Discovery

“What people think of as the moment of discovery is really the discovery of the question.” – Jonas Salk

The Akadimi embraces the power of asking wise questions that cannot be answered by yes or no. We call this the Q Factor. Our consulting and learning experiences support teams so they can master diverse methods of appreciative inquiry

Participants in Akadimi consulting and learning experiences practice a disciplined approach for analysis referred to as “Appreciative Listening” (AL). Teams and organizations use AL to understand best practices, develop strategic plans, shift culture, and create forward momentum on large-scale initiatives. At the societal level, Appreciative Listening has been used to find common ground around topics of global importance, to shape the direction of non-profits, NGOs and health systems, and to form multi-national initiatives that span diverse countries and industries.

So what are these paradigm-shifting questions? In short form, they are:

• What led me here?
• What is my high point?
• What do I value?
• What is changing?
• What’s the best future I can imagine?
• What will it take to get us there?

Those questions may seem basic. Their genius is not in the words themselves, but in the attitude with which you ask them. When well-framed, and asked with the spirit of discovery, they open the door to moments of insight you could not have achieved otherwise. When teams work through the questions together, what emerges is a shared understanding that can fast-forward them into the future they want.

To explore how you can apply Appreciative Listening to your unique needs, please contact us at contact@governakadimi.org

Akadimi advisers and partners rely on easy to use web-based surveys to identify clear insights into the organization’s or operating unit’s key performance strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT). These surveys are complemented with interviews of senior board, executive, and provider leaders across the enterprises’ operating units and markets.

Akadimi clients and partners do not only learn from our consulting and learning experiences, but also from carefully planned meetings and study tours with counterpart leadership teams in comparable but non-competing groups and organizations in other markets, communities, or countries.