[Ailist] AI - an established business strategy

[Jody Jacobson]

Hello Everyone:
   
  Mukul's question reminds me of a time in the mid 1990's, just five or seven years after Peter Senge introduced his seminole work on systems thinking, "The Fifth Discipline."  Many of us were asking the same question about systems thinking that Mukul now raises about appreciative inquiry.  In a way, the question is the answer.
   
  While I can't remember the source (Peter Senge, Jim Rieley, maybe Daniel Kim), the "answer" that most moved me and inspired me to action was "Zoysia plugs."  In the systems thinking community small learning communities (like this listserve and the other AI networks many of us belong to in the cities where we live) were conceived of as "Zoysia plugs."  What are Zoysia plugs?  Zoysia grass is a drought resistant, highly resilient type of grass primarily grown in southern states of the US.  A Zoysia lawn is started by planting Zoysia "plugs" distributed like green polkadots across the expanse of a parched yard.  The first couple of years the lawn is an awkward, ugly sight, but the investment is well worth it as the plugs eventually fill in resulting in a seamless expanse of hardy, plush, green.
   
  A similar model exists in the AI community.  In the systems thinking community we'd gather together in small groups within a single organization or across a community and we'd learn how to think in the new ways with the aid of the community, using cases from our own lives and organizations to create "practice fields."  Then, we'd go back into our organizations and larger communities with deeper socially constructed understanding and we'd exert influence in small and large ways.
   
  Thanks for the thought provoking dialog.
   
  Jody
   
  Mukul Kumar <mukul.kumar at rogers.com> wrote:
  Hi everyone:

Looking at the past e-mail postings in the AIlistserve and my experiences
for pursuing AI in my organization, I am just wondering why AI has not been
established as an acceptable business strategy or tool so far. Though it
has been developed in early 80's, it is based on positive environment and
consensus of all the participants (which is a perfect approach (win-win
approach in my opinion) in the current dynamic environment, even then the
people doubt its effectiveness and capability. That's why it is not
popular. Most of the people are not aware of AI and do not wish to invest
the resources for its trial. Then we look around for the various ways if we
could get their acceptance. 

There are many other tools such as Kaplan's Balance Score Card, Porter's
Value Chain model, which are so popular and people accept them so easily
with no arguments or doubts. 

Would any one like to elaborate why AI is not gaining the acceptance? Even
I too, foresee huge potential in AI approach and look forward to
study/involve more actively around this approach. I am curious to know
whether am I missing any perspective in demonstrating its effectiveness.

Would appreciate your insights? 

Mukul


Jody Jacobson
Aerial View Consulting, LLC
2133 Fox Avenue
Madison, WI  53711
(p) 608.347.9961
(f)  608.204.0039