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Appreciative Inquiry helps your organization build on strengths and successes to create a positive future. It’s known for speeding the process of change implementation because people understand changes built from their best experiences, and are willing to move forward rather than resist change.
An asset-based process designed by David Cooperrider, Appreciative Inquiry replaces a problem-solving approach with a method to uncover the good within an organization. It then builds on these discoveries to plan for change.
This approach enhances strategic planning, teambuilding, program evaluation—even performance assessment. The key is building a positive future based on your successes.
THE 4-I CYCLE
INQUIRE—Identifying the best of what is
Positive change happens when we inquire about what is working well in an organization. The process often starts with participants interviewing each other in pairs about the best of times in their organization, identifying related values, and going on to describe wishes for the future. Themes from these stories are shared with other stakeholders.
IMAGINE—Envision what could be
Stakeholders create a visual and written vision from the best “discovery” themes, envisioning what the organization might be like if “the best of what is” occurred more often.
INNOVATE—Identify what will be
Stakeholders discuss their vision for the future, exploring key strategies and resources essential to making the dream a reality. Individuals and the group answer the key question: “What am I willing to commit to, and what are we willing to do together, to make our dream come alive?”
IMPLEMENT—Making the dream happen
Finally, organization members, with the help of other stakeholders, implement individual and collective changes, and continue to add to their dream and strategies, by asking new questions…to gather more ideas…to create more energy for positive change.
“We have been taught to believe that negative equals realistic and positive equals unrealistic.”
—Susan Jeffers
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