Reference no: EM132246088
According to the authors, Appreciative Inquiry (AI) is a way of approaching strategic planning, as opposed to problem-solving, in a positive way, by asking questions that “seek to work from the positive change core” assuming that every person and organization, has the potential to see the good in itself and build on that for positive change. It is a systematic approach to inquiry that seeks to liberate the mind to construct a better future, not by focusing on the negative deficits and closing the gaps, as in traditional problem-solving methodologies, but on the positive experiences of the past and present in order to imagine and become what they hope to be.
The authors explain that AI begins with the positive change core, which includes strengths, peak experiences, best practices, successes, and key learnings. It is grounded in positive psychology and is based on the idea that what you focus on is what you get. So if you focus on the negative or the problems, you’ll continue to have the problems, as in the sexual harassment case study mentioned at the beginning of the article. Conversely, focusing on the positive will lead to positive change, as in the Omni Hotel example in the video.
In addition to the positive core, are the 5 principles of AI. The 5 principles form the theoretical foundation of the approach. These are the constructionist principle, the principle of spontaneity, the poetic principle, the anticipatory principle, and the positive principle. I found the video extremely helpful in understanding these principles.
The 4D Cycle is a process used to “do” AI, it isn’t AI itself. At the heart of the 4D Cycle is the Positive Change Core. The 4D’s, include Discover, where we ask about the best of what is which seeks to discover the best of practices and experiences. Next is Dream, where we are invited to imagine what could be. The design comes after the dream. In this phase of the cycle, we plan what will be, this is where we decide what we want to change before moving forward and begin to visualize the result. The final phase is the Destiny phase, which is where the plan and dream are carried out and implemented. This is the same cycle that is listed in the article. The video adds a fifth D called Define which comes before Discovery.
Do you agree or disagree with the conclusion of the article?
I’m glad the video was included because I got lost in some of the explanation reading the article. I found that my mind had to overcome traditional thinking and skepticism of the positive only approach. While I think that the approach clearly works, I think implementation may be difficult unless everyone is incomplete understanding of the purpose and buys-in to the methodology, the vision, the implementation, and the outcome. I read the comments under the video and there was a harsh one criticizing the technique. His comment criticized it as “manipulation psychology designed to silence opposition frontline workers so management can proceed with their agenda without restraint or protest from support staff.” So this makes me question the implementation of the method in his particular organization. And is AI designed to weed out people that are NOT able to ascend to the positive core?
Was anything left out?
Even though this was a long article, I would have liked to have seen a few more examples of actual implementation of the method in the article and/or the video. In other words, how was the use of AI actually implemented in an organization? And what happens when they don’t get total buy-in to the technique? For an overview of the technique itself, this was a good introduction to Appreciative Inquiry. It definitely makes me want to investigate further.
Discussion
The authors posit that AI is a superior approach to strategic planning than traditional problem-solving, or deficit methodology. Do you agree or disagree? Explain your answer.
Do you see any potential weaknesses with AI?