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Appreciative Inquiry Brings Out the Best

Jackie Stavros

Appreciative inquiry brings out the best in people in any situation. AI originated in 1985 by David Cooperrider, while working with the Cleveland Clinic. Instead of using a deficit approach of “What can be fixed? What’s wrong here?” he experimented with an appreciative eye of asking, “What gives life to this organization? What’s great about working here? What is possible?”

The way you ask a question influences the response. Think about this: inquiry and change, they’re not separate moments. With this subtle change of asking generative questions for the clinic, it sparked an era of advancements and innovations that resulted in extraordinary growth and achievement in the clinic.

Even when dealing with difficult issues, AI conversations, they create trust, positive energy, and transformation to move the system forward in a positive direction. Appreciative inquiry has been used with tens of thousands of organizations to bring out the best in people. Organizations, industries, even global change initiatives—with our questions, we create our worlds.

There are five questions that focus on the best of what is and what might be. The first three questions focus on the best of what is. So think about this. What is a high point experience in your organization? What do you value most about yourself, your work, and the organization? And what gives life to that organization?

Now, the next two questions focus on possibilities. Remember, what might be? Imagine it’s five years later; everything you ever thought possible is happening at your organization. What’s going on? How have things changed? How have you contributed to that change? What are three wishes—the final one: what are three wishes you have for the organization?

Think about this. Generative questions value the past, look to the future. So change becomes a positive experience for all involved. If you want to bring out the best in others, create innovations for changeit really starts with the way you’re asking questions in your organization. Just give it a try. You could easily adapt these questions to any type of conversation or change agenda.

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