Leadership, Organizational Culture
And The Appreciative Triangle
The Appreciative Triangle has no obviously starting point, nor is any one of the six strategies more important than the other five strategies. However, leaders of some organizations tend to dwell in one or two of the domains and lean heavily on one or two strategies.
There are many reasons for making primary use of a specific strategy or for focusing specifically on the domain of information, intentions or ideas. Leaders of an organization that is in the business of mass production, for instance, will be inclined to dwell in the domains of information and ideas. They want to know what is happening in their production facility. They are consistently searching for new ideas to reduce production costs or increase sales.
By contrast, it is quite understandable that leaders of a human service agency dwell in the domain of intentions and focus on chartering and development strategies. Volunteers who work with this agency want to know what social purposes are being served by the agency. Furthermore, the paid staff of the agency must be frequently engaged in their own professional development to keep up with the shifting needs of their clientele. There are many obvious reasons for concentrating in this agency on chartering and development.
Most successful leaders will accommodate their own personal preferences to the immediate needs of their organization, whether their organization is manufacturing chips or advocating for homeless youth. They will ask an appreciative question: what is important in this organization? They will then adjust their own preferences to these realistic needs and concerns.
