Learning to SOAR
Photo by Wolfgang Hasselmann on Unsplash
Appreciative Inquiry (AI) is a model for self-determined change; a way for organisations and communities to map their own pathway to success.
I was introduced to it by an old friend and mentor Mike Pegg back in and around 2005 and have been applying it to my work ever since.
Appreciative Inquiry
Initially developed by David Cooperrider and his colleagues at Case Western Reserve University in the 1980’s, it has been used by organisations including the likes of Aviva, BT, Microsoft, Pfizer, KPMG, Accenture and many many more.
The underlying thesis is that organisations are created, maintained and changed through the conversations people have and the stories they tell, and that setting ourselves up for success is only limited by our imaginations and agreement amongst each other.
Now whether you’re a student of anthropology or theology, or just read Harari’s Sapiens; this notion that communities are made up of stories and conversations is nothing new.
“The company story IS the company strategy.”
AI essentially applies this same notion to organisations; and provides a model and approach to help change those conversations and build a roadmap to success.
Innovation + Growth
It is this idea of self-determined change, of organisations and communities being able to bootstrap their own innovation and growth strategy, no matter how big or small, that drew me to it in the first place and why I find it particularly relevant today.
In a world where change is fast paced, complex and fundamental; organisations and communities need to engage their people in reshaping the conversation, align behind a better story and together, deliver success.
Companies simply can’t afford to wait for the “innovation department” to come up with the answers, nor will community leaders have the time to wait for some benevolent government department to hand down jobs or money. By then, the flood defences will have broken, both figuratively and literally.
We know how Waiting for Godot ends.
SOAR Framework
SOAR, developed by Jackie Stavros and Gina Hinrichs, builds on Appreciative Inquiry and provides a simple strategic planning framework for leaders who are looking to craft a better story.
It sets out four categories of questions; each a trigger for generative conversations that can be had in large and small groups; that create a positive framework for individuals, organisations and communities; stacked to create a shared picture of success, a roadmap of how to get there, and if done well, a level of engagement that aligns people to pull together and make it happen.
At its simplest, it surfaces an organisation’s or community’s…
Strengths - What are we great at?
Opportunities - What are the possibilities?
Aspirations - What are our dreams and wishes?
Results - What are meaningful outcomes?
… to shape and deliver a strategic plan through shared conversation, collaboration and a commitment to action.
What I love is its high level simplicity which means that leaders in any organisation or community can run with it themselves, either by just reading up online, grabbing a copy of Learning to Soar by Stavros and Hinrichs, or diving deeper into the subject with the Appreciative Inquiry Handbook: For Leaders of Change by Cooperrider et al.
If you want, you can get outside practitioners in to facilitate the process, add an external perspective and help craft the plan which all holds value, but at its heart it is there for you to grab, run with and determine your own community’s or company’s future.
Hope it helps.
If you want to find out more about this approach and how it could be applied in your organisation or community, get in touch.
Otherwise, as Mike would always say… Onwards.