Appreciative Inquiry. Trends and Issues Alert.

Appreciative inquiry (AI) is based on the heliotropic principle, which has been variously described as art and science, holistic theory and practice, and practical philosophy and change process. AI engages people and organizations in discovering what gives life to human systems when they are most effective and constructive and using that knowledge to envision and create the preferred future. Instead of beginning with problems to be solved, AI uses a social constructivist view that reality is socially created. AI is rooted in multiple fields, including action research, organizational development, and chaos theory. The principles underlying AI are constructivism, simultaneity, poetics, anticipation, and the positive. The process of AI involves the following activities: (1) discover (talk to one another to identify exceptional/peak moments); (2) dream (envision what might be if the peak moments were the norm); (3) design (develop "provocative propositions" to achieve the vision and strategies to implement them); and (4) deliver (act on provocative propositions, establish new relationships, and mobilize resources). Some critics are concerned that AI glosses over problems. Under the right conditions, AI can be genuinely transformative; however, it requires time, trust, and a "new mental metabolism." (An annotated bibliography listing 23 publications and 3 World Wide Web sites constitutes approximately 75% of this document.) (MN)