Appreciative Inquiry


What is Appreciative Inquiry?

Appreciative Inquiry (AI) is a model for analysis, decision-making and the creation of strategic change, particularly within companies and other organizations. It was developed at Case Western Reserve University’s Department of Organizational Behavior.

How does it work?
Appreciative Inquiry attempts to use ways of asking questions and envisioning the future in order to foster positive relationships and build on the present potential of a given person, organization or situation. The most common model utilizes a cycle of four processes, which focus on what it calls:

DISCOVER: The identification of organizational processes that work well.
DESIGN: Planning and prioritizing processes that would work well.
DESTINY: The implementation (execution) of the proposed design.

The five principles of AI are:

1) The constructionist principle proposes that what we believe to be true determines what we do, and thought and action emerge from relationships. Through the language and discourse of day-to-day interactions, people co-construct the organizations they inhabit. The purpose of inquiry is to stimulate new ideas, stories and images that generate new possibilities for action.





Why does it work?

AI is used in organizational development and as a consultancy tool in an attempt to bring about strategic change. It has been applied in businesses, health care bodies, social non-profit organizations, educational institutions, and government operations. The aim is to build – or rebuild – organizations around what works, rather than trying to fix what doesn’t. AI argues, when all members of an organization are motivated to understand and value the most favourable features of its culture, it can make rapid improvements.

To get an idea about why and how we implement AI, we include a mini-documentary on the District East (Oost) in Amsterdam and their adoptation of Appreciative Inquiry in their workflow. The video includes interviews with Ralph Weickel – the Founding Partner of the European Centre for Positive Change – and Frank van Erkel, who was at that time the City Manager of Amsterdam East.