Appreciative Inquiry

Definition: 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’ often involving hundreds or sometimes thousands of people” (Cooperrider & Whitney, 1999, p. 12).

Appreciative inquiry is often noted as the theoretical underpinning of strength-based theory, practices, and research. Founders David Cooperrider and Suresh Srivastva define AI as a paradigm based on the premise that “organizations change in the direction in which they inquire.” The driving principle is that an organization [or individual] that investigates problems keeps finding problems whereas an organization [or individual] that investigates what there is to appreciate in itself will discover what success is (Cooperrider & Srivastva, 1987).

Assumptions of appreciative inquiry (adapted from Hammond, 1998)

• In every society, organization, or group 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 or group 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.

Dreams are not necessarily born or nurtured by our successes, and failure even in its most dramatic form does not necessarily knock a person out. It is how that experience is reflected upon, talked about, defined, and the reality we co-create that ultimately makes it positive or negative.
~ Hammond, 1998, p. 6

The appreciative inquiry paradigm moves from theory to practice by using the “Four Ds”: discover, dream, design, and destiny (see Figure 3.2). Emphasis is placed on how questions are asked—the words chosen when asking questions will impact the answers provided, reaffirming the quality of our language and how we talk about our work, our relationships, and ourselves with others. Central to appreciative inquiry is the Affirmative Topic. This is what begins appreciative inquiry. During this time, the topic of the inquiry is decided, for example, “to develop authentic partnerships with families” as opposed “to increase use of motivational interviewing.”