appreciative inquiry approach

7/28/2019 Appreciative Inquiry Approach

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Excerpted fromAppreciative Inquiry: Change at the Speed of Imagination, by Jane Magruder

Watkins and Bernard J. Mohr, Jossey-Bass/Pfeiffer, 2001.

What is Appreciative Inquiry?

A Definition

Appreciative Inquiry is a highly participatory and flexible process of seeking out

the life-giving properties that are present when an organization is performing at

its very best and weaving them into the fabric of the organization so that they continue to

strengthen and expand.

A Few Guiding Principals

Organizations are living human constructions. They are shaped by

the many dialogues that we have with one another in which we selectively

make sense of our past and present experience and history and create

shared images of what we anticipate in the future.

The process of asking questions, inquiry, is a powerful tool in shaping

reality. What we ask determines what we find. What we find determines

how we talk. How we talk determines how we imagine together. How we

imagine together determines what we achieve.

The more positive the questions used to guide organizational

change, the more long-lasting and effective the change effort. Framing

issues in the direction of health rather than pathology shifts the analysis of

malfunction to a holistic understanding of moments of optimal

performance.

Change is a continuous process, ongoing in every conversation that we

have, in every inquiry that we make, and in every action that we take to

know or understand something about our world.

The more people who share in the creation of what the organization is,

how it will function and what it is likely to become, the more energy there

is to make that vision become a reality.

Stories, as data collection tools, have a depth and breadth that allowsmeaning to be conveyed much more effectively than would a list of key

points or analytical reports. Stories engage the imagination and activate a

deeper level of listening.


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An Appreciative Inquiry Process

Phase I:

Discover

Phase II:

Dream

Phase III:

Design

Phase IV:

Destiny

People at all levels of the organization engage in conversation with

one another to discover the times when the organization was

working at its very best. This is often accomplished through

structured one-on-one interviews that have a strong story telling

component. The stories are told as richly as possible in order to

uncover the life-giving properties (structures, behaviors, systems,

resources, etc.) that contributed to peoples peak experiences

Participants come together in a large group to talk about what their

organization would look, feel and function like if those exceptional

moments and life-giving properties identified in the interviews

became the norm rather than the exception. Provocative

propositions are developed to serve as a foundation and inspiration

for future action.

The group develops an action plan for each provocative

proposition. These action plans outline the specific changes that

need to be made in order for the groups dream for the

organization to become a reality. This includes incorporating the

essence of the vision into the policies, core practices and systems.

The group decides who will do what to ensure that the design

becomes reality. People throughout the organization are involved

in implementing the change process.


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Appreciative Inquiry Questions

1. Tell me a story about the best times that you have had with this organization.Looking at your entire experience, recall a time when you felt most alive, most

involved, or most excited about your involvement. What made it an excitingexperience? Who was involved? Describe the event in detail.

2. What are the things you value deeply about yourself?

3. When you are feeling the best about work, what do you value about it?

4. What is it about this organization that you value the most? What is the single mostimportant thing that this organization has contributed to your life?

5. What do you think is the core value of this organization? What is it that, if it didnot exist, would make this organization totally different than it is?

6. If you had three wishes for this organization, what would they be?

Note: 2-3 questions specific to the needs & culture of the organization can be added.

Appreciative Inquiry questions for

successful organizations


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Successful people, teams and organizations spend time studying success. They know how

other people and organizations achieve extraordinary results and they know their own

strengths and limitations. They work from strengths in ways that make their limitations

irrelevant. Finding the root cause of success serves to ignite a sense of the possible.

Focusing on the root cause of success fosters creativity, builds relationships and informsfuture actions with positive possibilities. It provides a rich collection of ideas and

practices to be enhanced and spread throughout the organization.

1. What is your sense of the root cause of the ongoing success of this organization?Tell a story that illustrates something about how this root cause takes effect.

2. When, in your work, have you felt most connected to this root cause? What effectdid this sense of connection have on the work you were doing?

3. What work do you see to be done that will reaffirm this root cause of success?What three steps could be taken to initiate this process?

Note: 2-3 questions specific to the needs & culture of the organization can be added.

appreciative inquiry approach

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