Presentation of Victoria Lavis at the 1st Global Conference on Positive Change, April 2017

1. 11.04.171 1st Global conference on positive change Amsterdam 2017

2. Bringing positive change in equality & diversity
policy & practice to UK prisons
2-6th September2 who are we and why are we here?
Chris BraithwaiteDr Victoria Lavis
University of Bradford
84,400
prisoners
32,835
prison staff 122 prisons

3. 17 April 2017 PRESENTATION TITLE AND AUTHOR3
The Wall
Areas for + change
Our challenge
bringing positive change
to prisons
What would you
have done?
sharing your experience
& skills
What did we do?
sharing our skills &
experience
Breaking the
Wall together
applying our collective
skills & experience.
+ change through shared learning

4. 2-6th September4
how do we bring positive change to an
environment like this?

5. 17 April 2017 PRESENTATION TITLE AND AUTHOR5 Barriers to researching or opportunities for innovation?
‘We can’t have
prisoners
interviewing
each other…it’ll
be an excuse to
traffic things’
‘Are you mad?
You can’t put X
and Y in a room
together –
there’s no safe
way to manage
that risk!’
‘no one really wants to
see things get better
for prisoners’
‘they give out
a survey every
other week in
here. No-one’s
gonna be
interested’
‘’you researchers and
your reports – they’re
just another stick to
beat us with’

6. 17 April 2017 PRESENTATION TITLE AND AUTHOR6 how would you have approached the situation?
Think over your own
experience of what has
worked effectively for you
in the past – what has
worked best?
Try to identify the
resources both human and
practical that enabled you
to deliver your very best

7. 2-6th September7
a metaphor which helped us think differently in this
negative & challenging situation

8. 17 April 20178 what is appreciative inquiry?

9. We are
energised by
and
gravitate
toward the
positive &
affirming
Inquiry is
intervention
Make sense
of our
worlds
through
stories
We all dream
but not
everyone
realises their
dream aloneWords
make
Worlds
17 April 2017 PRESENTATION TITLE AND AUTHOR9 taking AI out of the box
New worlds
require new
words
Principles of AI

10. 17 April 2017 PRESENTATION TITLE AND AUTHOR10 three keys to our success
1. AI is just as powerful in
generating solutions to the
challenges you face as an
agent of change, as it is in
effecting solutions for the client
or situation
2. Focussing on the principles of
AI rather than the method opens
the door to innovative
adaptations
3. Adopting appreciativeness
as part of your ‘being’ not only
your ‘doing’ is a powerful
catalyst for positive change

11. 17 April 2017 PRESENTATION TITLE AND AUTHOR11
Key No 1.
AI is just as powerful in generating solutions to the challenges
you face as an agent of change, as it is in effecting solutions
for the client or situation

12. 17 April 2017 PRESENTATION TITLE AND AUTHOR12 using AI to solve the challenge of a research design

13. through collaboration, inclusion & engagement

14. 17 April 2017we co-constructed a generative research design

15. 17 April 2017 PRESENTATION TITLE AND AUTHOR15
Key No 2.
focussing on the principles of AI rather than the
method opens the door to innovative adaptations

16. 17 April 2017 PRESENTATION TITLE AND AUTHOR16
realisation - the AI phases can inform the design & delivery of
most research tools

17. 17 April 2017 PRESENTATION TITLE AND AUTHOR17 adaptation – two sides of the same coin

18. 17 April 2017 PRESENTATION TITLE AND AUTHOR18
adaptation – mining for the positive values hidden inside the
negative response
Interviewer: “Think
back to the induction
process when you first
came into prison – what
was most helpful about
that experience?”
Prisoner: “Nothing! –
Its rubbish. I was made
to feel like an idiot –
ignored, patronised,
mocked ….”
Interviewer: “So, its important to you to feel valued,
accepted and included..?”
Participant: “Yes…I suppose it is”
Interviewer: “Can you think of an occasion or place where
you did feel accepted and included?”
Participant: “Yes, when I went to
the workshops. The instructors couldn’t have been more
welcoming … it made all the difference”

19. 17 April 2017 PRESENTATION TITLE AND AUTHOR19
adaptation – using everyday metaphors to make participation
meaningful to everyone

20. 17 April 2017 PRESENTATION TITLE AND AUTHOR20
adaptation – from fairytale castle to
real, achievable and time-bound change

21. 17 April 2017 PRESENTATION TITLE AND AUTHOR21
Key No 3.
adopting appreciativeness as part of your ‘being’ not only your
‘doing’ is a powerful catalyst for positive change

22. 17 April 2017 PRESENTATION TITLE AND AUTHOR22
our ‘being’ is absorbed and reflected back to influence change
in cultural behaviour

23. 17 April 2017 PRESENTATION TITLE AND AUTHOR23 ‘being’ appreciative means valuing all sides equally

24. 17 April 2017 PRESENTATION TITLE AND AUTHOR24
Executive Steering group
Researchers,, diversity managers, national policy
makers, trainers, advisors, academic & third sector
advisors
Prisoner Advisory
Group
(PAG) representation
from all prisoner
groups
Prison Steering Group
(PSG)
Staff representation from all areas of
prison, diversity manager, researchers
& a prisoner from the PAG
suspicion & mistrust can be overcome by a virtuous circle of
transparency & accountability

25. 17 April 2017 PRESENTATION TITLE AND AUTHOR25
Epic levels of change become possible when everyone owns
& understands their part in the big picture

26. 2-6th September26
the transformative power of appreciative
methods of inquiry and change

27. 2-6th September27 back to our metaphor and back to the ‘Wall’2-6th September27 back to our metaphor and back to the ‘Wall’back to our metaphor and back to the ‘Wall’back to our metaphor and back to the ‘Wall’back to our metaphor and back to the ‘Wall’back to our metaphor and back to the ‘Wall’

28. 17 April 2017 PRESENTATION TITLE AND AUTHOR28 even in the darkest and most challenging places

29. 17 April 2017 PRESENTATION TITLE AND AUTHOR29 AI releases the energy to affect positive change
1. AI is just as powerful in
generating solutions to the
challenges you face as an
agent of change, as it is in
effecting solutions for the client
or situation
2. Focussing on the principles of
AI rather than the method opens
the door to innovative
adaptations
3. Adopting appreciativeness
as part of your ‘being’ not only
your ‘doing’ is a powerful
catalyst for positive change

30. 11.04.17 1st Global conference on positive change Amsterdam 201730