Appreciative Inquiry

• Summit Case Studies
• Facilitators

Appreciative Inquiry (AI)

AI is a collaborative approach to organizational improvement and change. It works by engaging groups in identifying and studying what's working well, and applying these positive resources to generate energy and new ideas for resolving complex challenges.

 

The following figure is the Appreciative Inquiry 5-D model that highlights the five phases of AI – Define, Discover, Dream, Design, and Deliver.

 

The goal of the first phase, Define, is to identify the affirmative and strategic topic(s) to inquire into and learn more about.  Regardless of the application—strategic planning, business process innovation, organization design, capacity building, partnership/collaboration, or many others—this initial phase is key to identifying and reframing the key issues to be explored.   Additionally, during this phase, key guidance structures are put in place to steer the overall change effort.

The focus of the Discover phase (appreciating the best of what is) is to inquire into highpoint stories of success—what we look like when we’re performing at our best, what is valued most, and hopes for the future.

The Dream phase (envisioning what might be, results and impact), involves co-creating a shared vision of the future based on the group/organization’s positive core—key assets, strengths, values, and hopes identified during the Discovery phase.

During the Design phase (co-constructing the future, what should be), the outputs from the previous phases are brought together to inform the co-creation of design elements (structures, roles, initiatives, and processes) that will unleash and leverage those strengths, values, internal best practices (positive core) and assist in the achievement of the shared vision or dream.

The last phase, Deliver (innovating what will be), focuses on igniting the vision and strategies through action and by bringing the full strengths of the organization to bear.  Key to the success of the Deliver phase is the marriage of two opposing forces, sustainability and innovation—turning vision into action in a manner that preserves the positive core while simultaneously cultivating a culture of continuous learning, renewal, and inquiry into “the way work gets done around here”.

These case studies show how the AI process has helped organizations and communities worldwide achieve success.