What is AI?

Appreciative Inquiry (AI) is a process for engaging people in building the kinds of organisations and a world they want to live in. Working from peoples’ strengths and positive experiences, AI co-creates a future based on collaboration and open dialogue.

• In every situation something works – Find it and let it flourish.
• What we focus on becomes our reality – Focus on possibilities to find possibilities. Focus on problems to find problems.
• There are always multiple realities – Different ways of seeing.
• How we ask questions can generate or deny possibilities – Use generative questions.
• The language we use creates our reality – Choose your language carefully.
• When we carry some of our old ways to the future they should be the very best of our old ways.
• Value differences – Diversity nourishes creativity and resilience. Seek and welcome it.

In today’s rapidly changing world AI could help you to manage the challenges you face more effectively, find new opportunities, and support the wellbeing of you and your colleagues. This is because there are well evidenced benefits of using AI. Most notably it:

• Builds on what works and on people’s strengths.
• Is underpinned by assumptions that are “generative” and so support innovation
• Encourages co-creativity and co-design across the whole system.
• Fosters solutions and actions that are “owned”.
• Encourages individual and organisational resilience and well-being.

AI focuses on strengths rather than weaknesses. This encourages “active” and “effective” staff and community participation. Active and effective participation helps ensure that resulting strategies, plans, and actions are all based on reality, and are “owned” by the participants. So they are much more likely to be deliverable.