Introduction to appreciative inquiry.

1. APPRECIATING THE
APPROACH
Appreciative Inquiry in your School
Thanks to Dr Liz E Mellish

2. Appreciative Inquiry – what is it?
 Appreciative Inquiry is an approach to organisational development and
change which grows out of social constructionist thought.
 The appreciative inquiry approach offers us all the process and
potential to positively explore, collectively imagine, collaboratively
design and jointly commit to a path forward.

3. Assumptions of Appreciative Inquiry:
 In every society, organisation, or group, something works.
 What we focus on becomes our reality, created in the moment, and
there are multiple realities.
 The act of asking questions of a group influences them 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 the best parts.
 It is important to value differences.

4. Principles of Appreciative Inquiry
Appreciate the best of what exists, values and hopes for the future.
Apply knowledge of what works, what is possible
Provoke new ways of organising, creative improvements, ideas and
proposals
Collaborate through collective capacity building, shared expertise ,
resources and participative decision making

5. 4-D Model of Appreciative Inquiry