By Julia Mines – iCN Journalist (USA)
Appreciative Inquiry (AI), developed by researcher David Cooperrider, is a strength-based approach to sustainable organisational change. It can also be applied to facilitating workshops and coaching one-on-one, known as Appreciative Coaching.
It’s premise and framework is simple: look for prior successes to discover future steps. Particularly unique to AI are the 4-D’s: Discover (the best of the past), Dream (of what’s possible), Design (at least three pathways to get there), and Destiny (deliver the outcome). The process begins by creating an “Appreciative Topic.”
Because the brain has a negativity bias (rooted, evolutionarily, in our need for daily survival), individuals and organisations typically ask, “what are the problems that need fixing?” In AI, this question gets flipped, “what is it I’d like to see created?” It matters what questions we ask: they determine the direction of our actions.
Michelle McQuaid, a student and collaborator of Cooperrider, is a business consultant and coach. As an executive coach myself, I’m interested in helping my clients efficiently and effectively head in positive, sustainable directions. I talked with Michelle in January to learn more.
Source: iCN Issue 14 vol.2 (Marketing for Coaches); pages 30-32
About Julia Mines
iCN Journalist for USA. Drawing on 20-plus years of experience in communications as a writer, broadcaster, and educator, this coach and consultant enjoys a reputation for her creativity, humour, and warmth in helping individuals improve their performance and achieve their goals. Trained and certified in positive psychology through Tal Ben-Shahar of Harvard and The Whole Being Institute. ICF certified through Positive Acorn with Robert Biswas-Diener. Julia gives workshops, presentations, and works one-on-one with individuals to help them improve performance and achieve their goals.
