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Aligning Strengths through Appreciative Inquiry
By Nancy E. Stetson, Ed.D.
Since the mid-1980s, Appreciative Inquiry (AI) has tices”), so that they can create more successes. become both an increasingly popular approach to orAI proceeds with a study of an organization or ganization development and an individual mindset or other living system that is guided by three basicquesphilosophy—a way of being, seeing, and tions: What is X (the positive topic of inthinking; it is a shift from focusing on quiry), and when and where has X been at its problems to focusing on possibilities. best in this organization or system? What Here’s how David Cooperrider, who makes X possible? What are the possibilities is based in the Weatherhead School of that enhance or maximize thepotential for Management at Case Western Reserve X? University and is the chief architect of AI, The tangible result of an inquiry is a sedefines it: ries of statements that describe where the orAp-pre’ci-ate, v., 1. Valuing; the act of recganization or system wants to be, based on ognizing the best in people or the world around the high moments of where it has been. Beus; affirming past and presentstrengths, succause the statements are grounded in people’s cesses, and potentials; to perceive those things real experiences and history, people know how to rethat give life (health, vitality, excellence) to living systems. 2. peat their successes. AI is a generative process; it gento increase in value; e.g., the economy has appreciated in value. erates new possibilities through new and/or deeperSynonyms: value, prize, esteem, and honor. In-quire’, v., 1. working relationships. The act of exploration and discovery. 2. To ask questions; to Appreciative Inquiry has been used to facilitate be open to seeing new potentials and possibilities. Synonyms: extraordinary — sometimes transformational — discover, search, systematically explore, and study. changes in thousands of individuals, groups,organizaThe assumption underlying AI is simple: every livtions and communities in more than 100 countries ing system has a core of around the world. strengths that is often hidden In 2003, OD Practitioner “AI is the ongoing, continuous study of and/or underutilized—what published a 20-year review of what gives life to a living system when it is is known as its “positive AI. The reviewers reportedcore.” AI helps people in functioning at its best.” that AI was ranked as the the system search for and best of the newer contribufind the positive core. When tions to OD. Applications included: organizational the positive core is revealed and tapped into, it prochange; social issues; team building; individual develvides a sustainable source of positive energy that nouropment; and global andinternational applications. ishes both personal and organizational change and, poMany of these stories of success are posted at the tentially, transformation. international Appreciative Inquiry Commons website AI is the ongoing, continuous study of what gives at http://appreciativeinquiry.cwru.edu, with more belife to a living system when it is functioning at its best. ing added all the time. Thereviewers concluded that A basic premise of AI is that, whatever people focus there was little doubt that Appreciative Inquiry had their attention on (i.e., study, inquire into), they will had a profound effect on the way OD was practiced. create more of it. Like a search engine, what people The late management guru, Peter Drucker, said in look for determines what they find. So, instead of an interviewwith Cooperrider, “The task of organizasearching for problems or gaps and inadvertently creattional leadership is to create an alignment of strengths ing more of them, people search for what is working in ways that make a system’s weaknesses irrelevant.” really well in the system (e.g., their own “best pracContinued on next page

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Aligning Strengths, continued
Continued...