlight, people and organizations have a similar
mechanism. I like the concept, but because of my own
remnants of cynicism, personally, I just need to keep
this particular inquiry going.
The Open Book Principle
The open book principle reminds us that throughout
history, various cultures maintained their values and
passed along their wisdom from one generation to the
next by using stories. Today, many of our daily
conversations have become sound bites about what to do
next and it is difficult to find time for the full rich
conversations that contain meaning and purpose.
In the Imagine Chicago project, children with their
natural curiosity, surprise, delight, amazement and
wonder, were sent to interview executives, principles,
parents, entertainers, artists, and scientists. Some of
these individuals were never asked such questions and
found themselves not being able to fall asleep later
that evening. They kept replaying the conversation and
got back in touch with things very important to them.
Another said it made them feel animated and alive and
that the conversations really mattered. They found
themselves looking into the face of the future.
With the basic principles described, let’s consider how
we can assemble these components and put them into
practical applications.
So how do we summarize this and put Appreciative Inquiry
into practice?
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