C2 – Communications Corner:
The Art of Appreciative Inquiry (AI)

Communications At a recent conference I learned about the art of “Appreciative Inquiry (AI),” a process of accelerating positive change in organizations. David Cooperrider, an expert in this field, say “Appreciative Inquiry is a generative process that gives us a way to bring possibilities to life and develop our capacities. Through a carefully developed set of questions and a process of dialogue, we uncover stories of our ‘peak experiences’ - those moments in our lives when we felt most effective, most connected, most alive.”  When combined with the energy of others, this approach is transformative and revolutionary.

Let’s consider AI in the context of our own workplace. Imagine for a moment, that when you are facing challenges, you consider them as puzzles to solve rather than problems to fix. Do you think that such a change in perspective will increase the energy that have to devote to the work at hand? If so, can you further imagine, how this positive energy flow could change not only how you feel about your work, but the effectiveness of your role within a team and the outcomes you are seeking to achieve? The AI dialogue process can help.
The AI approach is based on the following assumptions:
• That in every human system, something works
• What we focus on becomes our reality
• Reality is created in the moment, and there are multiple realities
• The act of asking questions of an organization/groups influences the group in some way
• People have more confidence and comfort to journey to the future (the unknown) when they carry forward parts of the past (the known).
• If we carry parts of the past forward, they should be what is best about the past
• It is important to value differences
• The language we use creates our reality.

At MAPCL, our vision is: Opening doors to a world of possibilities - Believe. Empower. Inspire. Imagine what we can do if we work together using the AI approach to put our puzzles together and overcome challenges. Dare to dream!

To learn more about the Appreciative Inquiry dialogue process, or for additional resources on this topic, please contact Monique Nelson at mnelson@mapcl.org or visit
http://appreciativeinquiry.case.edu/

Inspirational quotes:
“If you want to build a ship, then don’t drum up people to gather wood, give orders, and divide the work. Rather, teach them to yearn for the endless immensity of the sea.”
- Antoine de Saint-Exupery, French Writer and Aviator

“If we are to bring out the human potential at its best, we must first believe in its existence and its presence.”
- Victor Frankl, Psychiartrist, Neurologist, Holocaust Survivor.