On The Edge: Nursing in the Age of Complexity
The AIC Fractal
Linking
Purpose, Power and Process
Control
Influence
Appreciation
William Smith
wesmith@odii.com
Daniel Pesut
dpesut@iupui.edu
Cynthia Hornberger
cynthia.hornberger@washburn.edu
On The Edge: Nursing in the Age of Complexity
The AIC Fractal
Linking
Purpose, Power and Process
1. Fractals are patterns within patterns.
2. They are nature’s super-efficient way of organizing.
3. They can produce extremely highly functioning organization by iterating very
simple patterns through multiple levels to produce very complex forms.
4. The complexity is produced from very little information and a parsimonious use of
energy.
5. The results are often astoundingly beautiful.
6. AIC is a fractal that builds a highly effective organizing process from a pattern
built on three power relationships:
a) Appreciation—openness, lightness, spirit, yin
Control
Influence
b) Influence—relatedness, energy, heart, yin/yang
Appreciation
c) Control—closure, strength, body, yang
William Smith
7. This pattern can be used at any scale
from a 15 min. problem-solving session
wesmith@odii.com
Pesut issues of our time.
through design addressing the mostDaniel
complex
dpesut@iupui.edu
How many such patterns of three
three can you see in this slide?
Cynthiawithin
Hornberger
cynthia.hornberger@washburn.edu
(See
last slide for answer.)
On The Edge: Nursing in the Age of Complexity:
The AIC Fractal
Linking
Purpose, Power and Process
Control
Influence
Appreciation
William Smith
wesmith@odii.com
Daniel Pesut
dpesut@iupui.edu
Cynthia Hornberger
cynthia.hornberger@washburn.edu
Purpose of Presentation
This Power Point is designed to give those who did not
attend the previous conferences a brief background in the
AIC concept and its introduction to Nursing so far.
We bring you up to speed by taking the main points of
Liana’s September presentation and using the AIC Fractal
pattern to show how they can be organized both as a
leadership model and a framework for action.
We then show the results of an AIC Mapping Process
Control
applied to the discussions carried out
in theInfluence
2010
Transforming Nursing Conference. The results giveAppreciation
an
Appreciation of the Nursing Culture and show its
preparedness to implement the kind of ideas presented by
Liana.
What is the AIC Fractal
Every purpose no matter how big or small creates three
power fields:
1. a Control field that consists of everything you control
relative to achievement of that purpose
2. an Influence field that consists of everything outside of
your area of control that you can influence relative to
achievement of that purpose
Conscious Purpose
3. an Appreciative field that consists of everything that
affects your purpose but which you cannot influence or
control
Control
Influence
Appreciation
Unconscious Purpose
On the Edge Conference
Maine in 2009
This relatively simple use of the AIC Fractal occurred impromptu at
the end of the conference. Faculty, students and administrators
attending an optional session on AIC decided to put it to
immediate use.
Their purpose was to obtain a successful launch of their program
by involving all faculty, staff and students present in the process.
Conscious Purpose
In just over an hour they were able to:
a) gain everyone's perception of the ideals and realities they
brought to the program
b) have a discussion of priorities and what factors would
support and oppose them
c) draw some key lines of action about how they would address
Control
them
d) create a degree of excitement
and a greater sense of purpose
Influence
Appreciation
Note: This simple use of AIC to bring people together around purpose
and action is one of the most common uses ofUnconscious
the AIC Fractal.
Purpose
On the Edge Conference
Spokane in 2010
The results of this experience were so positive that AIC was
chosen to address the most relevant and complex issue the
organizers could think of at the 2010 conference. They chose the
issue of Transforming Nursing Education.
Such complex issues require the next more
powerful level
of AIC
Conscious
Purpose
in which we engage not only the organizer’s power to accomplish
their purpose but each of the stakeholder’s purpose and their
power to support and oppose each other. We now have multiple
organizations with no one in control.
The next level of organization
requires more understanding of the
Control
AIC fractal as the power relationships within an organization and
between the organization and its Influence
environments.
Appreciation
Unconscious Purpose
The AIC Fractal
Your power consists not only of what you want to control,
influence and appreciate but how that fits with others’
reactions to the exercise of your power.
Others can use their appreciation, influence or control to
counter or support your exercise of power.
Conscious Purpose
The more you are aware of your power relative to that of
others the more “power-full” you are relative to the
achievement of your purpose.
