Product Description

The Power of Appreciative Inquiry describes a new strategy that inspires people and brings about a higher performance level in any organization. This method encourages people to study, discuss, learn from, and build on what works well when they are at their best, rather than focusing on what's going wrong.

The theory, practice, and spirit of this approach to organizational change is described in plain language. The authors provide guidelines for defining the change agenda, initiative, or project; forming the "steering team"; and launching an organization-wide kick off. Case histories demonstrate how organizations can attain sustained positive change by studying their strengths.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #26204 in Books
• Published on: 2003-01-01
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 264 pages

Customer Reviews

Marketing Treatise
I was disappointed to find what I felt was a marketing treatise consisting of little other than relentless cheerleading. I could not find any details that would help really understand AI (Appreciative Inquiry), let alone allay the qualms of a potential skeptic. After reading about half of the book before giving up, I could not find the how-to's that would, for me, define a path to AI success nor any cautions that would yield clues as to when AI would not be likely to succeed. The book seems to me to be written to sell consulting, not explain the topic. I am now motivated to find a better book rather than to try to use AI.

round and round we go
For all the power of Appreciative Inquiry, I'm still waiting for a book or an article that presents the topic in a direct manner. While I did learn a great deal from this book, it was only after wandering around the subject in the discursive way that seems to be the ingrained habit of the AI authors I've encountered. Although the book begins with a chapter titled: What is appreciative inquiry, at the end of the chapter, I'm still not sure precisely what it is. It starts to feel like a zen koan, a little too elusive for my western mind. The second chapter launches into a menu of approaches to presenting AI in your company, yet I still don't clearly understand the concept we're giving approaches to. By the end of the book, a lot more was clear, but if you don't start with a pretty good understanding of AI when you pick up the book, you'll probably find it as frustrating as I did. If you are already an devotee, the book is likely very clear to you. Oh, and btw, I am conscious of the fact that by criticizing the book, I'm probably failing to practice AI. I'm not sure what to do about that. If the book was clearer to me, maybe I'd have an answer.

Moving
The title is apt: there are powerful ideas in this book. I recommend it to anyone doing consulting or who wants to take their organization to new heights.