Appreciative inquiry is a collaborative, strengths-based approach to organisational change. It focuses on identifying and promoting what works well, rather than fixing problems.
David Cooperrider, Professor of Social Entrepreneurship at Case Western Reserve University, who developed the model, explains, “so many companies think ‘we’ll do a low-morale survey to document the low morale in order to create a high-engagement and highly energetic, passionate company’, but that’s not going to happen. Why? All the studies in the world of low morale will not tell us one thing about what creates the high-engagement, high-commitment work system. What appreciative inquiry is doing […] is reversing that."
As such, the change-management approach seeks to identify the strengths of an individual, team or organisation, and then use those strengths to inform future plans.
There are five parts to the model:
- Define: What is the goal? What are you trying to achieve?
- Discovery: Identify strengths within the business. What’s working well?
- Dream: Imagine the potential
- Design: Collaboratively reach a shared vision that has positive potential
- Destiny/Delivery: Turn ideas into reality
Real-world context
- Promotes collaboration and positivity: By shifting the focus away from what’s not working, to what is working, appreciative inquiry promotes a positive working culture and encourages shared ideas, visions and collaboration.
- Drives sustainable change: The appreciative inquiry model encourages all stakeholders to work towards a shared vision and remain collaborative. As a result, participants are more likely to be held accountable, which helps drive long-lasting change.
- Boosted engagement: By focusing on what is working well, appreciative inquiry encourages employees to engage with their work and their colleagues. This can promote job satisfaction, productivity, and employee morale and retention.
