Appreciative Intelligence, as discussed by Tojo Thatchenkery and Carol Metzker, is the ability to perceive potential and possibilities, exemplified by Charles Pellerin's leadership during the Hubble Space Telescope crisis. Despite initial failures due to a flawed mirror, Pellerin's unique perspective allowed him to reframe the situation as an opportunity for improvement rather than a failure. His analytical skills and memory enabled him to identify solutions, secure funding, and ultimately lead the project to success, showcasing the power of a positive mindset in overcoming challenges.
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Appreciative intelligence allows us to see what’s possible and make it happen
When the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) launched the Hubble Space Telescope in 1990, the general public and scientists in the aerospace field both held high hopes. The world waited expectantly for answers to riddles of the universe that would be revealed by the telescope’s views of space.
But blurry images caused by a flawed mirror sent those hopes crashing to Earth. The U.S. Congress demanded an explanation for the failure. The project and its creators became the butt of jokes on late-night television. Stress and health problems afflicted many NASA engineers.
“It was traumatic,” says the former director of NASA’s astrophysics division, Charles Pellerin, who oversaw the launch of the Hubble. Nobody could see how to fix the problem.
Well, nobody except Pellerin. He not only had insight on how to solve the problem but found the funding and resources to repair the telescope, for which he received NASA’s Outstanding Leadership Medal. But his real reward came over the next decade when the telescope provided spectacular images and important discoveries about stars, galaxies and other cosmic phenomena.
What was the secret of Pellerin’s success? Dozens of other people at NASA had high IQs and world-class technical knowledge—they were, after all, rocket scientists. They could perform the same analyses, use the same logic and master the same models and mathematical formulas. So what gave Pellerin the edge? What made him persist until the telescope was fixed when others felt overwhelmed by the challenge?
His mind perceived reality differently. . . .
This is an excerpt from Appreciative Intelligence: Seeing the Mighty Oak in the Acorn, by Tojo Thatchenkery and Carol Metzker (Berrett-Koehler Publishers, 2006).
Tojo Thatchenkery is an associate professor of organizational development and knowledge management at George Mason University, near Washington, D.C. Carol Metzker is an organizational learning consultant and contributing editor for Investor Relations Update.
He reframed the situation as an unfinished project, not a failed one. He never lost sight of the potential for a positive outcome—a space telescope that worked. He saw how that positive future could happen as the result of technical solutions