Appreciative Inquiry Model

Appreciative Inquiry Model Online Training

New Perspective in Thinking: Appreciative Inquiry. Appreciative Inquiry, or AE, is an entirely different perspective of thinking about organizations and their functioning . Unlike the almost instinctive process of trying to find what’s wrong with one’s work environment to come up with solutions, AE emphasizes identifying the best qualities in order to fix it.

The objective of the course is to make participants familiar with Appreciative Inquiry, a powerful model for change and development within organizations.

Why was it developed? The primary reason is that in our contemporary society there is a tremendous focus on what’s going wrong in organizations, why things are going wrong and who’s at fault. It seems that we spend most of our time thinking about these issues and not enough time looking for ways to improve them.

What does Appreciative Inquiry aim to do?

Appreciative Inquiry deals with looking forward from where you are now so as to understand how to better your current situation. In other words, instead of focusing on what went wrong, this process puts its attention towards positive aspects of the past which can be drawn upon to create a better future. It is also important to note that AE does not aim to completely ignore negative aspects of an organization, rather it deals with these in a more constructive way.

So how exactly does Appreciative Inquiry work? The four steps of the process are:

1) Discovery– In this step, participants identify what they consider to be the best aspects of their work environment. This can be done through interviews, focus groups or surveys.

2) Dreaming– Once the best qualities have been identified, participants then explore what they would like to see happen in the future. This dreaming stage allows for a great deal of creativity and potential for change.

3) Designing– The dreaming stage is turned into a reality in this step as participants begin to put together a plan of action for how they can achieve their desired future.

– The final step is where the changes made in the previous steps are put into action. It is important to note that this process does not happen overnight and often takes time and dedication to see results.

AE has been shown to be beneficial in a number of ways. In addition to creating a more positive work environment, it has also been found to improve employee productivity and motivation, communication and creativity. AE is also an effective way of dealing with change as it helps to create a sense of ownership and involvement among employees.

While Appreciative Inquiry is still relatively new, it has had some successful results. Among these are the city of Moose Jaw’s revitalization of their downtown area and success in changing their city’s image, as well as Shared Vision which was successful in creating positive relationships between police officers and youth.

Participants who took this course had to be prepared to think outside the box and use analytical skills while at the same time promoting creativity. It is also essential that individuals do not attempt to apply what they have learned if they are not familiar with group dynamics or change management theory otherwise change can become quite chaotic. This course may prove difficult for someone who is unable to separate themselves from work, however somebody who does enjoy getting involved would benefit greatly from taking it.

Audience:

This tutorial will help managers of any industry expand their understanding of Appreciative Inquiry by exploring how it can be applied to increase productivity and success.

Prerequisites:

Before proceeding with this tutorial you should be familiar with how to manage in a team environment or what company structure means.