Resources on Appreciative Inquiry from the Congregational Resource Guide

Anderson, Harlene, Kenneth J. Gergen, Sheila McNamee, David Cooperrider, Mary Gergen, and Diana Whitney. The Appreciative Organization. Chagrin Falls, OH: Taos Institute, 2001.

In this 55-page volume, the authors argue that the old hierarchical organization is no longer effective and needs to be replaced with a model based on the following premises: nothing will motivate people unless it has meaning for them; meaning is created through relationships; and appreciating others’ words and actions increases value within relationships, organizations, and the world at large. The authors use examples to flesh out these concepts, contrasting the results produced by existing organizational structures, leadership approaches, evaluation methods, and communication styles with those that "appreciative organization" methods have produced in their own work.

Appreciative Inquiry Commons
ai.cwru.edu

Hosted by Case Western Reserve University’s Weatherhead School of Management, this Web site is a worldwide portal to academic resources and tools on appreciative inquiry and the discipline of positive change. Among its many offerings are tools, practical methodologies, and stories from the field; listings of upcoming workshops and conferences; listings of programs offered by consulting firms; universities and institutions with appreciative inquiry programming; annotated bibliographies of publications on appreciative inquiry, and appreciative inquiry resources available in seventeen foreign languages.

Branson, Mark Lau. Memories, Hopes, and Conversations: Appreciative Inquiry and Congregational Change. Herndon, VA: Alban Institute, 2004.

Mark Lau Branson offers an account of how one Presbyterian church used appreciative inquiry to understand its history, encourage its members to discover and pursue their dreams, and call a new pastor who could help make those dreams reality. He makes clear that AI—an attitude as well as a process—broadly applies in many settings. Branson outlines a five step sequence: (1) focus on the positive; (2) inquire into stories of life-giving forces; (3) locate themes and topics for further inquiry; (4) create shared images for a preferred future; and (5) find innovative ways to create that future. He discusses the theory and provides biblical grounding for this work. He outlines the process in some detail, yet continues telling a story—how the theory played out in a real Presbyterian congregation. He proves his point by helping the reader experience it.

Clergy Leadership Institute
www.clergyleadership.com

The mission of the Clergy Leadership Institute is to increase ministers’ effectiveness by offering training that integrates theological reflection with organizational psychology. The Institute believes appreciative processes are the most effective way of enabling people to manifest their God-given talents and abilities. The Institute’s Web site features detailed information about its appreciative inquiry and leadership training programs, clergy sabbatical programs, clergy search resources, coaching services for personal and professional development, and consulting for congregational development.

Cooperrider, David, Peter F. Sorensen, Jr., Diana Whitney, and Therese F. Yaeger, eds. Appreciative Inquiry: Rethinking Human Organization toward a Positive Theory of Change. Champaign, IL: Stipes Publishing L.L.C., 2000.

This is a collection of articles on the change methodology known as appreciative inquiry, which focuses on what is best within an organization, defines what makes that possible, helps participants create a vision that goes beyond those circumstances and experiences, and assists them in developing a means to transform their vision into reality. This book provides an overview of the philosophy and methodology of appreciative inquiry, its various applications, and the possibility of its universal application. Intended to serve as a source book for students of organization development, this book is written in an academic style and its content goes far beyond simple explanations and examples of appreciative inquiry, drawing from a variety of disciplines and research to illustrate the basis and power of this approach to change.

Hammond, Sue Annis, The Thin Book of Appreciative Inquiry. Plano, TX: Thin Book Publishing Company, 1996.

This slim volume is designed for those wishing to get a quick overview of what appreciative inquiry is and what it can do. Written by a change management consultant who has been inspired by the results she has achieved by using appreciative inquiry in her own work with client companies, this book includes easy-to-digest examples of appreciative inquiry principles, brief and inspiring case studies, sample questions, and a resource guide for those wishing to study appreciative inquiry in more depth. A quick and easy read, this is a great first book for those wishing to learn more about this methodology.

