Appreciative Inquiry
By Debbie Carter (September 2005 Issue)
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AI is an approach to development that discovers the best of ‘what already is’ in order to imagine ‘what can be’ and then designs ‘what will be’. It has many appealing aspects as a vehicle for change, one of the strongest is that it produces significantly less resistance than traditional methods. This is because it pays attention to what people feel is working in the organisation and so any change is not felt to be externally imposed.
AI is most easily understood and appreciated when it is presented in comparison with a traditional approach to organisational consulting, training or development. Traditionally, organisations are approached by internal and external consultants as if they are in need of repair or have problems.
We talk of diagnosis, problem identification, gap analysis, fixing things, installing systems, drilling down, taking things apart, stripping back, peeling away, and so on. There is often talk of an ideal way of being that can be imported from outside – for example, a piece of ‘best-practice’ or a ‘benchmark’. It seems that all we need to do is fill the gap between where our organisations are failing and the known and predictable ideal state when everything is fixed, and then all will be well.
AI takes a different perspective. It starts with the premise that for all individuals, teams and organisations there are already excellent experiences, practices and perspectives from which to build. It starts with the belief that all individuals and organisations are amazing possibilities to be explored rather than problems to be solved.
It is also based on the belief that we create more of what we spend our time thinking and talking about. If we pay attention to what works, we will get more of what works. If we pay attention to problems, we simply underline and reinforce their existence.
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