One of the buzzwords in leadership development these days is ‘appreciative inquiry.’ One way to define appreciative inquiry (AI) is “the cooperative search for the best in people, their organizations, and the world around them. It involves systematic discovery of what gives a system ‘life’ when it is most effective and capable in economic, ecological, and human terms. AI involves the art and practice of asking questions that strengthen a system’s capacity to heighten positive potential. It mobilizes inquiry through crafting an “unconditional positive question.” (From Cooperrider, D.L. & Whitney, D., “Appreciative Inquiry: A positive revolution in change.”)
Appreciative Inquiry can be as easy as asking four questions.
- What is going well? Appreciating and valuing the work that has been done.
- What might be? Envisioning how it could be even better.
- What should be? Dialoguing about what is important essentials.
- What will be? Innovating ideas about ways to work in the future changes that you need to make.
So how would you answer these questions for your organization?