In an organization, aside from the aforementioned factors, there may also be conflicts among colleagues, accompanied by a lack of camaraderie or solidarity. This can lead to a lack of drive within the team, resulting in a decrease in optimism and trust towards the organization.

When we experience it personally, the common tendency is to try to evaluate ourselves: what's wrong with ourselves? What needs to be improved?

In organizations, it is also the same. There will be a tendency to evaluate: what is wrong, which part is not efficient, which mechanism needs to be improved, and how? Various methods and analyses are carried out to find the mistakes, in order to bring about problem-solving.

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It takes a long time and an exhausting process to conduct assessments through various methods, whether it be surveys, a series of visits and field observations, meetings and interviews, to complex analysis of all data. Not to mention the significant cost involved in carrying out these assessments.

In reality, there may not necessarily be significant changes as hoped for. There is still reluctance, skeptical attitudes towards colleagues or institutions, and various negative energies that lower morale. In short, the approach above often does not bring satisfying answers.

David Cooperrider and Ronald Fry, more than thirty years ago initiated Appreciative Inquiry for organizational development. According to them, approaches or perspectives that focus on problems and problem solving are inefficient and will produce non-optimal outcomes.

Why is this so? Because the approach of fixing what is wrong, whether consciously or unconsciously, focuses on shortcomings, weaknesses or deficits. Therefore, the nuance created is negative because it searches for mistakes and focuses on criticism.

In contrast, Appreciative Inquiry looks for the positive. Questions, or things that are explored, are appreciative, or present an appreciation of what is good and positive. If we want to bring about fundamental changes, but the nuances that we personally or organizationally experience are negative, maybe this approach can be tried.

If we want to apply it for personal use, perhaps we can learn the concept and implementation steps ourselves from books or the internet. If the context is institutional, we can discuss it in a team, whether we should try to do it ourselves or need an external facilitator.

Four D

There are 4 D in this approach, namely Discovery (discovery), Dream (dream), Design (design), and Destiny< /i> ('fate'). The Discovery phase is the phase of identifying the main strengths of the organization through its story and unique qualities. For example, regarding its important history, leadership experience, or values ​​held.

The discovery phase aims to connect the current situation with the story of the organization's journey. The perspective held is that the history of the organization is a story full of positive possibilities, not as a problem-filled past event.

The Dream Phase (dream) aims to raise aspirations from individuals for their future within the organization as well as the future of the organization itself. What is encouraged is the use of positive language to produce positive results.

The use of positive language is associated with better results of change, reflecting internal dialogue and self-view related to good things.

The Dream phase will encourage positive discussions to foster hope and optimism. We use dialogue to build positive beliefs about the future, through awareness of past successes.

This stage can be initiated by telling personal stories about the best things the organization has to offer. Then, this is connected to aspirations for the future, with a focus on specific circumstances. The next stage is dream sharing, where employees share their dreams with a wider group, so there can be shared dreams.

The Design phase is the stage of decision making to support the realization of dreams. The people who join the organization agree on the dreams of the future and the collective action needed to achieve them.

Realization

The Destiny (destiny) phase focuses on planning and forming joint actions to continue the actions identified in the previous phases. The goal is that what has been discussed together becomes destiny, something that is realized.

Conversations are directed in such a way that the group has a shared story, shared dreams, and shared agreements. There are new relationships, shared stories, personal dreams that become collective dreams, and ideas that develop collectively.

All of these contribute to the group members' experience in effectively building a perception of the organization and their role within the organization in life.

There are prerequisites or criteria for enabling change and development. We need to be open in undergoing the process, taking positive expressions, focusing on results, and expressing positivity, choosing provocative topics, in a sense that can provide motivation.

In the context of organizations, it is important to ensure the involvement of all stakeholders from the beginning, making the process a collective effort.

This model is designed for organizations, but its principles can also be applied to personal development. Hopefully, in this challenging era, we can bring optimism, positive vibes, as well as concrete ideas for strengthening and developing ourselves personally and in our surroundings.