By way of introduction, here is a quote from Marty Jacob's November 2007 article entitled "Building a Shared Vision: The Third Discipline of Learning Organizations."

A shared vision emerges from the intersection of personal visions and helps create a sense of commitment to the long term. However, there is more to a shared vision than just this amalgamation of personal visions. Vision is only truly shared when people are committed to one another having it, not just each person individually having it. There needs to be a sense of connection and community with respect to the vision that provides the focus and energy for ... the vision power, the guiding force that enables organizations to navigate difficult times and to keep the organizational processes on course.

Shared vision cannot exist without personal vision. An organization must start the process of building a shared vision by encouraging others to create personal visions. Everyone must see a part of his or her personal vision in the shared vision. Shared vision takes time to emerge and requires on-going dialogue ... By sharing and listening to each other's personal visions, new insights will surface that continually shape that shared vision. 

Building a shared vision is a perpetual process. There is a constant need to assess both the internal and external environment. Just as personal vision reflects individual aspirations, a shared vision must reflect organizational aspirations as well as the individual visions that form its foundation. ..There is a crucial element of choice and ownership in a shared vision."

Guided by the premises set forth by this quoted excerpts from Marty Jacobs, and using the principles and the 4-D roadmap of Appreciative Inquiry, a team from my institute responded to a call for an intervention from a partner institution engaged in development work.

The Need was very specific:

What process can bring about a common thinking and working framework among our field operations people? How can they work together for their organization's mission crossing cultural barriers between a dominant group of Christians and a small but strong presence of young Muslim individuals within an environment challenged likewise by a seeming divide between a majority of Christians and not- so-small (any longer) but growing population of Muslims? And, between and among participants whose origins come from different regions?

Main Theoretical Premises:

1. AI offers individuals and/or groups the opportunity to celebrate what is going right between and among individuals and their respective jobs and duties within an organization in order to bring diverse individuals and group formations TOGETHER.
2. Opportunities for positive celebrations (TOGETHER) provide motivations that lead to cross barriers to valuing each one and the work groups they represent.
3. Appreciative Inquiry is a powerful tool to use in building shared vision and communities.

The Methodology Used:

A lot of storytelling by dyads and small groups, and a plenary session where TOGETHER they responded to the set of appreciative questions prepared by the facilitators; and creative workshops captured dreams in words, visual illustration and creative presentations.

The study covered a period of six months spread; but actual BSV-Workshop intervention was only two days per group.

The Population:

There were 5 different clusters involved in this study coming from 4 different places.

They we're all involved in microfinance initiative with the role of Area and Unit Managers and Account Officers.

There was a mixture of almost an equal number of young men and young women.

Most were just 'fresh' from tertiary education.

They come from families who are almost just like their clients ... from the base of the economic pyramid. Noticeably, they were street smart in dealing with the environment but were babes in the woods with regard to job skills.

They are eager learners; and their hearts are in the right place ... meaning, they are compelled to serve the marginalized.

In one group, there was a mix of Christians and Muslims. In the other groups, the mix was more from their regions and origins - many were from either the Visayas or Luzon. (This is a case of regional diversity).

The Participating Groups totalled to:

Group 1  - 154 participants

Group 2 - 250 participants

Group 3 - 130 participants

Group 4 - 250 participants

Group 5 - 124 participants

Data Collection Process:

Stories became the main instrument to surface data.

Stories, like these, were very powerful engaging: ... "It was a day for me to visit the center in this troubled area. A couple of days ago there was armed fighting. I wasn't sure if folks were home after they have run for dear life. But, I won't find out unless i get there personally. And I have to walk for several kilometers to get there ..." Another story went this way ... "It was a rainy day ... heavy rainy day. Puddles of mud water all around. Flooded areas here and there. But the center I had to visit on this day was somewhere up the slope of a mountainous terrain. Some 10 families to cover today. As i trekked my uphill climb, gushes of rainwater followed by boulders every now and then rolled down the slopes I was traversing. I was jumping like frog every now and then to be out of the way of the gushing water or rolling boulder. But, I must be at the center because there were members hoping to get the meager amount they have been loaned ..."

