[Ailist] Fragile Nature of Data - Evaluation

[Roger Davies]

I was interested in many aspects of Jane's response on the subject of
'Capturing impact and raising visibility of 'unseen' work'. As a middle
manager in an industrial and heavily data and process driven environment the
re-frame of thinking required to get people to an Appreciative perspective
often seems insurmountable. Especially in these troubled times when most
business leaders seem to have retreated to their 'tried and tested' ways. 

In order to convince leaders that a valuation is sound it needs to be given
to them in a framework that they and shareholders alike will understand.

I was intrigued by Jane's comment on the fragility of data in human systems.
Even in relation to physical processes there is so much bad data people use
it's untrue.
Most gets used because people are generally not comfortable with or
understand uncertainty. It therefore seems logical that any valuation of an
organization approach needs to be focused on something that has a good
degree of certainty about it.

Many organizations publish 'core values'. Tom Peters defines 'core values'
as those values and approaches that an organization will never change.
Regardless of contextual factors the response to a given situation should be
consistent with the core values. As such questions targeted at testing the
core values should reveal consistent data. Otherwise the organization is not
being consistent with it's core values. Presumably the organization has
already established that these core values bring value to the organization.
Otherwise why have them.

Many organizations will also publish a 'long term goal'. Similarly questions
aimed at how the appreciative approach is helping accelerate progress toward
that long term goal should reveal more consistency (Assuming all those
interviewed know and understand the long term goal!). Again the information
will already be pinned to something that is crystallized as valuable in the
minds of the business leadership.

Safety and Environmental core values are a rich area in this respect
because, more than anything, great performance in either area is soundly
based upon compassion for others. Financially the need for excellence in
these areas is easy to establish. Actually achieving it requires compassion
and compassion is a human, relational concept that sits firmly in the Ai
field. From there I think it is relatively easy to get business leaders to
conceptualize where else compassion benefits the business. If we work
appreciatively and compassionately with each other we learn quickly in a
deeper way how we bring value to the organization. In turn that brings fewer
personnel issues to deal with, higher attendance rates, improved safety and
efficiency, improved speed to market, improved service to customers etc etc
etc.

Sorry that's not a concise route to dealing with the fragility of data but I
think it is a way to present and evaluate Ai in terms that would be
comprehensible and sit comfortable with the average VP or CEO in my
experience. In my mind Ai will be present in all o f the successful
companies in the coming years.

Roger