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Appreciative Inquiry


A Strengths-based Approach to
Building on the Best, While Acknowledging
Opportunities for Improvement


GOOD to GREAT
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Appreciative Inquiry



Locating the Energy for Change:




The Birth of Appreciative
Inquiry
David Cooperrider
& Suresh
Srivastva in 1987
With colleagues
from Case
Western
University & Taos
Institute
What Is Appreciative Inquiry
Used For?
Consult with people
Learn from past
experience
Involve whole
organisation in
change
Build a vision for
the future everyone
can share and help
put into practice
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A capacity-building approach that
selectively seeks to locate, highlight
and illuminate the life-giving forces
within the organization, group or
community.

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Seeking out the best of what is
to help ignite the collective
imagination of what might be,
and energy to create what will be

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Meaning of AI
Appreciation~
the act of recognizing the best in people &
organizations
affirming past and present strengths ,
success and potentials
perceiving things that give life( health,
vitality, excellence) to living systems
increase in value.
~ synonymous to valuing, prizing,
esteeming
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Inquiry~
the act of exploration and discovery
to ask questions
to be curious
to be open to see new potentials and
possibilities
~ discovery , search , exploration
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Appreciative Inquiry Assumes

Stakeholders in any system
already have within them the
wisdom and creativity to
confront even the most difficult
challenges.

--The Systems Thinker, 2002
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Beyond problem solving to appreciative inquiry
Problem solving
felt need -
identification of
problem
analysis of possible
causes
analysis of possible
solutions
action planning
Basic assumption
organization is a
problem to be
solved
Appreciative inquiry
valuing the best of
what is appreciating
envisioningwhat
might be
Dialoguing what
should be
Innovating what
will be
Basic assumption
organization is a
solution - an
opportunity to be
embraced
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Appreciative Inquiry in Organizations


5.DELIVER/
DESTINY
Implement




1.DEFINE
Affirmative Topic
-What we want
more of-



2.DISCOVER
Gather/Analyze
Data
-Whats Best-



3.DREAM
Set a High
Purpose




4.DESIGN
Make a Plan


5-D
Cycle
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The 5-D Cycle:
DEFINE the purpose and area of inquiry and learning;
what do we want more of here?
engagement!!!!!

DISCOVER what gives life to Glenmark quality team;
explore what is happening when the leaders are at its
best;
..best practices in our culture ?????

DREAM what might be; what the world is calling the
organization to be;
think big ! Think different!

DESIGN ways to create the ideal (the
dream) as articulated by us;
..strategize make action plans

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Discover
What gives life?
(The best of what is)
Appreciating
Dream
What might be?
(What is the world calling for)
Envisioning Results

Design
What should be - the ideal?
Co-constructing



Deliver
How to empower, learn,
and adjust/improvise?
Sustaining



Affirmative
Topic Choice
The 4-D Cycle
The Positive Core
Energy
Enthusiasm
Commitment
Action
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What is Appreciative Inquiry?
A practical philosophy and a highly
flexible and effective process.

Collaborative, inclusive discovery of what
gives a system life when it is most
effective, capable, and aligned;

Weaving of that new knowledge into the
fabric of the organizations formal and
informal infrastructure.

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Who in this room has a challenge
theyd like to approach in a new,
more positive way?

If so, this sessions for you!
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What is Appreciative Inquiry?
...Not another organizational development
(OD) intervention

A new approach to existing OD interventions
such as strategic planning, business process
redesign, teambuilding, organization
restructuring, individual and project
evaluation, coaching, diversity work, and so
on
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The 5-D Cycle:
DEFINE the purpose and area of inquiry and learning;
what do we want more of here?

DISCOVER what gives life to an organization; explore
what is happening when the organization is at its best;

DREAM what might be; what the world is calling the
organization to be;

DESIGN ways to create the ideal (the dream) as
articulated by the whole organization;

DELIVER / DESTINY through on-going and iterative
processes; not a static plan, but a dynamic process.
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Purpose
Transform challenges into
powerful strategic questions
to quickly discover the strengths,
best practices, and passions for
improvement and innovation that
already exist in your organization.

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Transforming to Appreciative Questions
British Airways
Challenge Affirmative Topic
Baggage Problems Service Recovery
Service Recovery Exceptional Arrival
Experience
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Transforming to Appreciative Questions
British Airways
Challenge Affirmative Topic
Baggage Problems Service Recovery
Service Recovery Exceptional Arrival
Experience
Appreciative Questions:
1. Describe your most memorable arrival experience, as a
customer or, as airline personnel. What made it
memorable for you? How did you feel?
2. If you had a magic wand, how would you use it to enhance
our overall arrivals experience for our customers?
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Session Overview

Intro to Appreciative Inquiry (AI)
Experience an appreciative interview
More about AI
Anatomy and physiology of appreciative
questions
Examples
Q&A
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Classic Appreciative
Interview
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1. Think about a time when you were
really engaged in and excited about your
work. Tell me your story about that time.
a. What was happening?
b. What were you feeling?
c. What made it a great moment?
d. What were others doing that
contributed to this being a great
moment for you?
e. What did you do to contribute to
creating this moment?
2. If you had three wishes for your
organization, what would they be?
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Characteristics of Great AI Questions
Stated in affirmative.

