A focus on what works today isn't to be stagnant. It's to ground the future propositions in examples of what has worked. The future propositions should innovate. The process involves envisioning what might be, and writing affirmative statements that describe the idealized future, applying "what if."
I've been studying Appreciative Inquiry, which is different from problem-solving, and I like the approach much better. It's challenging on a personal level to avoid using words like "problems" and trying to focus on positive examples of what is working, instead of what is not working. Imagine getting an entire organization like the Army to move away from a traditional deficit-base, problem-solution framework and move towards Appreciative Inquiry. The capstone would have been a nice place to start since it is about generating ideas for the future.
Here is an example of a leadership summit from the Navy, when an Appreciative Inquiry approach was used.
Thanks for letting me participate in your discussion, since I'm "new" to the SWJ! I can tell you're being very thoughtful and patient in your responses to my postings. Appreciative Inquiry, compared to problem-solving, isn't that easy to grasp. I've spent a lot of time in the last year reading about it, and participating in and faciliting workshops using this approach."During the Leadership Summit, participants used Appreciative Inquiry questions to tap into their own past high-point experiences in the Navy. The diverse group present discovered many commonalties and hopes for the future. The participants then learned how to leverage these past strengths and shared visions to create action plans for positive change. Specific outcomes included over 30 pilot projects."
http://appreciativeinquiry.case.edu/practice/ppNavy.cfm
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