Appreciative Inquiry

The “traditional” approach to change is to look for the problem, make a diagnosis and find a solution. We primarily focus on what is wrong or broken. By identifying problems, we are able to isolate and tackle them.

“Appreciative Inquiry allows us to look for what works in an organization. The tangible result of the inquiry process is a series of statements that describe where the organization wants to be, based on where they have been. Because the statements are grounded in real experience and history, people know how to repeat their success.”
Hammond, Sue

Appreciative Inquiry attempts to use ways of asking questions and envisioning the future in-order to foster positive relationships and build on the present potential of a given person, organization or situation.
Applied research has demonstrated that this method can enhance an organization's internal capacity for collaboration and change. Appreciative Inquiry utilizes a cycle of 4 processes, which focuses on what it calls the 4 D's:
DISCOVER: The identification of effective organizational processes.
DREAM: The envisioning of processes that might be effective in the future.
DESIGN: Planning and prioritizing effective processes.
DESTINY (or DELIVER): The implementation of the proposed design.

The basic idea is then to build, or rebuild, organizations around what works, rather than trying to fix what doesn't. AI consultants try to convey this approach as the opposite of problem solving. They take a positive approach to increasing exceptional performance instead of improving poor skills and practices. AI assumes that this line of reasoning is motivational. Progress does not stop when one problem is solved: it naturally leads to continuous improvement. The method draws from stories of success to give real-life significance to our customers.
AI is used in organizational development and as a HYPERLINK "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Management_consulting"management consultancy tool to identify and move towards change and innovation.

We use the AI methodology to lead organizations toward growth and to implement change. During the process, the participants review situations where the organization operated successfully and learn about the strengths and positive factors that led to that success.
Once the participants identify the organization’s key success factors they work together to define their future aspirations for the business and create a joint vision for the future. The approach creates intense energy and momentum within the business that can be used to enhance creativity, which can be utilized to achieve future goals.

Tmurot’s consulting staff was trained in the United States and the United Kingdom and has helped organizations implement these methods since 1999. ‘Tmurot’ is Israel’s leader in this methodology and has initiated international training programs using the Appreciative Inquiry approach.