What is Appreciative Inquiry? (AI)

What it is not!

It is not change management.It doesn’t look for problems.It doesn’t find solutions.It doesn’t look for what’s wrong or broken.It doesn’t treat people like machines.

We are what we think

Paying attention provides focus and has an amplifying effect.

What might we want to amplify and grow within our team?

What AI is

Look for what works in your organization.

Understand that we as human don’t need to be fixed we need the chance to grow.

Understand what those high moments were and how you felt.

What AI is

Understand that your brain works in pictures.

Understand your story and the story of your peers and realize that old stories die hard.

Think about the idea that stories are the bricks that build cultures.

Getting started

Make an affirmation i.e. “We have a caring, creative and trusting team.”

Use the 4-D cycle (Discovery, Dream, Design and Destiny)

Meet with your team and talk about how ideally you would like to work together.

Discovery

Ask1. What is the ideal2. What are the “good” questions we should be

asking ourselves to approach the ideal.3. Generate new stories4. Share and grow the collective wisdom of the

group.5. Make new relationships and strengthen the

old.

Dream

Think bigWhat is the vision for this team?How does it match the organizations vision?How can we innovate?How can we have a greater sense of purpose?

Design

Think about:1. What should be?2. What would the “best” look like?3. How can we create a strategy to change?4. How can we combine the Discovery, Dream

and Design?5. How can we create a roadmap to get to our

destination?

Destiny

Think about:1. What is our action plan?2. What resources do we need?3. How can we measure where we are today?4. How can we ritualize change?

Teams

Have?1. Sense of purpose.2. Commitment to each other.3. A story that they tell others.4. Make your commitments visible.