Appreciative sharing of knowledge

- I was once a part of a research team that focused on helping a government agency improve employee morale. My research team used the ASK, appreciative sharing of knowledge methodology to gather, analyze, and draw conclusions about the employees of the agency. In this lesson, we'll explore how knowledge sharing from the perspective of what an organization has done well in the past can support an environment where teams are more likely to collaborate, leading to better outcomes during a crisis. After this lesson, you will be able to start using the ASK method to encourage collaboration and ensure your company culture is prepared for times of crisis. Knowledge sharing is so important, because as poet Carl Sandburg said, everybody is smarter than anybody. Arguably, the time when you need the most people working together, freely sharing ideas is during chaos. What makes the ASK methodology so attractive is that it also forces a positive mindset, which is the kind of mindset necessary to generate new ideas. The ASK methodology developed by Dr. Tojo Thatchenkery, focuses on encouraging knowledge sharing by asking people to recall positive memories from their work environment. The goal of the ASK approach is to identify what an organization is already good at, and then encourage more people to share their experiences about how the business operated when times were good from the employee's perspective and then encourage others to share more of those good times with each other, essentially sharing knowledge that can give them insight into how to solve current problems. In the first stage, let teams know upfront that the discussion you are about to have requires that they think back to the good times. With my research team, we asked participants to challenge themselves and each other to think back to when they felt happiest working with the agency. What made them excited about coming to work? What made them feel good? Next, introduce them to the methodology and open the discussion, encouraging them to share their stories with you and each other. When we have these conversations, I could literally see some people who entered the meeting room frowning perk up, even caught a few giggling as they recalled the good old days. Their mindset was already shifting and we were just gathering data. Next, hold one-on-one interviews with the second group, using the same basic ground rules. Ask them to tell you the story through the lens of what made the experience feel good. Finally, categorize the stories into themes. Analyze the data and report back to the people you interviewed. Then, with your team as your partners, together you can craft a solution based on bridging the positive aspects of the past into the current environment and modifying as needed to support employees, current policy, and budget limitations. You don't have to know the scientific research behind the ASK methodology or do every step just right. You just need to understand this, mindset is everything. You won't be able to corral a team around a vision if the team rejects a mindset of hopefulness and progress. By sharing with each other from a place of positive intent, the team becomes a powerful, virtually unstoppable, driven by their desire to find solutions for the good of the whole. As their leader, your job is to embed appreciation into the culture of the organization. This helps people more readily embrace change. Never underestimate the power of teams of people focusing on creating positive outcomes. The ASK methodology is one that you can use to begin the process of ingraining appreciation into your company culture.