Accentuating the Negative

A post by Jim Webber has asked us to consider what OD would be like if we mastered the art of “Accentuating the Positive”. That is certainly a good question, though, at the risk of accentuating the negative, I think it is also a very tough one.

After all, what usually motivates organizations to call upon the services of an OD practitioner? Problems – trouble – negative circumstances. What makes organizations willing to change? According to many authorities, only the pain of their present situation, the so-called “burning platform”.

Consulting generally proceeds via problem identification, data collection, diagnosis, and recommendation. When we collect data in the organization, we almost hear people telling us the good things – for a few minutes or so – which is then followed by as much venting about what is wrong as we are willing to hear.

Given, then, that clients are invariably thinking about what is wrong and that people in the organization are on the same negative wavelength, if we want to, as the cliché has it, “meet them where they are” isn’t there a risk that a positive mindset on our part can actually create a disconnect? Which of course is not to say that Appreciative Inquiry is not a valid intervention, but perhaps we also need to consider why positive thinking seems to run against the average organizational culture.