Appreciative Inquiry

Owned by Darlene Edgar
Feb 11, 2024
2 min read

Cooperrider, D. L., & Fry, R. (2020). Appreciative inquiry in a pandemic: An improbable pairing. The Journal of Applied Behavioral Science, 56(3), 266–271. https://doi.org/10.1177/0021886320936265

The article "Appreciative inquiry in a pandemic: An improbable pairing" discusses the application of Appreciative Inquiry (AI) during the COVID-19 pandemic and its relevance for leaders facing unprecedented challenges. Here are the key points from the article:

  1. Challenges Faced by Leaders During COVID-19: Leaders are confronted with numerous challenges during the pandemic, including disrupted supply chains, enabling remote workforces, delivering difficult news to employees and families, and maintaining their own morale and energy amidst uncertainty.

  2. Appreciative Inquiry (AI): AI is a methodology focused on discovering and leveraging the strengths and positive potentials of individuals, organizations, and systems. It involves asking questions that elevate cooperative capacity, apprehend strengths and positive potentials, and activate generative designs to open systems to better possibilities.

  3. Enterprise-Wide Inquiry: AI encourages enterprise-wide inquiry, stakeholder collaboration, and co-creation, whether conducted in person or digitally. It views organizations as relationally alive and emphasizes the importance of strengths and positive psychology in driving change.

  4. Generativity Ratio: AI emphasizes focusing on strengths rather than deficits, leading to the generation of upward spirals of positive change. However, it has been criticized for being overly biased toward the positive.

  5. AI in Different Contexts: AI can be applied in various contexts, including the extraordinary (highlighting the best in human experience), the ordinary (recognizing the life-giving dynamics in everyday events), and even in tragedy (finding resilience and resources amidst adversity).

  6. Paradoxes of Change: AI acknowledges the paradoxical nature of change, recognizing that we often change best when we are at our strongest but may also find opportunities for growth during moments of weakness and adversity, such as during the COVID-19 pandemic.

In summary, the article underscores the relevance of Appreciative Inquiry as a methodology for addressing the challenges faced by leaders during the COVID-19 pandemic. By focusing on strengths, positive potentials, and generative designs, AI offers a framework for navigating uncertainty and fostering resilience in the face of adversity.