Monkswood Associates Newsletter: April 2003
Appreciative Enquiry

The purpose of this newsletter is to bring to you some new ways at looking at every day and/or one-off issues that I thought you would find stimulating.Introduction This morning I looked at my vegetable plot from my office and noticed the recently planted broad bean plants have settled in and are beginning to grow. For some reason my mind leaped to comparing them with the many ideas I plant when asked for advice, be it in a meeting about a particular situation or in a training session. I tend to expect that my input on HR situations will generally be integrated into the company’s plans while in training I am pleased if the participants follow through even one or two ideas. I suppose the comparison is that plants in different environments have greater or lesser chance of successfully growing and producing their future generation.

What ideas do you take on board easily? And what ideas do you feel are important to communicate so that they are productively used? Today I would like to introduce you to one that I consider has interesting possibilities, which is a particular approach to change.

Appreciative Inquiry (AI)

Dr. David Cooperrider and Suresh Srivastva developed appreciative inquiry (AI) in the 1980s as a new way of looking at change that organisations face, both small and large. They began with the belief that we have a choice - that we can consciously choose (in the Gestalt sense) what we "see" and act upon. I will cover Gestalt another time. In both the personal and social realms, we can choose to focus on problems, needs and deficits - the traditional problem-solving approach - or we can choose to see possibilities, capabilities and assets - the basis of appreciative inquiry. In essence AI is about the power of positive thinking.
David and Suresh noticed certain characteristics and pulled them together in a distinct way:

• In every organisation or group something works;
• What we focus on becomes our reality;
• There are multiple realities, which are created in the here and now;
• In line with Field Theory (another topic for the future), the act of asking questions of an organisation or group influences the organisation or group in some way;
• People have more confidence and comfort when making changes (into the unknown) when they carry forward parts of the past (the known);
• If we bring with us parts of the past, they need to be what is best about the past;
• It is important to value differences; and
• The language we use creates/reflects our reality.

“So what?” you may well ask. Well, from these initial observations, they developed an approach that offers a process to positively explore, collectively imagine, collaboratively design and jointly commit to a path to follow. A key word is ‘positively’. It is known that high achievers:

• generate more positive thoughts than negative ones;
• choose to respond pro-actively and purposefully to setbacks; and
• learn and improve.

We also know that people respond to positive expectations. The following frameworks are developed from integrating all the above understanding.

AI is informed by four key principles:

1. Appreciate: the best of what exists, of yourself and other people (for example, when a person requests assistance, you can notice that s/he must care enough to have raised the issue)
2. Apply: knowledge of what works and what is possible
3. Provoke: your and other people’s imagination regarding new ways of creating improvements
4. Collaborate: share expertise and resources, affirm and co-ordinate
   
   

The AI approach is often practiced by using the 4D model:

The person using this tool as a matter of course becomes positive in his/her approach – what has worked in the past? What is working now? What could and would work in the future? How can we make best use of the talent and resources available? What are our success stories? When have we been most proud? et cetera. The recipients of these questions gains a sense of positive will and energy, which encourages them to do their best as well as appreciating the contribution other people make. The collaborative and affirming process facilitates transitions to sustain and grow individuals and organisations.

Here are a few websites that have more information about AI:
www.mellish.com.au
www.trainingjournal.co.uk/tjsitefiles/articles/11991.htm
www.bus.sfu.ca/homes/gervase/AI_Teams.html
www.new-paradigm.co.uk/Appreciative.htm

For questions or comments, please contact me, Helen Wade, via:
Monkswood Associates
Bankview, Shortwood, Nailsworth, Glos GL6 0RZ, UK
Tel: +44 (0)1453.835263
Email: helen@monkswoodassociates.co.uk

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