Appreciative inquiry is a collaborative approach to organizational development that focuses on identifying and building on a company’s strengths, rather than fixing problems. It involves input from all levels of the organization and can lead to the development of concrete plans for growth and improvement. Third-party consultants can provide a fresh perspective and help employees feel more comfortable providing feedback.
Appreciative inquiry is an approach to organizations that focuses on a collaborative exploration of their strengths to develop new organizational plans and procedures. Companies preparing for expansion, reorganization, or a change in direction often approach it from a problem-solving perspective, looking for problems that need to be fixed. In an appreciation survey, the organization works from the opposite direction to determine what is working well for the company and uses this information to develop a strategy for the future.
A key component of this approach is collaboration. Members of an organization have input at every stage of the process and can be actively asked for their thoughts. The first step in appreciative surveying can involve surveys and conversations with people at all levels of a company. In this stage, employees discuss what they love about their jobs, the facilities that work well for them, and areas where the company is doing well.
With information available about how the company currently operates, appreciative inquiry can begin to expand into how it might operate in the future. Employees can propose projects and policies that could further business goals. They can discuss ways the business can safely and effectively expand if expansion is in the plans. In all cases, they build on the positive discussions held previously to keep the company in the same direction.
In the process of developing plans to help a business grow and organize itself more effectively, appreciative inquiry can eliminate policies and procedures that aren’t working. A functioning system can replace or push out a dysfunctional system, for example by changing the corporate culture. The survey can also develop concrete plans to help the company avoid pitfalls that may arise, often by using input from lower-level employees who may not otherwise be required to contribute.
A company may conduct an appreciation inquiry in-house or refer to a specialist. Some consultancies offer this as a service and can train company staff so they can support the request and carry out their own follow-ups as the company progresses. One benefit of a third-party consultant or service is the fresh perspective, paired with neutrality. This can help shy employees or people who are worried about speaking to supervisors when asked to provide feedback; they can answer more honestly and fully when they feel comfortable with the person asking the questions.
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