“Appreciative Inquiry is the cooperative search for the best in people, their organizations, and the world around them. It involves systematic discover of what gives a system ‘life’ when it is most effective and capable in economic, ecological, and human terms.” Cooperrider, D.L. & Whitney, D It is a methodology aimed at the development of the organization based on the assumption that inquiry into and dialogue about strengths, successes, values, hopes and dreams is in itself transformational. The process used to generate the power of Appreciative Inquiry is the 4-D Cycle: Discovery - Dream - Design - Destiny Discovery: The Discovery phase is a diligent and extensive search to understand the "best of what is" and "the best of what has been." Dream: The Dream phase is an energizing exploration of "what might be:" Design: The Design phase involves making choices about "what should be" within an organization or system. Destiny: The Destiny phase initiates a series of inspired actions that support ongoing learning and innovation - or "what will be." School leaders and teachers are searching for a purpose and a sense of identity. We want more than just pay; we want a ‘sense of mission’. When you believe in a professional way of doing your job you have to be able to transmit this to all the people involved in teaching/learning process. The Appreciative Inquiry methodology helps to create our identity and to transmit our values and beliefs. Educational institutions need to be knowledge rich, adaptable and permanently changing. We need to be able to design curricula according to our student’s individual needs.

1. Team working
September 4, 2011
mercedesviola@4d.edu.uy

2. “It could be argued that all leadership is
appreciative leadership. It‟s the capacity
to see the most creative and improbably
opportunities. It‟s the capacity to see with
an appreciative eye the true and the
good, the better and the possible.”
David Cooperrider

3. Agenda
What Appreciative Inquiry is
The power of questions
Its basic principles
The 4D cycle

4. What’s Appreciative Inquiry?
a philosophy of knowing
a methodology for managing change
an approach to leadership
a tool for human development
It is the study and exploration of what gives life
to human systems when they are at their best.
It is an organization development methodology
based on the assumption that inquiry into and
dialogue about strengths, successes, values,
hopes and dreams is in itself transformational.

5. 8 Assumptions of AI
 In every human situation something works
 What we focus on becomes our reality
 Reality is created in the moment and there are multiple realities
 The language we use shapes our reality
 The act of asking questions influences the outcome in some way
 People have more confidence going into the future (unknown)
when they carry forward parts of the present (known)
 If we carry parts of the past into the future, they should be what
are best about the past
 It is important to value differences

6. Peter Drucker
“The task of leadership is to create an
alignment of strengths, making
our weaknesses irrelevant”.

7. A beautifully timed, perfectly worded question can
remove barriers, unlock hidden information and
surface potentially life-changing insights.
it‟s simple and inoffensive in its tone
it has a purpose
it is influencing without being controlling
to gather information to help someone
remember something
more clearly
to understand someone‟s value
to help someone think
to help someone appreciate about a situation
another person‟s value positively
Characteristics of a great question

8. Controlling Neutral
Did you feel frustrated?
Why did you act in such
a hostile manner?
How did you feel about that?
What might you do to
help the situation?
What is it about it that you
cannot deal with?
What caused you to do that?

9. Powerful questions – potential benefits
 they refocus thoughts – from problem to solution
 they can help someone feel more powerful and constructive about a situation
 they tap into creativity and create options
 they can make a problem feel more like a challenge or an opportunity
 they create forward movement – out of the problem state and into solution
or action
I‟m really struggling with this job, and my boss doesn‟t support me
– he doesn‟t even know what I do!!
Why can‟t my boss help How can I get my boss to know more
me? about what I‟m doing?
How can I make sure my boss understands more about what
I’m doing, and encourage him to give me more support?

10. 5 principles of Appreciative Inquiry
 Constructionist Principle

11. 5 principles of Appreciative Inquiry
 Principle of Simultaneity
These become the stories out of which the
future is conceived, discussed, and constructed.

12. 5 principles of Appreciative Inquiry
Human An organization‟s
organizations are story is constantly
an open book being co-authored.
Poetic Principle
The organization‟s past, present and
future are endless sources of learning,
inspiration, and interpretation

13. 5 principles of Appreciative Inquiry
 Anticipatory Principle
Collective imagination and discourse about the future are the
most important resource for generating constructive
organizational change or improvement

14. 5 principles of Appreciative Inquiry
 Positive Principle
When we feel good we can think more strategically, absorb
information quicker, we are more creative, we reach decisions
faster, we recover more quickly from setbacks, and even our
health improves

15. How it works
 Organizations move in the direction of what they study.
 It focuses the attention on an organization‟s most positive
potential - its positive core.
 The positive core is the essential nature of the organization
at its best – people‟s collective wisdom about the
organization‟s tangible and intangible strengths,
capabilities, resources, potentials and assets.
 The Appreciative Inquiry 4-D cycle unleashes the energy of
the positive core for transformation and sustainable
success.

16. The 4D Cycle
Discovery
“What gives life?”
(The best of what is)
Appreciating
Destiny Dream
“How to empower, learn, Affirmative “What might be?”
and adjust/improvise?” Topic Choice (What is the world calling for)
Sustaining Envisioning Results
Design
“What should be--the ideal?”
Co-constructing

17. DISCOVERY
It is an extensive search to understand the "best of what is"
and "what has been."
It begins with the collaborative act of crafting appreciative
interview questions and constructing an appreciative
interview guide.
These questions are written as affirmative probes into an
organization‟s positive core, in the topic areas selected.
They are written to generate stories, to enrich the images
and inner dialogue within the organization, and to bring the
positive core more fully into focus.