Hammond, Sue Annis, and Cathy Royal, eds. Lessons from the Field: Applying Appreciative Inquiry, Revised Edition. Plano, TX: Thin Book Publishing Company, 2001.

This book shares the theory and processes of appreciative inquiry through the stories of organizations and communities who have experienced the power of this change methodology. Each case study provides rich detail of the process undertaken, and the author of each of these stories shares what was done and what was learned during the appreciative inquiry process. In addition to these case studies, this book includes answers to commonly asked questions about the methodology, sample questions, graphic models of the process, and an extensive resource section. This is a book for those wishing to learn not only about the principles and practices of appreciative inquiry but also to understand the results it is capable of producing in a variety of settings.

Mead, Loren B. The Once and Future Church: Reinventing the Congregation for a New Mission Frontier. Bethesda, MD: Alban Institute, 1991.

Mead asserts that the church’s understanding of mission is shifting as once-familiar clergy and laity roles change and as church executives are called to provide more support with fewer resources. The result, he says, is that a new church is being born around us. While it was once assumed that a church’s mission was to convert persons in far-off lands, now churches must focus on crises in their surrounding communities. And, whereas clergy were formerly assumed to be powerful guarantors of community morality, now they must help laity engage in and serve a turbulent world. While alerting us to the challenges of reinventing the new church, Mead also offers hopeful signs of the future church’s emergence. Church leaders will find in this book a deeper understanding of the critical opportunities facing those who seek to renew a church that will become, in Mead’s words, "a centering presence from which we may serve the new world that God is creating around us."

Paddock, Susan. Appreciative Inquiry in the Catholic Church. Plano, TX: Thin Book Publishing Company, 2003.

In this short but informative book, author Susan Paddock summarizes in just six pages the theory of appreciative inquiry. She then documents the compatibility between appreciative inquiry and Catholic theology. Using case studies of organizations such as Catholic Relief Services, the Diocese of Cleveland, and a variety of Catholic schools and parishes, she explores the effective use of appreciative inquiry to build relationships and community, to do strategic planning and create mission statements, to enhance transitions, and to facilitate spiritual renewal. In her account of these case studies, Paddock emphasizes the specific appreciative inquiry questions that were posed and the results they achieved.

Ricketts, Miriam W., and James E. Willis. Experience AI: A Practitioner’s Guide to Integrating Appreciative Inquiry with Experiential Learning. Chagrin Falls, OH: Taos Institute, 2001.

This book outlines the transformational organization change process known as appreciative inquiry (AI), and how its results can be enhanced and accelerated with experiential learning (EL), which involves immersing participants in structured and shared experiences that encourage risk taking followed by meaningful reflection on these experiences. In just 78 pages, the authors initiate an inquiry into the power of embedding EL exercises in the AI process to build trust and rapport, create community, enhance risk-taking, build buy-in for change, and accelerate the change process. Four client stories highlight how integrating experiential learning exercises with appreciative inquiry methods can maximize learning. Includes a glossary of terms and phrases.

Schiller, Marjorie, Bea Mah Holland, and Deanna Riley, eds. Appreciative Leaders: In the Eye of the Beholder. Chagrin Falls, OH: Taos Institute, 2001.

Building on the foundation of the appreciative inquiry methodology used in organizational consulting, this book examines how appreciative practices can lend power to the leadership role. This exploration takes place largely through stories of leaders who are transforming their industries or communities through appreciative ways of communicating, relating, and envisioning. Insights and inspiration can be found throughout the stories in this book, and the final chapter offers readers a model of appreciative leadership. Also included is a discussion of the characteristics, actions, attitudes, and worldviews of appreciative leaders. This is a helpful resource for anyone seeking a guide to a mode of leadership that honors the individual, brings out the best in others, and creates through vision and a desire to better the world.

