Describe the process of appreciative inquiry as an OD intervention.

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

Appreciative inquiry (AI) is an OD intervention that is an example of action
research (described in the appendix of this textbook). AI is consistent with emerging
ideas from positive psychology and OB. The basic assumption is that people move in
the direction that they visualize for the future. Participants begin the AI process by
reflecting on a peak experience and then engage conversation about it with others in a
group setting. Questions are asked regarding why the moment was positive. Examples
of topics in AI are learning, leadership, communication, or work relationships. Individual
reflections on the peak experience are then linked to develop a shared meaning for the
group. AI is a process where the group learns what it has done well and focuses on
strengths. While AI has generated a lot of interest by practitioners, empirical support
has been mixed. However, a study comparing groups with and without AI experience
found that participating in AI unlocks and develops the human potential of employees.
Those with AI experience had more confidence, hope, optimism, and resilience
(psychological capital), particularly through satisfying the innate need to be competent
and learn from others. AI may be an effective way to increase psychological capital as
well as basic need satisfaction, both of which are conditions for creating new
possibilities and effective systemic change. A field experiment conducted in an urban
transit organization found that AI generated more positive action ideas compared with
traditional problem solving. The results of the study suggest that not only does AI lead
to more positive ideas, but it leads to more creative ideas that focus on the specific area
of managerial interest, while a problem-solving strategy may lead employees to use the
opportunity to surface other issues that are “problems” for them.