Author: Laiza N. Otero, MSOD, Organization Development Consultant
What’s a vision board? In a nutshell, a vision board is a visual representation of one’s desired future with the goal of “if I can see it I can achieve it.” One of the many things I love about vision boards is how they beautifully intersect with the philosophy of Appreciative Inquiry (AI). Following are a few AI and vision board basics to support you in envisioning and acting on your ideal path forward.
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Author: Laiza N. Otero, MSOD, Organization Development Consultant
During change initiatives, it is not uncommon to hear questions about the urgency of the effort, the business case/need for it, or what the “burning platform” is that drives the change. But what if we reframed the conversation to one of inspiration and energy? That is one (out of many) ideas David Cooperrider challenges one to think about during the course “The New Change Equation” at Case Western Reserve University.
Cooperrider’s question led me to reflect about the different organization development (OD) models and tools I use with my clients. Were they in alignment with the appreciative, strengths-based approach I prefer to use in my work? Were they inspirational? If no, how could I reframe them? Continue reading
Author: Laiza N. Otero, MSOD, Organization Development Consultant
Over the last year, few models have impacted the way I conduct my work more than S.O.A.R.
Developed by Jacqueline Stavros and Gina Hinrichs, S.O.A.R. is a simple yet powerful tool for framing dialogues within organizations. A lot of us were trained long-ago in the use of S.W.O.T. analyses. In the latter, the discussion traditionally revolves around identifying strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. What I kept running into was that the dialogue got stuck in the weaknesses and threats, and I found it difficult to excite myself and the audience around the strengths and opportunities.
Then a consulting trip last year to Johannesburg, South Africa, changed my world. While there, I got to work with three amazing consultants whose work is based on Appreciative Inquiry: Anastasia Bukashe, Enrique Zaldivar, and Joep C de Jong. It was through them that I learned about S.O.A.R. Continue reading
Envision and Act 