Appreciative Inquiry

Appreciative inquiry (AI) is an organizational development method grounded in social constructionist theory that engages stakeholders in an inquiry into their collective strengths, assets, and what is working as a precursor to identifying what they want more of and how to achieve that. It has proven to be a popular and successful transformational change approach. Some researchers advocate its use as a participatory evaluation method under certain conditions, particularly when there is a desire to improve a program or process. This entry describes first the theory and practice of AI and then its use as a method of evaluation.

AI Theory

AI was originally developed in the mid-1980s by David Cooperrider, Frank Barrett, Ron Fry, and Suresh Srivastva of the Organizational Behavior Department at Case Western Reserve ...

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