Control
Influence
Appreciation
Unconscious Purpose
THE AIC FRACTAL AS POWER RELATIONSHIPS
Your power relative to others is symbolized by
capital A, I and C
A-a
A
Your Appreciation
Others’
Appreciation
II-a
Your Influence
C-a
C
Others’
Influence
Your Control
C-c
C
I-c
I
A
A-c
C-i
C
I-i
I
Others’
Control
A
A-i
The others’ Power relative to you is symbolized by
the small a, i and c
THE NINE AIC POWER RELATIONSHIPS THAT MAKE
UP THE FRACTAL
A-a
I-a
C-a
C-c
I-c
A-c
C-i
I-i
A-i
THE NINE AIC POWER RELATIONSHIPS THAT MAKE
UP THE FRACTAL
A-a
I-a
C-a
C-c
I-c
A-c
C-i
I-i
A-i
We now have nine possible power relationships that can be accessed
through any purpose. Our preference for and use or lack of use of these
powers determines how well we achieve our purposes.
Levels of Purpose
Every level of purpose creates these same nine power relationships.
Ideals
A-The most open possible
level of purpose (Global)
Values I-Jointly shared purpose
(External)
Conscious Purpose
Goals
C-Closed purpose (Internal)
Motives c-The need behind a goal
Emotions i-The reaction to value
Unconscious Purpose
differences
Instincts a-Basic human drives
Similarly every level of subconscious purpose creates the same nine power relationships
Levels of Purpose
Ideals
Values
Conscious Purpose
Goals
Motives
The more we are aware of our levels of purpose and the power that
they create the moreEmotions
“power-full” we can become.
Unconscious Purpose
The following chart illustrates an
organizing process for creating and
Instincts
maintaining such awareness.
Means →
Ends
↓
a
Learning
Global
External
C
Internal
c
Doing
Relate Diplomatically
To Our World
A
I
i
Relating
Appraise
Priorities and
Relationships
Engage
LEADERSHIP
Stakeholders
Develop
Strategic Options
and Models
Team Working
Agreements
AIC as an Organizing Framework
a
Learning
i
Relating
c
Doing
A
Global
I
External
We can now view Liana’s presentation on the Future of
Nursing through this framework to better understand the
leadership and organizing processes necessary to
LEADERSHIP
implement the recommendations.
We can also understand the cultural preparedness of the
Nursing Profession as revealed in our AIC Mapping process
completed at the 2010 Conference.
C
Internal
AIC as an Organizing Framework
GLOBAL INSIGHT AND IMPACT
Diplomatic
Global National
Presence
A-i
Appraisal of New
Partnerships
And Forms of
Collaboration
I-a
Health
LEADERSHIP
I-i
Committees
Team System
C-i
PATIENT BASED SERVICE
Strategic
Partners
New Models
I-c
Transforming Nursing Education
The Results From The 2010 Conference
All Individual And Group Preferences for (AIC) Ends and (aic) Means.
Ranking
Power
Possibilities Ends/Means
1
I-c
+48
2
A-c
+13
3
A-i
+7
4
A-a
+5
5
I-i
0
Ranking
Realities
A-c
Weighting
6
C-c
I-c
C-i
Priority Issues Identified by Groups and Individuals
Finding our Voice. Confident Leadership. Change
A-a
Advocacy.
Healing Focused. Holistic Health, Basic Education, StudentCentered Education.
I-a
Being the Wise Person. Visibility. Duality. Collective Voice.
Global Song of Nursing: Unified, Unheard, Invisible,
C-a
Lifelong Learning.
No Entries
C-i
I-i
-2
7
I-a
-16
8
C-c
-17
9
C-a
-19
Community Nursing. Tertiary Care Systems
A-i
Caring Undervalued. Bringing together. Advocate with
Civility. Diversity.
First Line Care Providers. Statue Quo. Fearfull.
First-line Care. Working up to Standards. Healthcare
“Machine” Paradigm. Define Profession.
Nursing’s Fractal Pattern of Purpose and Power
LEARNING
RELATING
DOING
The Preferences for (AIC) Ends and (aic) Means produced this
Fractal pattern.
.
IDEALS
GLOBAL
VALUES
EXTERNAL
GOALS
INTERNAL
This pattern is then passed through a digital program that
interprets the results
Our Ideals
Our Ideals
1.As nurses, we believe that it is possible to achieve anything. This
belief resonates through all our other ideals, values and goals and
shows in a very energetic, interactive way that our colleagues find
infectious.
2.This belief helps us hold true to our underlying principles and the
higher meanings that guide our profession.
3.We strive to be open and flexible. We like to be sure we are working
on the issues that really matter.
Omnipotence
I-c
Truth
A-c
Wisdom
A-i
A Fuller Version is available at:
http://www.plexusinstitute.org/resource/dynamic/forums/20110309_161836_17724.pdf
Our Values
1.Our core value is political in that we understand that others have
different interests, and we constantly try to take their interests into
account. We engage energetically with our stakeholders, and we also
expect them to engage equally with us.