The Taos Institute
www.taosinstitute.net

The Taos Institute is a nonprofit educational institution focused on social constructionist dialogues—the processes by which humans generate meaning together. Its Web site includes information about the Institute, its workshops on social construction and, more specifically, appreciative inquiry, as well as ordering information about its books: Appreciative Leaders: In the Eye of the Beholder; The Appreciative Organization; and Experience AI: A Practitioner’s Guide to Integrating Appreciative Inquiry and Experiential Learning.

United Religions Initiative
www.uri.org

The United Religions Initiative is based in daily, enduring interfaith cooperation. Its Web site features information about a variety of URI peacebuilding initiatives, press releases about recent interfaith efforts and accomplishments, resources and education about a variety of religions and spiritual traditions, a link to a URI children’s Web site, descriptions and ordering information regarding URI publications, and links to other interfaith peacebuilding sites.

Watkins, Jane Magruder, and Bernard J. Mohr. Appreciative Inquiry: Change at the Speed of Imagination. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass/Pfeiffer, 2001.

This is one of a series of books about cutting-edge developments and state-of-the-art practices in the field of organization development. This volume describes appreciative inquiry, a theory and practice for approaching change from a holistic framework. The authors define AI, outline the theory and research on which it is based, and describe the current state of the practice. They then describe in detail the five core processes of this methodology: focusing on the positive, inquiring into stories of life-giving forces, creating shared images for a preferred future, and innovating ways to create the preferred future. In addition to providing the rationale for of each of these processes, the authors also provide case studies to show how they work. The book closes with a discussion of AI as a new paradigm for research and evaluation and answers to frequently asked questions about AI theory and technique.

Wheatley, Margaret. Leadership and the New Science: Discovering Order in a Chaotic World. San Francisco: Berrett-Koehler, 1999.

In this update of the original 1992 version, Margaret Wheatley relates cutting-edge scientific theories and principles to the issues that trouble organizations most—chaos, control, freedom, communication, participation, planning, and prediction. With up-to-date examples and stories from her own work as an organizational specialist, Wheatley suggests that ideas drawn from quantum physics, chaos theory, and molecular biology could improve organizational performance. Though this book is more of an inspiration to creative thinking than a how-to manual, Wheatley does offer some suggestions for organizations seeking to remain healthy and to grow in this time of challenge and rapid change.

Whitney, Diana, David Cooperrider, Amanda Trosten-Bloom, and Brian S. Kaplin. Encyclopedia of Positive Questions, Volume One: Using Appreciative Inquiry to Bring Out the Best in Your Organization. Euclid, OH: Lakeshore Communications, 2002.

This is a thoroughly practical guide to implementing appreciative inquiry in a congregation or judicatory. The authors begin by explaining why positive questions are important. They then offer an encyclopedia of sample positive questions, each group of which focuses around a topic. While some topics might apply more directly to corporations, others (such as "strength in diversity" and "integrity in action") apply just as directly to congregations. In addition, the authors provide guidance on how to choose your own affirmative topics—as well as how to develop positive questions and how to create a protocol for appreciative inquiry. This book is short on abstractions but full of concrete ways to begin an appreciate inquiry process in your organization.

Whitney, Diana, and Amanda Trosten-Bloom. The Power of Appreciative Inquiry: A Practical Guide to Positive Change. San Francisco: Berrett-Koehler, 2003.

Has your congregation spent energy and resources on "problem solving," only to find that problems either persist or worsen? A new approach—appreciative inquiry—shows that "if you want to transform a situation, a relationship, an organization, or a community, focusing on strengths is much more effective than focusing on problems." Drawing on years of experience in applying appreciative inquiry (AI) to organizational change, Diana Whitney and Amanda Trosten-Bloom present both the principles of AI and case studies that demonstrate how AI works. Congregational leaders who have grown tired of negative approaches to problem solving will be refreshed by the theory and examples presented in this book.