RES: [Ailist] Re: Connecting with Others

Wed Mar 12 04:51:43 MST 2008

Depreciative Inquiry - HELP!

First of all, let me say that I totally agree with the words about Cheri
Torres, a fabulous woman I met some years ago here in Brazil. Also, I want
you to know that my English needs to be re-translated to something more
understandable, as I started to learn this wonderful language a bit late in
my life (exactly in 2004 when we had the first BAWB when some wonderful
people that have shared their knowledge with 1000 people or maybe a bit
more) and it was my first contact with Appreciative Inquiry. Now I realized
that I will never speak English as I wanted, but I am sure you will
understand what I mean in this message.

Well, I´ve been talking about AI to several people here in Brazil, but maybe
I do not have the necessary knowledge or people are not really interested in
changing anything. That makes me sad, and what comes to my mind is: if AI
work and makes difference in several parts of the world, why not in Brazil?
If so many companies around the world get good results by using AI, why not
here in Brazil? There is just one company in my country that uses AI -
Nutrimental, and I had the pleasure of talking to some people that work for
that company is amazing: the air you can breath in that company is better
than in other ones. 

As this discussion is about hierarchy, it seems the middle or low hierarchy
is more interested in using AI than the high one (does it make sense for
you?). I mean: everybody wish to use AI in companies and we don´t know how
to show it to the director, presidents and so on, because WE go to important
events here in Brazil and not the "high staff", and they don´t pay to much
attention to what we say, because they don´t "see" connection between "AI
and Money", as I have experienced myself in a great job using this wonderful
too some years ago in a company I worked for. The result was fabulous and I
proved, in that situation that AI can be translated in money, but once more,
nobody paid too much attention...

Also, I do love education, as I am collaborator of a education magazine that
is distributed to 17.000 schools in Brazil (yes, I write articles as
voluntary) and I´ve been telling about using AI in some events they make in
Brazil (there are 4 planned for 2008) and again... no results.

Well, what I have to say is: nowadays I have my own office (auditing and
consulting, as I´ve been working as an accountant for 29 years) and I am
using AI to get some clients and also new jobs -- I´ve just sent a proposal
to a company to make a big job related to processes and it was accepted!)
and that couldn´t be more appreciative than it was -- and I wish I could
have learned more and more about AI... 

After reading all the e-mails you have sent to the AILIST some questions
have came to my mind, and I wish you could help me to understand what´s
going on. For your total comprehension, I want to share some impressions I
have about Brazilian companies:

- We use Depreciative Inquiry here in Brazil. Good ideas must come from the
leaders, and we are used to call leaders the ones that are in charge. 

- Economic results don´t convert in good places to work in. There are
companies that are getting fabulous results and their employees are sad and
unmotivated as they are working by pressure... Ins´t interne motivation and
happiness related to social responsibility?? Well, pressure is part of
companies´ day life, but what I am referring to "emotional pressure". There
are companies that making money but their employees...

I think we are responsible for all the problems we are having and I´ve been
asking myself what´s wrong. Maybe we still didn´t understand what is AI for,
as we can´t get any result in using it in our companies. Once I heard from a
leader: "AI is just one more tool. There are several tools we can use in our
company", and I heard under the lines - the one I WANT - and I felt myself
incompetent to argue. If what I said was not understandable, maybe I should
learn a bit more and show him how AI is useful...

- "the mind is changed when
the heart is moved." This is wonderful, as I am using it in my daily life -
especially in my psychological treatment, and I´ve changed a lot lately. The
final question is: how to MOVE our leaders´ hearts to bring AI to our
companies in Brazil? 

Please, please, please, try to forget me if this e-mail don´t make sense to
you. I just want to share some questions I´ve been making for myself and get
some help from you all. Just one more thing: I wish Brazilian people wich
are interested in AI could get "American people" as inspiration, as we DON´T
talk about AI, we don´t have a Brazilian Discussion Group, and people who
are involved with AI don´t talk to other who are interested. So, if you are
Brazilian and have something to share, PLEASE, talk to me!!! I want to learn
about AI from you! For God sack! Curitiba, São Paulo, Rio - LET´S TALK ABOUT
AI!!!!
I won´t make any correction on my English. That could be a disaster! "Seja o
que Deus quiser"!

