world ai conference 2012
DESCRIPTION
LeadershipTRANSCRIPT
T: 051 401 9111 [email protected] www.ufs.ac.za
ACTIONING AUTHENTICITY BY MEANS OF AN APPRECIATIVE INQUIRY
Dr Renalde Huysamen
AI CONFERENCE 2012
BACKGROUND AND HISTORY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF THE FREE STATE
28 January 1904
GREY University College
1945 – 1980
1950: University of the Orange Free State 7 Faculties
2009 M I
STUDENT HEAD COUNT 2009 27241PERMANENT STAFF: 2055
Transformation!
New placement policy requirement
RESIDENCES
Departement Sentrum • Department Centre
UNIVERSITEIT VAN DIE VRYSTAAT • UNIVERSITY OF THE FREE STATE • YUNIVESITHI YA FREISTATA Tel (051) 401 3000 • E-mail: [email protected] • www.ufs.ac.za
PURPOSE: Improvement of employees research outputs and service deliveryMAIN OBJECTIVES: Utilise Training and Development to develop academic /non academic staff. Improvement in Research Outputs and Service Delivery
INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND OF THE LEADERSHIP LEARNING COMMUNITY
SOME COMMENTS
“It made me realise that everybody experiences ups and downs in their lives and that it is possible to use the downs to our own advantage.”
“Again to realise that every person is different. Their approaches to life and situations, their feelings and manners. Also that emotion is very important in life and in the workplace.”
“I have learned to be humble, especially when I worked with other members of the community group.” “Learning to listen to others’ opinions/stories, because my viewpoint is not necessarily the right one”
“Most of the exercises involved teamwork and I took the tendency/habit with me to my work environment. “I feel more confident. I feel more confident.
“It made me realise that one should not shy away from new situations just because you fear that you will fail.”
T: 051 401 9111 [email protected] www.ufs.ac.za
Departement Sentrum • Department Centre
UNIVERSITEIT VAN DIE VRYSTAAT • UNIVERSITY OF THE FREE STATE • YUNIVESITHI YA FREISTATA Tel (051) 401 3000 • E-mail: [email protected] • www.ufs.ac.za
AI: 4-D CYCLE
discovery'what gives life'
dream'what might be'
design 'how it can be'
destiny'what will be'
ACTIONING AUTHENTICITY BY MEANS OF AI
• “The idea that research could be both elegant and a joyous experience for me this was vital to hear because I thought research could only be done by certain people.”
• “In our initial correspondence there was something mentioned about a team spirit and I have experienced that this weekend, this is a safe environment for learning.”
• “Throughout the course I have observed the whole process unfolding and this course brought the light to everything what we were working towards. I have a purpose.”
• “The way in which the workshop was conducted was effective, you made us learn without us really knowing it. We are excited about we are going to do.”
• “Coming from a legal background, where everything is scientific and the human environment is thrown out, I have learned the importance of the human environment in all aspects of life.”
• “I agree that the human side of what we do, even if we are doctors, we need to start to listen to people. This helped me to realise once again that the human element should be part of everything we do, even something like research. Some research done with cancer patients, they took photographs to show their life stories and the CEO wrote short stories of these people lives, they sell them and plough the money back to the community or the patients. ‘Finding meaning in whatever life bestows on us’. Starting the story with Victor Frankle uplifted the experience for me.”
ELSIE’S STORY
ELSIE PROCEEDED TO FACILITATE AN AI AT EMILY HOBHOUSE IN SUCH A WAY THAT IT PRODUCED THE FOLLOWING POSITIVE OUTCOMES
• Respect for cultures, learning new languages• A sense of belonging to a sisterhood, acceptance not only
tolerated each other• Spiritual growth – we are connected, religion does not
divide us, it brings us to together• Getting involved with each other - experience of support
across cultures
CONCLUSION
By participating in an AI, the LLC-participants were given an opportunity not only to experience the quality and texture of this life-giving process (cf. Cooperrider & Avital, 2004) first hand, but by facilitating their own AIs they were able to ‘weave’ positivity into the social fabric of the university system, with the possibility of broadening the thinking and action repertoires of its stakeholders and building its resources, enhancing transformation in general and racial harmony in particular on the UFS campus (cf. Frederickson, 2003).
T: 051 401 9111 [email protected] www.ufs.ac.za
