In today’s world, many of us are looking for ways to improve our wellbeing. The COVID-19 pandemic has brought about considerable challenges, creating uncertainty and impacting our mental, physical, social and economic health. Appreciative Inquiry (AI) offers a powerful, positive alternative to deficit-based thinking, focusing on strengths to foster resilience and growth. This article explores how AI can be a valuable tool for individuals and systems to enhance wellbeing, especially in times of change.
What is Appreciative Inquiry?
Appreciative Inquiry is a change management approach that emphasizes identifying and building upon existing strengths within individuals, teams, and organisations. Instead of focusing on problems, AI seeks to uncover what is working well, the “positive core,” and leverages these strengths through collaborative inquiry. This approach is underpinned by the idea that every human system possesses elements that make it vital and successful. AI is not about being positive all the time, but about generativity, the quest for new ideas and possibilities. It encourages a shift from a mindset of scarcity to one of abundance.
The 4-D Model of Appreciative Inquiry
AI is structured around a four-phase model:
- Discovery: Identify strengths and core competencies within the system. This involves exploring when individuals or teams are at their best, their top strengths, and the root causes of their success.
- Dream: Collectively envision positive possibilities for the future and articulate a shared vision. This involves asking questions that generate new knowledge and shared outcomes.
- Design: Create aspiration statements and design processes to achieve them. This is about creating a structure and energy that can help groups or individuals move towards their desired outcomes.
- Destiny: Scope out a collaborative path forward and make personal commitments to realizing shared aspirations. This means applying the new ideas, images and models in order to take action towards a better future.
Appreciative Inquiry and Wellbeing
AI provides several key strategies that directly contribute to improved wellbeing:
- Reframing Challenges: AI helps reframe problems into possibilities and threats into opportunities. For example, challenges related to the pandemic can be reframed to focus on creating more equitable healthcare or strengthening social connections.
- Discovering the Positive Core: Focusing on successes and strengths increases quality of life, productivity, and engagement. By exploring what works well, individuals and organizations can leverage their inherent capabilities to achieve positive outcomes.
- Cultivating Curiosity: AI encourages asking open-ended questions and active listening to understand others’ perspectives without judgement. This promotes learning, growth, and deeper relationships.
Integrating Appreciative Practices for Wellbeing
- Reframing: Use techniques such as “flipping” negative situations to their positive opposite. For example, a problem such as lack of access to healthcare could be flipped to the desired state of “equitable healthcare for all,” then used as an inspiration for action.
- Positive Core Discovery: Ask questions to identify what makes you or your team successful, such as “When are you at your best?” or “What are your top strengths?”.
- Active Listening: Focus on asking questions instead of making statements. This helps us to learn and develop by listening to others and developing richer relationships.
The Importance of Positivity
While not about ignoring challenges, AI highlights the power of positive emotions in fostering wellbeing. Positive emotions broaden thinking and increase creativity and capacity for action. Practices such as gratitude can also improve mental health, happiness, relationships, and productivity.
Moving Forward
The world is constantly changing, and large-scale disruptions are likely to occur. AI provides a framework for managing these disruptions through realistic optimism, resilience and the ability to learn from difficult situations. This approach empowers individuals and systems to proactively build a better future. By embracing AI, we can move toward a model of abundance where challenges lead to growth, gratitude, and positive action.
Conclusion
Appreciative Inquiry offers a powerful, evidence-based path to enhance wellbeing for individuals and organizations, especially during times of change and uncertainty. By focusing on strengths, possibilities, and positive action, AI can lead to increased resilience, better relationships, and a greater sense of purpose. Integrating AI principles into our lives can facilitate the development of more resilient, positive, and sustainable ways of living.