Thank you all!
Sérgio - Curitiba - Brazil

-----Mensagem original-----
De: ailist-bounces at lists.business.utah.edu
[mailto:ailist-bounces at lists.business.utah.edu] Em nome de Proteus
Communications
Enviada em: terça-feira, 11 de março de 2008 20:59
Para: 'Charlotte Henley'; 'Kevin Kervick'; ailist at lists.business.utah.edu
Cc: cheri at mobileteamchallenge.com
Assunto: RE: [Ailist] Re: Connecting with Others

I want to add my appreciation for this thread about hierarchy, language,
authentic communication--and thank you Cheri for drawing us out with your
clarifying questions and attentive listening.  (Cheri your ability to
"listen" through the email brings a whole new meaning to "listserv" in how
you serve through listening!) And I'm looking forward to Kevin's elaboration
on "authentic communication"

I'm also curious to hear more about your phrase "the mind is changed when
the heart is moved."  It's a wonderful description of what happens in
dialogue (in the Bohmian sense)--and I believe this (with all my heart!) 

I do have some thoughts to share about this phrase from the perspective of a
developmental psychologist.  

The idea that the mind is changed when the heart is moved is a fundamental
premise of clinical psychologist Gordon Neufeld who has done a lot of
research into the role the limbic/emotional brain (the literal counterpart
to the metaphorical heart) plays in human development and in learning.  He
refers to the limbic centre as the "workhorse" for our maturation--we cannot
learn, adapt, maturate, integrate and reach our full potential as human
beings if we do not experience the sadness and the futility of what we
cannot change, and it's the tears that come with hitting this "wall of
futility" that brings softness, resiliency and adaptability to the brain
(our frontal cortex).   People who have not experienced their own tears
about what has not worked for them in their lives become stuck--their views,
ideas, beliefs about how things "must be" become rigid.  We have become so
averse to tears in North American society that we are breeding generations
of stuck children who grow into stuck adults.  It's very hard to move to
adaptation or to change one's mind when our brains are, quite literally,
"stuck."  

This seems central to our understanding of "dominators" "collaborators"
compromisers...It is very hard, if not impossible, to move from our
positions or "change our minds" without the soft hearts.  So, what are the
conditions under which hearts are moved so that minds can change?

Thanks again everyone for this rich discussion.

Kathryn

Kathryn Thomson
--------------------------
Proteus Communications
proteus at shawbiz.ca

Some doors open only from the inside  Hafiz                            

-----Original Message-----
From: ailist-bounces at lists.business.utah.edu
[mailto:ailist-bounces at lists.business.utah.edu] On Behalf Of Charlotte
Henley
Sent: Tuesday, March 11, 2008 11:35 AM
To: Kevin Kervick; ailist at lists.business.utah.edu
Subject: RE: [Ailist] Re: Connecting with Others

Hello to All and Anne,
	Please continue this discussion.  This is providing a meaningful
exchange
of ideas that leads me to understand AI at a much deeper level.  This is all
about AI.  It has been a long time since there has been such a spirited
dialogue... I was eager to get to my emails today to read the wonderful
thoughts and ideas and practical information that is being posted.  I am
savoring every word.... I am challenged to think.  Loving it!
Charlotte Denny-Henley, Student of AI
Open Door Consulting
Huron, SD

-----Original Message-----
From: ailist-bounces at lists.business.utah.edu
[mailto:ailist-bounces at lists.business.utah.edu]On Behalf Of Kevin
Kervick
Sent: Tuesday, March 11, 2008 10:06 AM
To: ailist at lists.business.utah.edu
Subject: Re: [Ailist] Re: Connecting with Others

Hello Cheri:

Thank you for asking.  Before I do so and because the moderator and others
are concerned about focus I want to be sure this is appropriate for this
listserv.  It interests me and apparently you but it may be off base for
others.

kevin

  Kevin wrote:

  Kevin wrote:

  Prevailing notions of peace-making often entail tiptoeing around
differences

  in the search for the elusive convergence of attitudes and values.  But

  without authentic communication, these efforts are pseudo-mutual and
achieve

  little.  The underlying beliefs embedded in this approach are that access

  and authenticity are the only routes to durable change and that attitudes

  are often influenced by emotion - the mind is changed when the heart is

  moved.

  Can you define for me "authentic communication" and say more about what
you mean by "access".

  Cheri

  _______________________________________________

  The Appreciative Inquiry Discussion List is hosted by the David Eccles
School of Business at the University of Utah. Jack Brittain is the list
administrator. For subscription information, go to:

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_______________________________________________
The Appreciative Inquiry Discussion List is hosted by the David Eccles
School of Business at the University of Utah. Jack Brittain is the list
administrator. For subscription information, go to:
http://mailman.business.utah.edu:8080/mailman/listinfo/ailist

_______________________________________________
The Appreciative Inquiry Discussion List is hosted by the David Eccles
School of Business at the University of Utah. Jack Brittain is the list
administrator. For subscription information, go to:
http://mailman.business.utah.edu:8080/mailman/listinfo/ailist

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