Co-Creating a More Diverse, Equitable, and Inclusive World with Appreciative Inquiry

August 19, 2021 – 9:00am PDT / 12:00pm EDT / 6:00pm SAST / 7:00pm EET
August 26, 2021 – 9:00am PDT / 12:00pm EDT / 6:00pm SAST / 7:00pm EET
September 2, 2021 – 9:00am PDT / 12:00pm EDT / 6:00pm SAST / 7:00pm EET
September 9, 2021 – 9:00am PDT / 12:00pm EDT / 6:00pm SAST / 7:00pm EET

Learn how to apply Appreciative Inquiry (AI) to create the social change of our time. This moment is opportune for AI principles and tools to help focus our work on diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) issues like #BlackLivesMatters, #MeToo and rise to the call to action. So, come prepared to collaboratively inquire into what’s working and what’s possible to create the change we want to see in our workplaces, communities and family systems.

This course is designed to support you in taking DEI actions with AI principles, process and tools. We invite you to come with a DEI project (big or small, personal or professional) that will ensure your learning through immediate application. We will help you identify the individual and collective strengths within your initiative, develop generative questions to engage in listening and storytelling for positive possibilities, and ensure you have an action plan to co-create a more diverse, equitable and inclusive destiny.

We will share our expertise working in the fields of DEI and OD, including our theory of change and model published in an Inclusive Leadership book (2020, Routledge*). However, this course will not be a diversity, equity and inclusion training, an unconscious bias assessment, nor an anti-racist webinar. We will provide links to those resources, some which will form part of the pre-work, as there are incredible colleagues who have devoted their life and work to building DEI knowledge and skill set deep dives (for longer than the duration of this course permits).

This course is designed for all Appreciative Inquiry skill levels, whether you are new to AI or you’re an AI expert and yearning to incorporate DEI into your living AI practice. As BIPOC women facilitators, AI has been central to our resilience in social change work and strengthened our call-in culture work in organizations.

As a result of participating in this 4-webinar series you will be able to:

– Actively contribute to a more diverse, equitable and inclusive world.
– Deepen your Appreciative Inquiry practice and tools.
– Work on your own DEI project at work, home or in your community using AI principles and tools.
– Establish a learning and accountability process and community for your AI DEI work.
– Create an Action Plan for your DEI project’s destiny.

AI practitioners and AI students, consultants, coaches, collaborative group leaders, DEI practitioners interested in AI and anyone seeking to strengthen their Appreciative Inquiry practices and tools to increase their diversity, equity and inclusion work at work, home, or in their communities.

WEBINAR #1: CREATING A SAFE CONTAINER AND BUILDING A COMMUNITY OF PRACTICE – RENEW
August 19, 2021 at 9:00am PDT / 12:00pm EDT / 6:00pm SAST / 7:00pm EET

We will share a relational theory of change and appreciative leadership model applied to DEI. We will discuss and identify various diversity markers and explore the term intersectionality, coined by Kimberlé Crenshaw, with an additional AI lens, e.g. “how might the term serve as a meaningful metaphor for bringing out the best of women by exploring layers of strengths and wisdom developed by living with multiple forms of inequality and disadvantage” (Thriving Women, Thriving World. 2019, Taos*). We will build understanding and trust through paired work and group shared agreements. The discussions will be informed in part through DEI pre-readings and personal experiences of positive change.

WEBINAR #2: PROJECT-BASED WORK – RELATE
August 26, 2021 at 9:00am PDT / 12:00pm EDT / 6:00pm SAST / 7:00pm EET

We will review and integrate AI principles, tools, and or process into each person’s identified personal or professional DEI project. Small groups will learn and practice a strengths-based peer mentoring and coaching “Spaciousness Thinking Partners” process to build, brainstorm and peer feedback on each project. The process involves amplifying and dreaming into what is possible.

WEBINAR #3: EMBODIED LEARNING – CO-CREATE
September 2, 2021 at 9:00am PDT / 12:00pm EDT / 6:00pm SAST / 7:00pm EET

We will review and explore how the projects, following asynchronous project building, can go further with deeper reflection and breakthroughs on limiting beliefs. We will craft and use generative questions to center living AI and DEI ethos and values in your professional and personal processes. What is emerging that informs your DEI future? How can this be practically applied? Where do you need further support? How can you share, learn and grow as an AI DEI community? What are the generative questions we need to consistently and persistently be asking to grow our DEI strengths-based practice?

WEBINAR #4: AI TOOLKIT AND THE RELATIONAL POWER OF DEI ACTION PLANS – RESOLVE
September 9, 2021 at 9:00am PDT / 12:00pm EDT / 6:00pm SAST / 7:00pm EET

We will conclude harvesting the projects review and exploration. We will reflect on and converge all our key insights and emerging wisdom in order to solidify a vast toolbox for practical application post course. Our DEI resolve and resilience is explored by delving into the inner condition and external relationships (with both allies and antagonists) needed for successful action.

To strengthen our community of practice, supportive materials, resources and recommended readings will be made available, as well as between-session sharing of practices, questions, and reflections (e.g. new ways of thinking).

This course will be presented using Zoom over 4 weeks with a two-hour webinar per week. Prior to this event, the facilitators will email you everything you need to participate in this course, including: the Zoom meeting login information and a link to a collaboration space on Google.

Please note: these virtual webinar sessions will not by recorded for asynchronous viewing due to the experiential nature of the session and the extensive time working and learning in small groups. Asynchronous learning will focus on increasing confidence, courage and clarity through application of our unique processes. DEI resources and Appreciative Inquiry resources from the AI commons are highlighted. Additionally, the course is designed as project-based learning, so plan on your expertise and project thriving with three hours of asynchronous group work between classes. This group work is required course work.

Additionally, the course is designed as project-based learning, so plan on blocking out 6 hours of asynchronous group work outside of the 4 webinars. Total time on the course to meet the intended outcomes: 14 hours.