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Appreciative inquiry approach
By RAM CHANDRA LAMICHHANE
- Developmental experts and political leaders say Nepal has
tremendous potentialities for development. Every five-year plan
shows the measurable development goals. However, we have
achieved nothing during the last 50 years. Though, we have tested
so many political systems viz. democratic system, Panchayat
system, constitutional monarchy and multiparty system the situation
of the people has remained the same, as it was 50 years before.
Since the unification of the country, the majority of the population
has been isolated from the mainstream of development. Poor, ethnic
groups, women and rural people don't have access to the political as
well as bureaucratic leadership. Their voices are not heard. The
political system is represented by very few elite groups. Neither the
state can represent the whole geographical setup nor all the caste,
and gender. Because of the lack of people's participation in the
governing system, the public services have also suffered from
extremely ineffective implementation. These services were left to be
delivered by the ill paid, ill organized, unmotivated lower cadres of a
mammoth bureaucracy known for its inefficiency and corruption.
And, the elitist bureaucrats and politicians had neither capacity nor
motivation to do anything for the sake of people and development.
It is high time to think of the prosperity of the country. For the
prosperity of the country, social psychology must be changed. The
elites must change their attitude and the vulnerable group must get
rid of all the humiliations. This group must be paid high degree of
respect. If we want to make Nepal prosperous, we must explore the
hidden potentiality behind our geographical setup, we must
recognize the strengths of our broader ethnicity composition, we
must respect our tradition of honesty and labor's nature, we must
resolve the difference among castes, clans and gender issues.
The opportunities must be disseminated according to the needbased demands. There must be equitable participation from all
regions of the country as well as from all ethnic groups and gender
in all positions of political and bureaucratic leadership. For that we
must have to change our social psychology, attitude and to some
extent our legal provisions as well.
Only right approach and initiation could bring a positive societal
change. The Appreciative Inquiry Approach could be an idealistic
way to meet the prosperity through equity and social justice in
Nepal. It is a new approach, explained by Prof. Dr. David
Cooperrider in Case Western Reserve's University America in 1988.
It is a theory of mindset, and a new approach to learning and
creativity. It explores the hidden strengths instead of the
weaknesses; it searches the root causes of the success. It believes
in the fact that every problem is an opportunity in disguise and
everyone is looking for opportunity, not waiting for the problems.
This approach has one Goal - Seeking the root causes of success,
two Laws - What we seek is what we find and where you believe you
are going is where you will end up, and three Principles - If we look
for problems, we find more problems. If we look for successes, we
find more successes. And, if we have a faith in our dream, we can
achieve miracles. In Nepal, we have a very strong combination of
the diverse ethnicity, different cultures and geographical setups and
traditions. It is needless to say that every community has adequate
potentialities of creativity and opportunities. Only the appreciative
inquiry approach can explore the hidden creativity and opportunities
of all ethnic groups. This approach imagines Nepal as a prosperous
and sovereign country with dignified citizens. The Four "D" cycle of
this approach, Discovery, Dream, Design and Delivery/Destiny is the
key to the societal transformation. This approach not only helps find
out the root causes of success but also helps explore more
innovative and creative opportunities hidden in the community. It
helps people lead a dignified life and increases their degree of selfrespect. If the marginalized group, women and poor people of the
society will be aware of their potentiality, they will be encouraged to
participate in the national building process. And if the rulers of the
country know about their strengths and capabilities, they will be
compelled to make them participate in a decisive role. Such an
approach helps grant the rights of minorities, to maintain the equity
and social justice in the society and country as well.