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=Measuring success, learning from failure=
=Measuring success, learning from failure=
From [[User:Janet]]'s notes:
There can be alternate ways to measure success from a qualitative perspective. Here are my
suggestions from an '' appreciative ''  perspective. Please be aware that I am using this term ''
appreciative '' freely. The suggested measurements of qualitative evaluation and success in this
paper are based on my personal explorations and therefore do not, in any way or form, reflect the
principles of Appreciative Inquiry (AI)
Here is a brief  description of Appreciative Inquiry (AI) Appreciative Inquiry (AI) assumes that
every living system has untapped and accounts of the  positive1. Appreciative Inquiry is a methodical
discovery that a living system is at its optimum in social, political, economic, ecological, and
human terms when it is most vibrant, effective and constructive2. AI seeks to build a
transformational union between a people and it's capacities that are achievements, assets, unexplored
potentials, innovations, strengths, elevated thoughts, opportunities, benchmarks, and strategic
competencies through lived values, traditions, stories, visions, expressions of wisdom spiritual
insights, and future possibilities 3. Appreciative Inquiry questions and dialogues to imagine and
innovate about successes, hopes, and dreams instead of negating and criticizing downward into a
diagnostic spiral of despairing hopelessness4.
In working with small children who are climbing into a dangerous area, instead of saying ''don't climb there!''
Re-direct the children with a positive gesture ''Look!! Play here!''
AI's vision based approach and 4-D Model consists of stages of Discovery, Dream, Design and Doing and
4-I Model of Inquire, Imagine, Innovate and Implement 5. The SOAR (Strengths, Opportunities,
Anticipations, and Results) framework for inquiry and decision-making is a compatible AI framework to
strategic planning 6.  SOAR is integral to developing strong relationships to implement sustainable
development practices7.  AI's triple bottom line of economic prosperity, environmental stewardship,
and social equity or "profit, planet, people." provides a solid framework for measuring and
evaluating progress toward a sustainable socio-environmental-economic model with another social
construction and metaphor8.
Building evaluation capacity entails developing a system for creating and sustaining evaluation
practices9.  Evaluation scholars have recommended that evaluation be more democratic, pluralistic,
deliberative, empowering, and enlightening10.  Current evaluation practices are diverse, inclusive of
multiple perspectives, and supportive of the use of multiple methods, measures, and criteria11.
Evaluation Appreciative Inquiry is a highly participatory form of inquiry to address issues12.
Appreciative Inquiry and collaborative, participatory, stakeholder, and learning-oriented approaches
to evaluation emphasize *social constructivism, that is, that making sense and meaning is achieved
through the interaction13.
Suggested appreciative success indicators of a vision, design, action, or project can be measured
with point systems by examples such as how:
1. challenging
2. achievable, adoptable
3. realistic, solid
4. integrated, institutionalized
5. shared
6. interactive, active and dynamic
7. empowerment as choices, participation in decisions, dignity, respect, cooperation and a sense of 
belonging to a wider community
8. equity as equal opportunity and access to natural, social and economic resources
9. sustainable in meeting needs without compromising future generations
10. internalized
11. thoroughness
12. thoughtfulness
13. respectful of oneself, others, the organization, environment
14. evolving, innovative
15. reflective of current priorities 14
Suggested appreciative accountability and success can consist of:
1. reports for recognizing and publicly praising accomplishments;
2. charts recording relative progress over time
3. anecdotal stories for publicizing successes
4. attending to those that make a difference 15
Suggested appreciative accountability reinforces responsibility of individuals:
1. to define one's working relationship with an organization as a contribution
2. to acknowledge the impact that the quality of one's work on others
3. to accept the outcome of one's actions 16
A success story, for example, is Myrada in the year 2000 of an NGO in India for managing rural
development organized a network of 11 NGOs, 804 people, 70 different organizations, 500 community-
based organizations representing about 10,000 people participating in appreciative inquiry
workshops.17 The workshops included self-help affinity groups; self help group federations, teachers
associations, watershed development associations, watershed implementation committees, village forest
committees, village health committees, children's clubs, local farmers associations, community
health groups, and others18. The number and types of committees demonstrates the engaging,
implicating and participatory approaches of AI.
Footnotes
1 Appreciative Inquiry
http://appreciativeinquiry.case.edu/intro/whatisai.cfm
2 ibid
3 ibid
4 ibid
5 ibid
6 Appreciative Inquiry
http://www.appreciativeinquiry.net.au/
7 Anne T. Coghlan, Hallie Preskill, Tessie Tzavaras Catsambas, An Overview of Appreciative Inquiry in Evaluation, New Directions for Evaulations, no. 100, Winter 2003, Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Weblogs, e-learning at University of British Comlumbia, UBC.
http://weblogs.elearning.ubc.ca/mathison/Appreciative%20Inquiry
8 Appreciative Inquiry
http://www.appreciativeinquiry.net.au/
9 ibid
10 ibid
11 ibid
12 ibid
13 Social constructivism
A social construction or social construct is any phenomenon "invented" or "constructed" by participants in a particular culture or society existing because people agree to behave as if it exists or follow certain conventional rules.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_construction
Appreciative Inquiry
http://www.appreciativeinquiry.net.au/
14 International Institute for Sustainable Development, Beyond Problem Analysis: Using Appreciative Inquiry to Design and Deliver Environmental, Gender Equity and Private Sector Development Projects, Trip Report 3: July - December, 2000 Kamasamudram, India
http://www.iisd.org/ai/myrada_report3.htm
15 GTM Evaluation & Planning, Inc.
http://gtmeval.blogspot.com/2008/07/appreciative-accountability.html
16 An Accountability Culture 2006, Washing State University
http://wiki.wsu.edu/wsuwiki/Revised_Accountability_Statement
17 International Institute for Sustainable Development, Beyond Problem Analysis: Using Appreciative Inquiry to Design and Deliver Environmental, Gender Equity and Private Sector Development Projects, Trip Report 3: July - December, 2000 India http://www.iisd.org/ai/myrada_report3.htm
18 ibid


=Participating in WikiCED=
=Participating in WikiCED=
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