Appreciative Inquiry Process

Appreciative Inquiry assumes that the life-giving reality of any complex human system lies in the passion and responsibility people express in the every day decisions and activities they carry out.

It anchors transformational change in discovering, reporting and learning from personal stories generated within the system: stories people tell about the community or organization functioning at its best. In most organizations and communities, these stories are told privately - in gossip, at coffee-breaks, in informal sessions with family and friends. Appreciative inquiry recognizes the public value of those stories - for community building and learning. If the stories which are uncovered as a result of Appreciative Inquiry are told via newspapers, newsletters, radio and television, a community can rapidly learn from what it is doing best, from what is really working for people.

Many traditional approaches to planned change focus on defining problems, setting targets, planning strategies, and overcoming obstacles. While such approaches have their value, they have unfortunate side-effects as well.

1. People spend their time focusing on what is not working. Result: reduced morale and resignation to a problem-filled environment.
2. Since data collection focuses on failure, failure amplified will lead over time to an unconscious air of disempowerment and inferiority. In such a situation, people avoid risk-taking.
3. Addressing problems creates a culture of problem-centered improvement. The only time people pay attention to learning is when they've failed. This makes the development of a culture of continuous improvement and learning very difficult.

The differences between the two approaches are outlined in this table:

One can work with appreciative inquiry either as an incidental process, or as a part of an on-going change strategy.

Incidental appreciative inquiry can be used by anyone at anytime without the need for special data collection efforts or strategic change processes. It can also be used as a continuing method of discovery for gathering material (stories) for use in a variety of communication formats (newspapers, newsletters, TV, radio, community events, plays, etc.).

Two principles apply: find out what's working and amplify through fanning.

Incidental appreciative inquiry is just what it implies: in the normal course of your activities, you ask people to tell you their stories of what is working, and you respond with interest and enthusiasm to match theirs. As you practice incidental appreciative inquiry, you'll find yourself supporting and legitimizing what is working well. The enthusiasm of working well is contagious. Spirit rises and action feels easy. As you do this, you'll be supporting and nourishing creativity, growth, and development--the life forces in the system. And you'll find your own spirit and creativity rising as a result!!

When Incidental Appreciative Inquiry is used as a method of collecting and communicating stories across an organization, or in a community, the journalist should use an Appreciative Interview to gather information and stories of where "peak" performance is happening. The interviewer's focus would be on finding the stories and drawing them out. He/she would be actively interested, appreciating the teller, following what has energy and meaning. Regular communication of such stories (as in the "What's Working" columns of The Seattle Times) can give a tremendous boost to community transformation and renewal.

A Systematic Appreciative Process may require the development of a team of people, drawn from all sectors of the community who work together to discover, understand and amplify the life-giving energy.

It is a comprehensive, community-wide effort that reveals a vision of the community at its very best.

1. Naming the Life-Giving Forces:

In the first phase, the group managing the process discusses the issues and opportunities motivating their involvement. They interview each other to develop stories of the community at its best. Out of their discussion and interviewing they identify common themes coming forward in the stories, and articulate affirmative topics they want to explore in the appreciative process.

2. Finding the Light in One Another:

This phase begins with the development of an action team who plan how to plan how to interview community members. Interviews take place throughout the community, involving people from all sectors and diverse groups.

3. Enlivening our Community:

This involves a collective analysis, focusing on understanding major themes, organizational needs and possibilities as uncovered through stories and interviews. Plans for community-wide amplification of the stories could be considered in this phase.

4. Remembering our Future:

This phase would bring together the entire community for a community-wide "telling" of the stories, and developing positive propositions for future action.

5. Amplifying our Vitality:

This is the work of translating the stories of "what works" and the positive propositions into on-going actions. Systematic appreciative interviewing and amplification of stories will help to generate an on-going vision grounded in the real-time experiences and aspirations of the people who are the community.

You will be interviewing a person for the story of his/her experience of (the organization/project) working at its inspired best. AND you will be asking that person to extract from his/her story the essential qualities which gave life and value to the collective activity.

• Assume intelligence and good sense in the person you're interviewing
• Collect essential elements of the story
• Follow what you're attracted by, what evokes a response in you
• Support and build on interviewee's excitement

1. Remember a situation you participated in where (the organization) was working at its inspired best, working just the way you dreamed it could. (or - where you were giving your best, and the organization was working at its best)
2. Who was involved?
3. What happened? (Draw out the simple and detailed story about what took place.)
4. What was significant or special about what happened? (Draw the person out to get at all the significant qualities.)
5. What is there about (the organization) that makes this sort of thing possible? (core values? essential qualities?)
6. What would need to be attended to for these qualities to be characteristic of (the organization) all the time?

1. Remember a situation you participated in where you were working at your personal best on an activity which exemplified Hugo House at its best--working just the way you dreamed it could.
2. Who was involved?
3. What happened? (Draw out the simple and detailed story about what took place.)
4. What was significant or special about what happened?
5. What where the qualities or attributes of leadership (in you and in the organization) that makes it work so well?
6. What would you say is the essence of leadership at Hugo House.
7. What would need to be attended to for this sort of leadership to be characteristic of (the organization) all the time?