Appreciative Inquiry: An approach for learning and change based on our own best practices

This brief outlines appreciative inquiry principles, methods, domains, and a recent example of its use.

"Since it was conceptualized in the late 1980s as a research methodology and change paradigm, the technique of ‘appreciative inquiry’ (AI) has proved to be highly effective for capturing the positive features of an organization or social system and energizing the members to strive for higher levels of performance. This Brief outlines the basic principles and methods of AI, describes various domains in which it has been undertaken and provides a recent example of its use in a centre affiliated with the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR)." (Acosta & Douthwaite, 2005).

Content

  • The AI shift: from problems to desired futures
  • The five steps of an appreciative inquiry
  • Situations in which AI has been applied
  • Prerequisites for a successful AI intervention

The brief presents an example how AI was used to strengthen a community of practice at the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT).

Sources

Acosta, A., & Douthwaite, B. 2005. Appreciative Inquiry: An approach for learning and change based on our own best practices, ILAC Brief No. 6. Rome, Italy: Institutional Learning and Change (ILAC) Initiative.

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