The traditional approach to change is to look for the problem, the gap, the deficit. Since we look for what is wrong, we find it. David Cooperrider challenged this approach and suggested we look for what works in organizations, rather than what is broken. Appreciative Inquiry was born.
Appreciative Inquiry calls us to look at the organization through the eye of an artist. We look for the beauty. We see the organization through the lens of its strengths rather than its deficits. We ask questions such as, what is special, compelling, and defines who we are when we are at our best. With a strong sense of knowing who we are at the core, we have the courage and the inspiration to interact with the changing environment. We can then ask, who are we becoming?
When we look to the future with this positive and synergistic energy, our dreams are woven with the magic of the best that the organization has to offer. The generative process grows from the positive core. From systems thinking, we know that the more the system knows about itself, the more it can use that information to adapt and transform. Are we growing out of our strengths and values, or from our disappointments and fears?
Below are eight elements of Appreciative Inquiry taken from the The Thin Book of Appreciative Inquiry by Sue Annis Hammond.
Xponents has embraced this concept and utilized it to great effect with our clients. If you would like to learn more about Appreciative Inquiry, contact us today.
By Phone: 303-238-9733
By Email: info@xponents.com
By Mail:
3440 Youngfield
Street #266,
Wheat Ridge, CO 80033
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