Assume the glass is half full.

An invitation to tell stories.

Value what is. Help person locate past or
present experiences worth valuing.

Evoke essential values, aspirations and
inspirations.
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Define the Affirmative Topic
Transforming deficit issues or challenges into
appreciative questions starts with defining the
affirmative topic:

1. Transform the deficit issue or challenge to

2. An affirmative topic

3. Write appreciative questions
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Examples of Affirmative Topics
Vibrant successful companies
Optimal margins
Magnetic connections with customers
Transformational dialogue (improbable pairs)
Business as an agent of world benefit
Exceptional learning experiences
Revolutionary customer response
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Transforming to an Appreciative Question

University Primary Schools Partnership
Challenge Affirmative Topic

Too Few Collaborative
Projects Exceptional Collaborations
Exceptional Collaborations Impacting the
Lives of Children
Appreciative Question
Think of a time when you knew deeply in your heart
and soul that your work was making a real difference in
the lives of children. Please tell me a story about that
time

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Challenge Transformation Worksheet




Current
Challenge,
Feedback,
What Do
We Want
More Of
Around
Here?

Affirmative
Topic

Appreciative
Question






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Its not about changing the people .
Its about helping and empowering
people to change their world
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In every society , organization
something works
what we focus becomes reality
asking question gives direction and
influences the group
people develop confidence when they
carry past positive experiences.
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In summary the Ds are

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DI SCOVER

Discovering periods of excellence and achievement.


Through interviews and storytelling, participants remember significant
past achievements and periods of excellence.
When was their organization or community functioning at its best?

What happened to make those periods of excellence possible?

By telling stories, people identify and analyze
the unique factorssuch as leadership, relationships, technologies,
core processes, structures, values, learning processes, external relations,
or planning methodsthat contributed to peak experiences.

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DREAM
Dreaming an ideal organization or community.


In this step people use past achievements to envisage a desired future.

This aspect of appreciative inquiry is different from other vision-
creating or planning methodologies because the images of the
communitys future that emerge are grounded in history, and as such
represent compelling possibilities.

In this sense appreciative inquiry is both practical, in that it is based
on the positive present, and generative, in that it seeks to expand the
potential of the organization or community.

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Designing new structures and processes.
This stage is intended to be
provocativeto develop, through consensus, concrete short-
and longterm goals that will achieve the dream. Provocative
propositions usually take the form of statements such as, This
company will champion innovation by creating new teams that
integrate marketing and product development more effectively.
Or,
This village will protect what remains of the local forest
and will plant one thousand trees over the next two seasons to
ensure the forests survival for future generations. Provocative
propositions should stretch an organization or community, but
they should also be achievable because they are based on past
periods of excellence.

DESIGN

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Delivering the dream.
In this stage, people act on their provocative
propositions, establishing roles and responsibilities, developing
strategies, forging institutional linkages and mobilizing resources
to achieve their dream. New project plans will be developed and
initiated, new relationships will be established and the group will
proceed with vision
and a renewed sense of purpose. As a result of the appreciative
process,
people will have a better understanding of the relevance of new
initiatives
to the long-term vision of the organization or community.

DELIVER
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AI
can be used for
Project planning
Project monitoring
Project evaluations
Retreats
Team building

the learning circle
VISCIOUS CYCLE

CHALLENGE
CAPABILITY
SELF TALK
EFFORTS

conditionin
g
RESULT
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the learning circle
FINISHED FILES ARE THE
RESULT OF YEARS OF
SCIENTIFIC STUDY COMBINED WITH
THE EXPERIENCE OF
MANY YEARS AND OF MANY PEOPLE
the learning circle

I CAN READ IT! CAN YOU

fi yuo cna raed tihs, yuo hvae a sgtrane mnid
too.
Cna yuo raed tihs? Olny 55 plepoe can.

i cdnuolt blveiee taht I cluod aulaclty
uesdnatnrd waht I was rdanieg. The
phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mnid,
aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde
Uinervtisy, it dseno't mtaetr in waht oerdr the
ltteres in a wrod are, the olny iproamtnt tihng
is taht the frsit and lsat ltteer be in the rghit
pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you
can sitll raed it whotuit a pboerlm. Tihs is
bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey
lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe.
Azanmig huh? yaeh and I awlyas tghuhot
slpeling was ipmorantt!
the learning circle
How many squares do you see
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VICTORIOUS CYCLE

GOAL
I CAN
2 VOICES
NEW
SKILLS
Self
esteem
Attitude
success
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1. Think about a time when you were really engaged in and
excited about your work. Tell me your story about that
time.
a. What was happening?
b. What were you feeling?
c. What made it a great moment?
d. What were others doing that contributed to
this being a great moment for you?
e. What did you do to contribute to
creating this moment?
2. If you had three wishes for your organization, what
would they be?
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Interview your partner

Could you tell me more about that?
What made that situation really special - that it stands out
from all others?
How did you feel?
What other senses does it evoke?
How did that affect you?
Has it changed you ?
If so how?

Suspend your own assumptions or judgments.
Take good notes and listen for great quotes / stories.
Be like a child with a sense of wonder.
Some people need time to respond allow for silence.
Observe their body language , tone , facial expressions



What is
Appreciative
Inquiry?