Summary of the process so far

We have initiated the process of inquiry (described in the first two articles) through choice of Affirmative Topic, the structuring of the inquiry and the designing of a protocol of questions for the Discovery Phase. Having collaboratively inquired, using an interview protocol, into what works best in dealing with conflict we have identified the positive core at the heart of the relationship, community or organisation. The social bonding, positive affirmation and momentum created by identifying and amplifying the positive core has already set the direction and set in motion a process of realignment and change. It brings out the best in people and encourages them to see and support the best in others.

The answers to the questions and the stories of what is best in the relationship, team or organisation will have given a clear indication of what is valued, what already exists and what parties would like to bring forward and build on in creating their vision of the future. The information arising out of the Discovery phase will have been distilled and summarised by a subgroup if a large group or organisation is involved. As there is potential here for the findings to be distorted, care needs to be taken to choose a subgroup that is representative of the larger group and to ensure that the summary reflects the data gathered. This may need to be tested, through giving an opportunity for feedback to the larger group, before the Dreaming stage is embarked upon.

Dreaming Stage
The collaborative social construction of a new reality now continues through the conversations that occur in the Dreaming phase, which build on, amplify and extend what has been identified as best in what already exists. This phase answers the core question, “what should be?” Language, pictures and metaphors are used to reflect images of the future that arise in the Dreaming process in which liberation of the imagination and desire take precedence over the limiting beliefs and the practical challenges of implementation. The latter are addressed at a later stage. What is needed here is bold leaps of the imagination that embody the hopes, dreams, wisdom and best practice of the community that take us beyond the barriers of the past.

Wholeness brings out the best in people, so the more of the system that can participate in the Dreaming the more creativity will be stimulated and the more ownership and commitment there will be to the overarching vision of the future that emerges. This is especially true for large-scale social change as collective Dreaming continues to build the social bonding and the shared vision needed to achieve it.

This can be a collective dreaming by a large group or people can self-select to work on particular themes to create positive propositions that excite them, build shared visions of the future, statements of intent and value that reflect their preferred future. Alternatively, it may be done in the style of “World Café” in which small groups are formed with a designated history taker of that group’s Dreaming. Members of each group then disperse and reform around another history taker (all of whom remain as guardian of their initial group’s vision) and expand on the visions of the future developed by the previous group as recounted by the history taker. This process may be repeated 2-3 times to enrich the respective dreams. In this way ideas and visions can be cross-fertilized and enhanced which will lead to the identification of key themes and projects to be fleshed out at the Design stage.

Once key themes or parts of the group/community dream are identified these can be further developed into provocative propositions or statements of intent that will guide towards their preferred future. This Dreaming stage it is primarily an act of imagination, or envisioning what could be in a way that is inclusive, positive, and that envisions a world that is beyond or has overcome the existing conflict. Individuals or groups may - depending on their interests, expertise or values - choose which propositions or themes to work on and elaborate in the Design stage to create a compelling vision.

However, the intention is to create a higher-order convergence that serves to connect multiple equally important priorities without having to resort to compromise or parallel competing visions. The aim is to reach a compelling umbrella statement or framework that embodies the desired values and principles that will inform the Design phase. Critical here is that you are trying to imagine a better future though this need not be the final answer but an improvement - steps in the desired direction. The process does not end here; it is iterative, there will be further cycles of inquiry.

The idea here is to liberate aspirations: If you could, how would you have it? What is your ideal? Commonly there is the emergence of new language, which encourages new ways of seeing and interacting and which open up the new possibilities and innovation needed to achieve the desired reality. It is about re-authoring our relationships and the way we deal with conflict - co-creating a new story that all parties can look forward to living. What emerges is a shared script for the future that defines the positive core and the essential elements of the good society, the high performing group, the supportive community and so on. At core it is about building a better life together.

What might the high-dream be that positive ways of working with conflict points toward? The dream might include improving the quality of conversation, compassionate communication, building cooperation and partnership, valuing/harnessing of diversity, becoming more productive, unleashing energy and creativity, better teamwork, liberating use of power, greater inclusion, repairing and building robust relationships, enhancing and affirming identities, creating a more vibrant community, better quality of life, improving the quality of care/service, becoming more empowered, harmony and peacefulness. Those that are abstract need to be grounded in compelling sensory images of what they would look, sound, feel like, etc. so they connect, energise and inspire.

The images we hold of the future influence the decisions and actions in the present. Keeping the principle that we grow in the direction that we inquire in mind, we create dynamic images of what dealing with conflict in a healthy and constructive manner could look like. We need only remember the potency of Martin Luther King’s “I have a dream” speech to feel the potency of such vivid, compelling images of the future and their uplifting impact on successive generations of black and white Americans not to mention many others around the globe. Likewise, we too can co-create inspiring and compelling visions of a shared future where difference and conflict become a source of learning, growth, and strengthening of relationship and community.

However, there is often fear that if we are not addressing directly the immediate problems and what is wrong that there will be little sense of traction or progress. Sometimes we just have to trust the process and keep going but for some this may be too much to ask. Then we need to keep in mind that it is often easier to criticise and slide into negativity than light the way, and we need to be able to use negativity as a springboard toward a positive direction. Key skills to use include:

Design phase
This stage essentially addresses the questions “How is the dream to be realised – how can we make it happen?” There will not be one but rather multiple strategies. For some the approach will be structured and planned - for others spontaneous and self-organised. Different people or small groups may choose to drive particular aspects of the dream in line with the direction articulated in the overarching umbrella created during the dreaming phase. Not everybody has to commit to all parts for the dream to be achieved.

Free choice liberates power and commitment; people perform better when they are free to choose how and what they want to contribute. The challenge of this phase is to ensure that all can find where they fit, a place where they can be valued and contribute in a positive way of their choosing, motivation and expertise. The Design stage must therefore create discretion and support for all to act to realise the dream or a part of it.

This phase is about giving form to the values, ideas and vision framed as provocative propositions and high impact strategies that stretch and help to bring them about. It is about building bridges between the best of what is and the preferred future. It begins the construction of the new future by getting to the detail of what it should look like when it is achieved. The focus is on how, but this stage will also clarify how we will know when we have achieved our goal. Questions include -

Here parties bring the dream into being through co-creating a plan that will deliver the Dream. Further questioning and refinement of the vision is likely to occur as dream meets reality and the challenges of implementing the vision take precedence. People discover how they can contribute to delivering the desired outcome and how they are connected and valued in its achievement.

It is neither possible nor desirable to pre-empt what people will prioritise and commit to achieving at the design stage. Individuals and small groups may choose parts of the dream that they are motivated to implement, have the expertise to contribute to, or simply want to give their support to achieving. What will emerge from this stage will likely be proposals for tangible actions, events, structures, procedures, processes, practices, relationships or social architectures that will embody and embed healthy and constructive conflict management, prevention, resolution, transformation, etc. grounded in what is best that already exists and informed by outcomes of the Dreaming stage.

It is important to remember that the means used in the design stage are as important as the ends sought. For example, mutual respect, collaboration, transparency, appropriate and aware use of rank, continuing balance of advocacy with inquiry, and other skills and attitudes that inform the healthy handling of conflict are likely to inform the appreciative inquiry as well as the enactment of conflict values. Key principles to keep in mind suggests Anne Radford (AI Newsletter 2005) are to: