AppreciativeInquiryReport
What’s the Glue?
UncoveringstrengthsofaMission-BasedOrganization throughAppreciativeInquiry.
Mariana
Prepared by Kavita Mishra Parsons School of Design, The New School Instructor
Amatullo
Organisational Change Lab | Spring’24
Process & Timeline
Week 1
Jan 29 - Feb 5
Week 2
Feb 6 - Feb 12
Industry outreach and Participant Selection
Selecting the organisation and team members from its different departments to conduct AI interview.
Interview Protocol Guide
Designing semi-structured interview protocol guide for each participant using Appreciative Inquiry Framework
Week 3
Feb 13 - Feb 22
Week 4
Feb 23 - Feb 25
Week 5
Feb 26 2024
Independent Interviews
One-on-One interviews with each participant for an inhibited expression of their views.
Interview Coding, Analysis and Insights Generations
Data synthesis to identify emerging common themes and discoveries.
Report Generation & Delivery
Finding what excites, engages and empowers employees in the organisation
Organization Selection and Motivation
As someone who is passionate about sustainability and works in the fashion industry, I've had moments of disappointment and frustration seeing how some brands just pay lip service to sustainability without really making an actual effort. That's why I wanted to interview sustainable fashion brands or organizations, to learn what keeps them motivated to make a real change.
I chose a NYC-based social sustainability focused fashion organization that works to train lowincome and immigrant women in fashion skills.
About the organization
Founded in 2016, CC (name changed) is a New York City-based entrepreneurship and workforce development organization that trains, mentors, and advocates for and with low to no-income and immigrant women to achieve economic success in the sustainable fashion industry and broader society.
Their mission is to change the apparel industry economics for low-income and immigrant women, envisioning a world in which all women possess the skills, confidence, and agency to design their futures and contribute to a sustainable world regardless of race or socio-economic background.
Their programs consist of:
15-week training program teaching the art, technique, and business of fashion design, where students graduate equipped with the toolkit to begin a career in fashion Business Incubator that offers management consulting, mentorship, technical assistance, advanced training, and professional equipment to Training Institute graduates and others in the fashion industry
A worker-owned sewn-goods production cooperative of CC Training Institute graduates that develops and incubates worker-owned cooperatives.
Interview Discoveries
people in the organisation
“What Empowers” surfaces the reasons for which employees push themselves to go over and beyond the listed tasks. It leans into the sense of purpose which employees feel through their everyday task
02 What Empowers
Investing in those who have been left out by society
Spirit of continuous improvement.
Pushing outside the comfort zone for the sake of larger good
01 | Spirit of continuous improvement.
“I'm most proud that we continue to improve”, remarked NZ as she reflected on her organization’s strengths It follows a dynamic ‘pause, reflect and adjust’ approach so that they can constantly learn what worked and tweak what didn’t They are clear on their purpose and this reflects in the attitude that the employees hold towards every task they do
02 | Investing in those who have been left out by society
“I’d like to be able to demonstrate that there are people who the society did not invest in for whatever reason, whether it's because of their gender or their zip code or their race or their immigration status. But if we can invest in these people, then that helps the whole society, right?” said NZ as she reflected on the challenges of the labor market in NYC which she believes can be easily addressed if the right kind of support and resources is provided to people who have skills and passion
DA also emphasized their rigorous recruiting process to identify and support a diverse group of women, regardless of their backgrounds, ensuring comprehensive support for each individual
03 | The ability to push outside the comfort zone for the sake of larger good.
Both NZ and DA shared their personal aversion to being in the spotlight and addressing the media. While they are most comfortable being a ‘behind-the-scenes’ force, they recognize the importance of representing CC in the media to shed light on the impactful work being done by CC and the women involved
“I’d
like to be able to demonstrate that there are people who the society did not invest in for whatever reason, whether it's because of their gender or their zip code or their race or their immigration status. But if we can invest in these people, then that helps the whole society, right?”
What Engages
A grand vision for the impact of the work people in the organisation
“What
A personal connection to the organizational mission
Team trust and support on uncharted paths
Interviewee’s reflections
At the conclusion of the AI interview, both interviewees expressed satisfaction in reflecting on their personal and organizational strengths and achievements
They noted that some of the questions were challenging because it forced them to think of positives which often gets overlooked in the midst of daily routines While focusing on what went wrong definitely helped them improve their subsequent work, the interview provided them with a moment to pause and contemplate the positive aspects too.
"I appreciate the questions because they made me think," remarked DA.
“I might ask myself some of these questions from time to time. Sometimes I just get bogged down and like the very unfun work, So I’m gonna ask myself these questions when I feel horrible” laughed NZ.
Personal Reflection
As an interviewer, AI helped me see the strengths and pride of the organisation. Sometimes when we think of impact, it's so unfortunate that we just look at numbers, but there is some sort of an impact that goes beyond those measurable tangible results AI interview helped me and the interviewees see those
Thank you
Deep Gratitude to CC & team for their time and participation in the project Heartfelt thanks to my professor Mariana Amatullo for her ongoing support throughout the project and teaching this framework
Kavita Mishra | MS Strategic Design & Management | Spring 24 Parsons school of Design