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What is Appreciative
Inquiry?
from
A Positive Revolution in Change: Appreciative Inquiry
by David L. Cooperrider and Diana Whitney.
Ap-pre′ci-ate, v1. valuing; the act of recognizing the best in
people or the world around us; affirming past and present strengths,
successes, and potentials; to perceive those things that give life
(health, vitality, excellence) to living systems 2. to increase in
value, e.g. the economy has appreciated in value. Synonyms: VALUING,
PRIZING, ESTEEMING, and HONORING.
In-quire′ (kwir), v., 1. the act of exploration and discovery.
2. To ask questions; to be open to seeing new potentials and
possibilities. Synonyms: DISCOVERY, SEARCH, and SYSTEMATIC
EXPLORATION, STUDY.
Appreciative Inquiry is about the co-evolutionary search for the best
in people, their organizations, and the relevant world around them. In
its broadest focus, it involves systematic discovery of what gives
"life" to a living system when it is most alive, most effective, and
most constructively capable in economic, ecological, and human terms.
AI involves, in a central way, the art and practice of asking
questions that strengthen a system’s capacity to apprehend,
anticipate, and heighten positive potential. It centrally involves the
mobilization of inquiry through the crafting of the "unconditional
positive question" often-involving hundreds or sometimes thousands of
people. In AI the arduous task of intervention gives way to the speed
of imagination and innovation; instead of negation, criticism, and
spiraling diagnosis, there is discovery, dream, and design. AI seeks,
fundamentally, to build a constructive union between a whole people
and the massive entirety of what people talk about as past and present
capacities: achievements, assets, unexplored potentials, innovations,
strengths, elevated thoughts, opportunities, benchmarks, high point
moments, lived values, traditions, strategic competencies, stories,
expressions of wisdom, insights into the deeper corporate spirit or
soul- and visions of valued and possible futures. Taking all of these
together as a gestalt, AI deliberately, in everything it does, seeks
to work from accounts of this "positive change core"–and it assumes
that every living system has many untapped and rich and inspiring
accounts of the positive. Link the energy of this core directly to any
change agenda and changes never thought possible are suddenly and
democratically mobilized.
Cooperrider, D.
L., Whitney, D., Stavros, J. M. (2008).
Appreciative Inquiry Handbook (2nd ed.). Brunswick, OH: Crown
Custom Publishing, Inc.
Cooperrider, D. L., Whitney, D., Stavros, J. M. (2008).
Essentials of Appreciative Inquiry. Brunswick, OH: Crown
Custom Publishing, Inc.
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