Appreciative Inquiry

Take a moment now, breathe in … and gently exhale … and remember a time when you experienced a most rewarding interaction/outcome in a group setting.  What happened?  How did you get there?  What if you could do it again?  With fun even…and ease?

Appreciative Inquiry is a powerful organizational development tool for workplaces, classrooms, communities, and families.  It’s a gentle group process that draws on your personal experience. Some call it ‘magic’, others simply call it ‘real’. I have facilitated AIs with hundreds of people in person, online and even televised, and also with our young family around the kitchen table.

Appreciative Inquiry, known as AI (perhaps the original AI?), focuses on what is already working well (appreciative) by asking questions and telling stories (inquiry).

This strength based positive approach stimulates engagement and creativity in groups accelerating deep and sustainable positive change.

The AI process has four, or five, steps. Some groups prefer Design and Delivery steps as one:

  • Define: Choose the affirmative topic or focus for the inquiry.
  • Discover: Inquire into positive moments and share stories.
  • Dream: Create inspiring images of a desired future.
  • Design: Innovate ways to create the ideal future.
  • Destiny: Live your design and make changes as needed.

Some Appreciative Inquiry topics I have facilitated include:

  • City flood mitigation with 275 in attendance. Resulting in strategic plan and healing relationships
  • Teaching assistants met for 3 hours to increase respect and accessibility on school playgrounds
  • Global leadership team met for 4 day to strengthen internal relations and leadership direction in Nepal, Ethiopia and Columbia
  • Small group focused on resilience, succession planning and reassigning geographical regions
  • Provincial directors resulting in strategic plan
  • University sponsored AI into gender equity in international development with First Nations and Members of Parliament in attendance. One MP used the Dreams to open a bill on gender equity in the Canadian House of Commons.

Sounds good?  Let’s talk! leslie@leslierobinson.ca  250-595-6602  403-863-1164