Appreciative Inquiry

Asking the right questions

"The most serious mistakes are not being
made as a result of wrong answers. The
truly dangerous thing is asking the wrong
question." Peter Drucker

Setting the Context

Focus of Assessment

Significantly
Better Results

Maintain or Tweak?
What are we doing well?
(within some +/- gap)

Fix or Abandon?
Whats broken or
ineffective?
Introducing Appreciative
Inquiry (AI) A Whirlwind Tour
What is Appreciative Inquiry (AI)?
Appreciative Inquiry is the study and
exploration of what gives life to human
systems when they function at their best.

This approach to personal change and

organization change is based on the
assumption that questions and dialogue
about strengths, successes, values,
hopes, and dreams are themselves
transformational.

(from The Power of Appreciative Inquiry by

Diana Whitney and Amanda Trosten-Bloom)
The Essence of
Appreciative Inquiry (AI)

Positive Core
A Positive View of Organizations
Organizations are, first and foremost, centers of
human relatedness and relationships come alive
where there is an appreciative eye, when people
see the best in one another and the whole, when
they share their dreams and ultimate concerns in
affirming ways, and when they are connected in
full voice to create not just new worlds, but better
worlds. By making it possible for every voice to
be heard, a life giving process is enacted.

(from The Appreciative Organization by Harlene

Anderson, David Cooperrider, et. al.)
Appreciative Inquiry - Simply Put

If we continue to search for problems,

we will continue to find problems

If we look for what is

best and learn from it,
we can magnify and
multiply our success
Imagine the difference
Starting with 2 very different questions:

What works well in this organization?

vs.

What problems do we need to fix to make

this organization better?
4-D Cycle of Appreciative Inquiry
Discovery
Affirmative Appreciate
Topic Choice what is

Destiny Dream
Create what Positive Core Imagine
will be what might be

Design
One example of a Determine
Formal AI Process what should be

From The Power of

Appreciative Inquiry
Problem Solving vs. Appreciative Inquiry

Identify problems Appreciate What is (What

gives life?)
Conduct Root Cause Imagine What might be
Analysis
Brainstorm Solutions & Determine What Should Be
Analyze
Develop Action Plans Create What Will Be

Metaphor: Metaphor:
Organizations are Organizations are a
problems to be solved solution/mystery to be
embraced
The Art of the Positive
Question
Focus Again on the Positive Core

Positive Core
 Language of Assessment: Deficit
Error Report MISSED COMMITMENTS
Gap Analysis Satisfaction Surveys
Variance
Report CUSTOMER
COMPLAINTS
Failure Rate

Evaluation
WARNING Post-Mortem

Fire Fighting
PERFORMANCE
REVIEW TROUBLE REPORT
Missed Opportunity Critical
Emergency
Thinking
Root Cause Analysis Deadline
From the Appreciative Inquiry Handbook
 The Art of the Positive Question
To be compelling, assessment topics should be:
Positive Overwhelmingly affirmative
Desirable You want more of it
Motivational Will take you where you want
to go
 Taking Aim at the Extraordinary
Examples:
Describe a peak experience or high point with
your library.
Identify a time in your experience when you
felt most effective and engaged.
What are three wishes you have to enhance
the health and vitality of your organization?
Exercise Appreciative Questions

Reflect on the sample questions in the

handout
Form some new questions that you might use
to assess your own organization
Share with a neighbor
 When can you use these questions?

At the beginning of internal or external

assessment efforts
To jump-start weekly meetings
In thought-provoking messages to staff
In one-on-one conversations with staff or
community members
At the conclusion of any activity to assess the
experience
 Encyclopedia of Positive Questions

A Great Resource:
The questions in this
book are intended to
move the focus to
positive possibilities
 Encyclopedia of Positive Questions
Sample positive questions are provided for:
Seamless service
Customer loyalty
Exceptional partnership
Compelling communication
Integrity in action
Quality moments
Participatory decision-making
Joy in a job well-done
Ownership
 Application of
Appreciative Inquiry
 Underlying Benefits
Appreciative Inquiry unleashes power by:
Building relationships
Creating opportunities for people to be heard
Generating opportunities for people to dream
Allowing people to choose how they will
contribute
Giving people the support to act
Encouraging and enabling people to be
positive and affirming
4-D Cycle of Appreciative Inquiry
Discovery
Affirmative Appreciate
Topic Choice what is

Destiny Dream
Create what Positive Core Imagine
will be what might be

Design
Determine
what should be

From The Power of

Appreciative Inquiry
Exercise an Appreciative Interview
It starts with an Appreciative Interview:
Choose a partner
Interview him/her based on his/her
experience in the workplace.
Take notes
Reverse roles
 4-D Cycle of Appreciative Inquiry
Discovery
Affirmative Appreciate
Topic Choice what is
Rapport &
Empathy

Destiny Dream
Create what Positive Core Imagine
will be what might be

Mutual
Understanding
Design
Determine
what should be

From The Power of

Trust Appreciative Inquiry
Closing Thoughts
No problem can be solved from the same
level of consciousness that created it. We
must learn to see the world anew.

There are only two ways to live your life.

One is as though nothing is a miracle. The
other is as though everything is a miracle.

Albert Einstein