An Appreciative Inquiry
ValuesPosted on Thu Jun 02, 2005 at 03:37:56 PM EST
Appreciative Inquiry involves, in a central way, the art and practice of asking questions that strengthen a system’s capacity to apprehend, anticipate, and heighten positive potential. It centrally involves the mobilization of inquiry through the crafting of the "unconditional positive question" often-involving hundreds or sometimes thousands of people...
-- Cooperrider & Whitney
Appreciative Inquiry is being used by more and more people in the culture change movement. As I explored the resources available at the Appreciative Inquiry Commons I came across this posting by Barbara Hanson, the Director of Community Resource Development for the Southwestern Vermont Council on Aging, in which she quotes Theresa Bertam of the Cathedral Foundation of Jacksonville, Florida:
-- Cooperrider & Whitney
For the last five years, using Appreciative Inquiry, we have begun to understand elders in a new way. We now see elders from a position of strength, not of weakness. They are creative, rich with history and filled with ideas for the future — they are robust, often reaching across generations to build a better society —and they are spiritual and take the time to explore fully this dimension of their lives. They are so different from the sick, frail, sexless, weak, disabled, powerless, passive and unhappy persons portrayed in many segments of our society. We now understand that we do not sustain our elders — their presence sustains us.
The Pioneer Exchange is designed to promote an on-going dialogue about culture change in aging and we intend to use the Appreciative Inquiry (AI) framework to guide our discussion.The "4-D cycle" of AI involves the 4 D's:
Discovery - appreciate what is
Dream - imagine what might be
Design - determine what should be
Destiny - create what will be.
The 'eight principles' of Appreciative Inquiry are:
1. The Constructionist Principle. Words create worlds and reality is a socially created construct, created through language and conversations
2. The Simultaneity Principle. Inquiry creates change - the moment we ask a question, we begin to create change
3. The Poetic Principle. What we choose to study makes a difference. It describes and even creates the world as we know it.
4. The Anticipatory Principle. Human systems move in the direction of their images of the future and the more positive the image, the more positive the present-day action.
5. The Positive Principle. Momentum for large-scale change requires large amounts of positive affect and social bonding. This momentum is best generated through positive questions that amplify the positive core.
6. The Wholeness Principle. Bringing all stakeholders together in large group forums stimulates creativity and builds collective capacity.
7. The Enactment Principle. To really make a change, we must 'be the change we wish to see'.
8. The Free Choice Principle.People perform better and are more committed when they have freedom to choose how and what they contribute.
It almost seems as though Appreciative Inquiry was designed with culture change in mind. Many now feel as though we're nearing the "tipping point" in terms of getting all the stakeholders to commit to person-directed care.
The collaborative media software that drives this site is designed to promote community. With the AI approach and the values of the Pioneer Network, anything is possible.2. The Simultaneity Principle. Inquiry creates change - the moment we ask a question, we begin to create change
3. The Poetic Principle. What we choose to study makes a difference. It describes and even creates the world as we know it.
4. The Anticipatory Principle. Human systems move in the direction of their images of the future and the more positive the image, the more positive the present-day action.
5. The Positive Principle. Momentum for large-scale change requires large amounts of positive affect and social bonding. This momentum is best generated through positive questions that amplify the positive core.
6. The Wholeness Principle. Bringing all stakeholders together in large group forums stimulates creativity and builds collective capacity.
7. The Enactment Principle. To really make a change, we must 'be the change we wish to see'.
8. The Free Choice Principle.People perform better and are more committed when they have freedom to choose how and what they contribute.
Please contribute a comment below, or perhaps compose your own diary (to the right over there). What should you write about? A first question often posed in Appreciate Inquiry exercises involves the High Point Experience:
Think of 1 or 2 moments that stand out as most memorable, as real high point moments that helped nurture and develop your personal excellence in person-directed care (your capabilities, your values, your consciousness, your team and leadership capacities). What happened? What were the key features that made these so powerful?
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