Slides from the Peer Academy class on Appreciative Inquiry hosted by Max Hardy. All rights are reserved by Max Hardy as the creator of this presentation.

1. The Power of Appreciative Inquiry
Peer Academy

2. Objectives
•Build an understanding of Appreciative
Inquiry(AI) principles and how they work in
practice
•Demonstrate how AI can transform our
approach to just about anything
•Build confidence in using AI by giving all
participants direct experience with the
approach.
•Learn stuff together and have fun!

3. Introduction to AI

4. A story …. BP Pro-care
• 70% satisfaction rate, but not satisfied
• Invested in process to identify problems, and fix them to
achieve a higher satisfaction rate
• Researched why people were dissatisfied and identified a
number of problems
• Studied the problems extensively
• Shared results
• Developed an action plan and invested heavily in
implementing improvement plans
• 9 months later customers surveyed again and … a surprise
result……. Satisfaction fell to 37%!
• After using AI , the satisfaction rate rose to 95% after a
further 12 months.

5. So what is Appreciate Inquiry?
Dictionary helps us
• Appreciate: “the act of recognising the best in
people or the world around us”;
“to perceive those things that give life to living
systems”
• Inquire: “the act of exploration”;
“to ask questions and be open to new
potentials and possibilities”

6. Appreciative Inquiry …
• … involves the systematic discovery of what
gives “life” to a living system when it is most
alive, most effective, and most constructively
capable in economic, ecological, and human
terms.
• …involves, in a central way, the art and practice
of asking questions that strengthen a system’s
capacity to apprehend, anticipate, and
heighten positive potential.

7. Assumptions of Appreciative Inquiry
• In every society, organisation, 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 organisation 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

8. “What it would be
like to ride a beam
of light?”

9. Traditional vs
Appreciative Inquiry
Traditional Process
• Define the problems
and study them
• Fix what is broken
• Focus on decay
• “Let’s ensure we
completely understand
the reasons for our
shortcomings!”
AI Process
• Search for solutions that
already exist
• Amplify what is working
• Focus on life giving forces
• “Let’s understand what
makes things work when
we are at our best!”

10. Discovery:
‘Appreciate
what is’
Destiny
‘Create what
will be’
Imagine
‘Dream what
might be’
Design:
‘Determine what
should be’
Positive
Core
Affirmative
Topic Choice
The AI Four Ds

11. “Indeed, progress in the Land of Dirty Diamonds. There is a
rainbow out there. The people of the villages of Kono District
can see it. The IRC team sees it. Now the children can see the
rainbow. It’s time that the world community saw the rainbow.”
Malcolm J. Odell
Koidu Town,
Kono District,
Sierra Leone

12. “We used to tell stories like this. It has
always been part of our culture. We used
to tell stories about what makes us
community. I think we have forgotten
how important it is to talk like this; like
we have today.”

13. Benefits
• AI rests on the premise that ‘the more you focus
on what you want the more likely you are to get
it’
• ‘What you focus on, grows!’
• The better we understand problems the more
likely to give life to them – the more we focus on
strengths, assets and aspirations the more likely
we are to give life them!

14. Inquiry and change are not truly separate
moments, but are simultaneous. Inquiry is
intervention. The questions we ask set the
stage for what we “find”, and what we
“discover” (the data) becomes the
linguistic material, the stories, out of
which the future is conceived, conversed
about, and constructed.
A Positive Revolution in Change: Appreciative Inquiry
David L. Cooperrider and Diana Whitney, 2003

15. Paired Interview Exercise
• Think of a time, an event, a process when you were
involved in a highly successful project.
• What made it so memorable for you?
• In what way has it changed how you approach your
work or other projects?
• What did you personally contribute to this
event/experience?
• What did other people and/or organisations
contribute?
• What might be the key learnings about successful
projects from these experiences?

16. At your tables …
• Discuss in small groups some of the skills,
knowledge, qualities that emerged from the
stories.
• What were some that showed up in most stories?
• Which ones were more unusual or unique to one
individual?
• Write down some of the skills and qualities that
came up in conversation (1 skill or quality per
sheet of paper)

17. Mapping Core Success Factors
• Discuss what you learned at your table
• What were the most significant success
factors or themes across all your stories.
• Write down 3 factors each.
• One success factor per sheet.

18. Provocative Propositions
• Imagine now, having discussed our topic for
some time, that this healthy version of
democracy is now alive and well.
• Describe in the present tense, what is actually
going on?
• Speaking about it in the present tense, as if it
is happening, helps us to move in this
direction.

19. In conclusion, why AI?
• It’s fun and energising
• It builds on what is working
• It’s healthy!
• It adds ownership and confidence, as opposed to
strengthening stigma and hopelessness
• It respects where people are and what they know
• It draws on collective wisdom
(and works against collective dumbness)
• It seems to work!

20. Closing reflections
• What stood out for you today?
• What might be the most useful part that you
could use in your practice/ research?
• What questions might you want to ponder
further as a result of today?
• Finito!