What Is Appreciative Inquiry?
“Appreciative Inquiry (AI) is a radically new approach to change in organizations. It completely lets go of problem-based-management, and has become the most important advance in action research in the past decade, and an organization development’s philosopher’s stone.
AI is the cooperative search for the best in people, their organizations, and the world around them. It involves systematic discovery of what gives a system “life”, when it is most effective and capable in economic, ecological, and human terms. AI involves the art and practice of asking questions that strengthen a system’s capacity to heighten positive potential. It mobilizes inquiry through crafting an “unconditional positive question” often involving hundreds or sometimes thousands of people. In AI, intervention gives way to imagination and innovation; instead of negation, criticism, and spiraling diagnosis, there is discovery, dream, and design. AI assumes that every living system has untapped, rich, and inspiring accounts of the positive. Link this “positive change core” directly to any change agenda, and changes never thought possible are suddenly and democratically mobilized.
The “positive change core” is one of the greatest and largely unrecognized resources in change management today. The most important insight we have learned with AI to date, is that human systems grow toward what they persistently ask questions about. The single most important action a group can take to liberate the human spirit and consciously construct a better future is to make positive change the common and explicit property of all.”
(Cooperrider & Whitney – 1999)
The Spirit of Appreciative Inquiry training draws on the collective resources of your people to affect change in the work environment. Along with renewed commitment, pride and passion, the goal of the training is:
- To acquaint the participants with the fundamentals of AI.
- To give the participants a hands-on experience of some of the processes that make AI a powerful transformational method for organizations.
After an encounter with Hedy and Yumi, you and your organization will be transformed. You will embark on the road to excellence!
Please contact Geoffrey at 305-604-0010 to schedule this training for your company.
The Spirit of Appreciative Inquiry flyer (PDF) in English
