Appreciative Inquiry for Better Business & more effective Organisational Culture, where your people thrive.

By Rethinking your Business, Culture and Leadership, You can begin to transform your organisation and results.

Here is a SMART Start…Appreciative inquiry basics is based on the 5-D Appreciative Inquiry process…

Appreciative inquiry is about the positive, strength-based and affirmative stories, memories that we have.

Appreciative inquiry assumes that in organizations and relationships there have been times when great things were happening. Appreciative inquiry builds on these successes stories to create a platform and foundation for more successful future.

This RETHINK, and simple philosophical shift of focus from negative to the positive and the possible, re-energises peoples’ passion and enthusiasm for their work. Appreciative inquiry is a high-energy process with the potential for long-term, sustainable results that support transforming leadership style, leadership developments and organisational Culture.

An Appreciative inquiry process introduction provides an overview of the AI steps and philosophy behind the system. AI has been used fory organisational development initiastives; team building, diversity, visioning, and more for over 25 years.

AI Definition – Positive point of Focus

Step 1. Define the area of positive focus and “inquiry”. Is it for REAL team building, enhancing interpersonal skills, High Performance leadership development? The area chosen becomes the basis for the remaining 4 steps of the AI process.

Based on the stories and examples of positive experiences, people begin to dream and envision new possibilities and hopes for their future. By grounding the Ai DREAM process in the realities of the Successful Positive PAST from the discovery phase, people now view their dreams and hope as more realistic and attainable.

During the dream phase, peoples’ images for the future are first represented metaphorically. For example, a group may create a skit or piece of artwork to represent their dream. Then, the dream may be formalized as verbal macro-level provocative propositions. They are provocative in that while based in reality, they are a stretch from the organization’s present state.

Take for example the provocative proposition fram a participant… “We are a self-inspired, resilient and humorous group of individuals. We delight our customers.

In the destiny phase, the results of the dream provide the vision and guidance for everyday actions. The processes, structures, and relationships from the design phase are put into action here. It was discovered that “Momentum for change and long-term sustainability increased the more we abandoned ‘delivery’ ideas of action planning, monitoring progress, and building implementation strategies.” In the most exciting cases, businesses focused primarily on giving AI away to everyone, and then standing back and allowing the process to grow. The destiny phase also provides a time where the organization can look for ways to improve and expand the AI process.

Appreciative Inquiry Benefits and Results
By focusing on the positive, AI can improve staff spirit and morale, enhance communication and productivity, and increase the involvement of various stakeholders. AI rekindles people’s passions and sense of responsibility, and people have reason to once again be hopeful; hopeful that the future is bright and more meaningful, and that they have more input, prticipation and control to make a direct impact on that future.