2.We support this engagement with spiritual values that link us to the
highest levels of purpose of the whole of healthcare and its community.
3.We want to be an authentic voice in the strategic dialogue on health
care issues. As we engage with our stakeholders, we are concerned
about being treated as equals. We know what we want, but we also want
to be sure that all others have an equal chance to influence education
and healthcare.
Spiritual
A-a
Political
I-i
Authentic
C-i
Our Goals
1.Our primary goal is the quality of care we provide, which includes
understanding how that fits into the larger picture of healthcare. Our direct
involvement in patient care gives us an advantage in seeing how the whole
system functions.
2.We are confident that we will carry out our commitments and will achieve
our goals, and we fully expect our colleagues to do the same. We are quite
assertive in commitment to our goals and thorough in appraising any
conditions that could affect their achievement.
3.We focus on producing value from the relationships we have with patients
and all those affecting their care. We remain open to identify potential positive
and negative factors that could affect implementation of those values.
Evaluation
I-a
Operations
C-c
Quality
C-a
How We Appreciate Our Whole Situation (Mindset)
1. At this stage of our development as a profession we are very self-aware and use that
awareness to create harmony in our world of healthcare. We are disciplined in the pursuit
of our ideas and their application to education, nursing and healthcare. However, we need
more support and agreement from others in healthcare and the community in order to
continue our quest.
2.We sense that quality is not reaching the standards we aspire to, but we continue to
work hard and stand our ground though we feel unappreciated. Our instinct is to get out.
However, we continue with our work. We tell ourselves that we don't care, and we hide our
true feelings.
3.Our means for managing the tensions that arise between our ideals and the provision of
quality service are more than adequately met by our willingness to engage as equals with
others to negotiate difference—our core political value.
Omnipotence
I-c
Political
I-i
Quality
C-a
Politics: Developing Our Influence
1.As we have already seen our core value is political, so effective influence comes relatively easy
to us. There is no change necessary.
2.We should, however, become less focused on the principles—or truth—involved in our
diplomacy and more willing to be open to influence to consider a wider range of possibilities.
3.In negotiating options we should think less about the work itself and more about the quality of
the agreements reached.
Note :The recommendations for change try to keep the ends, the large (A), (I) and (C) the same
and make changes only in the means, the small (a), (i) and (c), so increasing influence is
achieved by increasing the amount of influence means (i).
Truth
A-c
Wisdom
A-i
Political
I-i
Political
I-i
Operations
C-c
Agreement
C-i
Execution: Developing Our Control
1.At the policy level the model suggests that we become a little more open. It asks us to consider
a wider use of ideas, people and resources for implementation—for example, from outside of
Nursing.
2.At the strategic level our emphasis on the political process is just what is required and requires
no change.
3.At the operations level it suggests that our learning process be much more focused on
operational results rather on resolving difference of values that arise.
Note: These relatively small changes end up giving us an ideal use of the maximum possible
range of balanced ends and means A-a, I-i and C-c.
Wisdom
A-i
Political
I-i
Evaluation
I-a
Enlightenment
A-a
Political
I-i
Operations
C-c
Individual Takeaway for All of Us
It doesn’t matter whether by
personality we are
(A), (I) or (C) types.
We can all be healed
(made whole)
By choosing to use
(a) (i) and (c) means equally.
REFERENCES
A fuller version of the Appreciation
http://www.plexusinstitute.org/resource/dynamic/foru
ms20110309_161836_17724.pdf
Background on AIC use in the on the
Edge Conferences.
http://www.plexusinstitute.org/members/forums/posts.
asp?group=69372&topic=208766&DGPCrPg=1&hhSe
archTerms=&#Post208766
The Creative Power: Transforming Ourselves, Our
Organizations and Our World. Routledge, 2009.
©
William E. Smith Ph.D.
wesmithic@odii.com
www.odii.com
Graphics
Deborah Barbee
Barbee Graphics
barbee.deborah@gmail.com
On The Edge: Nursing in the Age of Complexity:
Sky
A
Green arrow, triangle
A
Red arrow, triangle
I
Blue arrow, triangle
C
The AIC Fractal
Linking
Purpose, Power and Process
Three
Triangles
within triangle
Sea
I
Three dots
Yellow A, Red I, Indigo C
Three letters AIC
Three shades
Light
A
Medium
I
Dark
C
Earth
C
Yellow Center
C
Dynamic Arrows
I
Black Whole
A
William Smith
wesmith@odii.com
Daniel Pesut
dpesut@iupui.edu
Cynthia Hornberger
cynthia.hornberger@washburn.edu
Three Circle
Three Colors
And many more depending on
how macro or micro you want
to look….