From the stories, themes were identified within the dyads, and then the small groups. In the plenary session, the dominant themes across groups were ranked in order to pin down the life force/s. Small group workshops followed to articulate their shared dream/s both in words and in audio-visuals as well as creative expressions like dancing, tableau or dramatization. This elicited the most fun among the small groups. Creativity is a bottomless resource of ideas, actions and expressions. Creativity makes the process all-inclusive ... each making a contribution to the creation. Creativity has magical effects when groups of individuals are engaged in its process. The differences - suddenly do not matter anymore. All are bent to accomplish the task/s. All become very childlike - totally giving of what they can share and pull TOGETHER.

The Findings Across Groups:

1. A quick look at their strong and life forces at work pointed to the following:

• Service and being united are their inspiring jewels on the job. 

Amazing how these life-enhancing two jewels emerged in the stories exchanged by the participants.

2. Their dream was basically hinged on these two jewels: commitment and prosperity for all members. And such dream was expressed in possibilities and symbols like those that appear in the matrix:

3. Possibilities and Symbols:

Defining their next steps focused deliverable actions to be undertaken both at the level of the self and the institution one were to establish to define the destiny of the possibilities:

• At the level of the self: be a contributing member to the initiatives both for the families and the community
• At the level of the institution: more products and services, education and peace education to lift up the poor from their current situation

Conclusions:

1. The conversations across groups suggested that TOGETHER they discovered that they have both individual and group power to contribute to  CARD's mission to uplift the lives of socially and economically marginalized families below the poverty levels.

The conversations surfaced a core force that draws them TOGETHER: SERVICuiltE with love, sincerity and dedication.

The conversations pointed them to a common dream of commitment and prosperity. And these became their shared points in crafting possibilities they could and would pursue. The possibilities articulated in more concrete expressions what they could do TOGETHER to define the destiny of the mission of CARD. A common dream is a community vision which, ..."when, truly shared makes people committed to one another in ways not just for one's self," ... but for all. Marty wrote ... "A shared vision emerges from the intersection of personal visions and helps create a sense of commitment to the  long term." This "sense of connection and community with respect to the vision provides the focus, energy for " ... and synergy both for the individuals and the community individuals.

The conversations became the tool for shared vision to be built.

2. The story factor was the main handle of the conversations. In sharing stories, the individual's choice and ownership played a vital role. In Marty's words ... "There is a crucial element of choice and ownership in a shared vision.'

3. Stories dedicated to positive experience elicited readiness and openness to disclose these; and without the hang-ups of confidentiality, self-centeredness or ridicule. Instead, the positive stories established connections between the storyteller and listener.

In brief, storytelling conversations are, indeed, effective tools in building shared vision which connect/bond the individuals engaged in the process. Such bonded individual form the team ... as well as the community.

A Point of Departure

The theoretical concept driving the interventions across the groups in these initiatives is derived from Appreciative Inquiry. This is a concept that David Cooperrider developed in his dissertation. But which concept eventually became popular with multiple uses, personal or organizational: as a way of life, as a paradigm shifting tool, as a practice in the search of strengths, positive features ... or life forces.

This initiative across groups reported positive feedback regarding their experience of interventions. The two days they found themselves exchanging stories made them realize how much they have to share, and that they love to share these to each other.

Their findings gave them reasons to celebrate everything going right in CARD and what they do with CARD ... Its Vision and Mission.

The whole experience was positively contagious both to the participants and the facilitators. Let me dwell at this conclusion part how this process - not only for this group, but also for other groups that the researcher has applied the concepts used in the study - has contributed to my own journey in appreciative living. My growing years and schooling were steeped in the use of the rational mind ... specifically, in looking for what is not working, what is ailing, the gaps and the dysfunctions. My training has always been in the orientation of command and control: always expected to demonstrate my capability to produce results. But thanks and thanks heavenly to the concept, challenge and practice of Appreciative Inquiry. I have discovered more power in being, doing and acting from the life force within me picked along the way of life and living.

Rosalina O. Fuentes

10 April 2010