18. Listening Skills – a good listener
explores your thoughts
seeks to understand you
and feelings
cares focuses
goes beyond what is begins to notice what is
actually said „unsaid‟

19. Listen, talk, think, listen, Totally present to the person speaking
Levels of Listening
think, talk and so on
Feel as though you are experiencing
„being‟ the other person
The person may or may not
be aware of the way you are
listening to them
Nod, make „listening noises‟
such as „hmm‟ or „yes‟
Listener entirely focused on Focus on what the other
the other person. person is saying
Pretend Seek to
to listen understand
A natural activity
Listener mostly quiet and calm for most people
The balance between talking, listening More effort to listen and
and internally processing information
varies from person to person
process information

20. DISCOVERY
A complete interview guide includes:
 A formal introduction to explain the
project and the purpose of the interview.
 The questions:
 Opening questions
 Questions on the affirmative topic or topics
selected
 Concluding questions – generally about future
A summary report sheet

21. Remember:
We seek, fundamentally, to build from our past and present capacities:
achievements, assets, unexplored potentials, innovations, strengths,
elevated thoughts, opportunities, benchmarks, high point moments,
lived values, traditions, strategic competencies, stories, expressions
of wisdom, insights into the deeper corporate spirit or soul-- and
visions of valued and possible futures.

22. When interviewing, please:
 Maintain a caring a affirmative spirit
Here are some possible questions to use to probe further:
 Tell me more.
 Why was that important to you?
 How did that affect you?
 What was your contribution?
 How did the peer teachers/institute/team support you?
 How has it changed you?
Let the interviewee tell his/her story.
Take notes and listen for great quotes and stories.
Be genuinely curious about their experiences, thoughts, and feelings.
Some people will take longer to think about their answers.
Allow time for silence.
The questions should be used as guidelines.

23. PEOPLE – COOPERATION - TEAM SPIRIT
The foundation of any great organization lies in the
strengths of its people.
The experiences and diverse backgrounds are assets
that any organization has.
It is important to foster personal growth through
teamwork, two-way respect, communication and
creativity.
A cooperative team spirit is essential.
Important initiatives usually depend on the support
and good will of others within work groups and/or
between groups.
Cooperation requires trust, open channels of
communication, responsiveness to other‟s needs, and
interpersonal competence

24. PEOPLE – COOPERATION – TEAM SPIRIT
Can you think of a time when there was an extraordinary display of cooperation
among diverse individuals or groups?
What made such cooperation possible? (Explore: planning methods used,
communication systems or process, leadership qualities, skills, team
development techniques and others).
Give an example of the most effective team or committee you have been part of.
What are the factors/ skills that made it effective?
Describe the most memorable event that illustrates your contribution to the
success of a team or organization. What strengths did you bring to that
success?
Interview Summary Sheet
What was the most appreciative quotable quote that came out of this interview?
What was the most compelling story that came out of this interview? What
details and examples did the interviewee shared?
Overall, what was your sense of what was most important to your colleague?

25. Quotes, stories, concepts
‟

26. DREAM Discovery
Affirmative
Destiny Topic Dream
Design
think out of
challenge the
the box
status quo
create
excitement create
synergy
Dream working
“What might be?” relationships
(What is the world calling for)
Envisioning Results

27. Discovery
DESIGN Affirmative
Destiny Topic Dream
The Whole System Design
Design approach
“Organizational transformation is much more than
the critical mass of personal transformation. It
requires macro level changes in the very fabric of
organizing, the social architecture.” Diane Whitney
The Requests, Offers
Design
“What should be--the ideal?”
and Commitments
Co-constructing approach

28. We will be working on two Approaches to the Design Phase
I. The Framework Approach
We will be working on the strategic design on the following topics:
Talent development and retention
Alliances and Partnerships
Organizational Structure
We will be working on the operational design on the following topics:
Business Processes
Policies
Communication
Technology
II. The Requests, Offers and Commitments Approach. Each participant is given
the opportunity to publicly state a simple commitment, make an offer or
articulate a request.
Simple Commitments describes actions that can be easily taken, typically
within one to two weeks and are within the existing authority and
resources available to the person making the commitment.
Offers may be made in response to a request for collaboration. Offers
can come in any shape or form - specific is better.
Requests are the other side of offers - but focused on what one
person or group needs from another person or group.

29.  How should we work together?
 What roles do everyone long to play?
 What are the leadership roles and functions, preferred
behavior?
 How can we best support each other?
 What should be our relationship to the community?
 What are the practices for improvement, for bringing out the
best in people, and for creating meaningful work?
 What should the spirit in the group be like?
 What support does the group need?
 Who else should be invited?
Team Working

30. Discovery
DESTINY Affirmative
Destiny Topic Dream
focuses specifically
on personal and Design
organizational
commitments and
paths forward
look for ways to improve and
expand the AI process
ongoing learning
and innovation
the processes, structures,
Destiny and relationships from the
design phase are put into
“How to empower, learn,
action.
and adjust/improvise?”
Sustaining

31.  Appreciative Inquiry Handbook – David L. Cooperride, Diana
Whitney, Jacqueline Stavros (2003) Lakeshore Publishers
What Great Managers Do – Marcus Buckingham (2005) Harvard
Business Review
Appreciative Inquiry: A Positive Approach to Building Cooperative
Capacity – Frank Barret & Ronald Fry (2005) Tao Institute
 No+Pálidas: Cuatro Actitudes para el Éxito. Enrique Baliño con
Carlos Pacheco (2011) Xn Publishing
Appreciative Inquiry: Change at the Speed of Imagination -
Magruder Watkins,Bernard J. Mohr (2001) Jossey-Bass/Pfeiffer
El cambio del Comportamiento en el trabajo – Santiago Lazzati
(2008) Granica
REFERENCES