FOUG

Appreciative Inquiry (AI)

Appreciative Inquiry (AI) is a strength-based approach the effectiveness of which has been demonstrated and documented worldwide for over 30 years.

It’s an alternative to more traditional problem solving and change management methods.

Appreciative inquiry generates positive emotions, scientifically proven to yield lasting results and considerably increase engagement.

Why Opt for Appreciative Inquiry?

This approach, an alternative to approaches that draw attention to what is lacking, provides a different way to tackle management challenges. Appreciative Inquiry actually brings solutions that build on sources of past success and draw inspiration from your objectives for the future.

By opening a deliberately appreciative dialogue, you help strengthen ties between the members of your team and generate future proposals that meet their aspirations and achieve target outcomes.

When you recognize the best in your employees, you showcase, and even enhance, their positive qualities. It isn’t a question of ignoring problems. Instead, you are looking at them differently to discover new solutions and generate energy with a view to taking action.

Get in touch with FOUG if you’re interested in an Appreciative Inquiry training workshop or need guidance with any of the following:

  • Employee engagement
  • Strategic planning
  • Teaming
  • Quest for innovation
  • Leadership
  • Better alignment of teams, divisions or organizations
  • Partnership
  • Ongoing improvement
  • Process review

Phases of an Appreciative Inquiry Exercise

Since Appreciative Inquiry focuses on objectives, the work plan is based on the context. Following are suggested phases for these exercises that can go
from 4 hours to 2 years!

Assumptions

Assumptions

  • In every society, organization, or group, something works.
  • What we focus on becomes our reality.
  • People have more confidence and comfort to journey to the future (the unknown) when they carry forward parts of the past.
  • If we carry parts of the past forward, they should be what is best about the past.
  • It is important to value differences.
  • The language we use creates our reality.

FOUG: Pioneers of
Appreciative Inquiry

FOUG: Pioneers of Appreciative Inquiry

In the late 1990s, Jacinthe Bergevin, along with Jacqueline Pelletier, was among the pioneers of the appreciative inquiry approach in Canada. Trained by the founder of AI, David Cooperrider, Jacinthe continues to deepen her knowledge. She is a member of the AI International Community and the appreciative inquiry community of practice in Quebec. She has conducted more than 77 appreciative inquiries, and has been giving training workshops on AI with her colleague, Josée Blaquière, since 2009.

Photo (left to right): Jacinthe Bergevin, David Cooperrider and Josée Blaquière at the international conference in Ghent, Belgium

Assumptions

  • In every society, organization, or group, something works.
  • What we focus on becomes our reality.
  • People have more confidence and comfort to journey to the future (the unknown) when they carry forward parts of the past.
  • If we carry parts of the past forward, they should be what is best about the past.
  • It is important to value differences.
  • The language we use creates our reality.

FOUG: Pioneers of Appreciative Inquiry

In the late 1990s, Jacinthe Bergevin, along with Jacqueline Pelletier, was among the pioneers of the appreciative inquiry approach in Canada. Trained by the founder of AI, David Cooperrider, Jacinthe continues to deepen her knowledge. She is a member of the AI International Community and the appreciative inquiry community of practice in Quebec. She has conducted more than 77 appreciative inquiries, and has been giving training workshops on AI with her colleague, Josée Blaquière, since 2009.

Photo (left to right): Jacinthe Bergevin, David Cooperrider and Josée Blaquière at the international conference in Ghent, Belgium

Workshops offered by FOUG on Appreciative Inquiry

Discover Appreciative Inquiry and transform the organizational dynamic:

Appreciative Leadership

Duration: 3 hours (tailor-made)

Appreciative Leadership

Objective
Present the philosophy of the appreciative inquiry approach to managers so they can apply it in their day-to-day activities.

Targeted clientele
Managers of all levels who oversee teams.

Performance management in appreciative mode

Duration: 1 day (tailor-made)

Performance management in appreciative mode

Conduct feedback conversations that promote professional development and organizational excellence.

Objectives

  1. Practice techniques and gain skills for effective and stimulating feedback conversations with employees in order to:
    1. Inspire them to give the best of themselves
    2. Transform challenging situations
  2. Introduce “appreciative leadership” to discuss the role of the leader in your organization’s performance management process

Targeted clientele
Managers responsible for leading the performance management process with employees

Managing projects in appreciative mode: Accelerating results

Duration: 3 to 8 hours

Managing projects in appreciative mode: Accelerating results

Imagine that you can generate engagement and energy for all stakeholders at every phase of a project. Experience has shown us that it is possible when leaders dare to look at project phases from a different angle. 

Objective
Experience the appreciative inquiry approach as a powerful lever for transformation in a project management or organizational transformation context.

Targeted clientele
Project managers and agents of change

Discover appreciative inquiry and transform the organizational dynamic

Duration: 3 days

Discover appreciative inquiry and transform the organizational dynamic

Objectives
Understand the theoretical foundations of appreciative inquiry and learn how to apply this approach in various organizational contexts.

At the end of the training, participants will be able to:

  1. Explain what the appreciative inquiry approach is:
    1. Differentiate the impact of a problem-focused approach from that of an appreciative approach
    2. List AI research components
    3. Explain the underlying principles and assumptions of the AI approach
    4. Explain the phases of the appreciative inquiry approach
    5. Rationalize the selection of the AI approach using the findings of positive psychology research and other studies
  1. Apply the AI approach to real-life situations:
    1. Apply AI approach phases
    2. Where appropriate, integrate the philosophy of the appreciative inquiry approach into daily practice:
      1. Engage members of your organization and inspire interest in innovation and ability to innovate
      2. Provide concrete examples of approaches that have been conducted in Quebec, across Canada and around the world 

Targeted clientele
Motivated managers and professionals looking for a new approach to create breakthroughs and breathe new life into their organization

Appreciative Leadership

Objective
Present the philosophy of the appreciative inquiry approach to managers so they can apply it in their day-to-day activities.

Targeted clientele
Managers of all levels who oversee teams.

Performance management in appreciative mode

Conduct feedback conversations that promote professional development and organizational excellence.

Objectives

  1. Practice techniques and gain skills for effective and stimulating feedback conversations with employees in order to:
    1. Inspire them to give the best of themselves
    2. Transform challenging situations
  2. Introduce “appreciative leadership” to discuss the role of the leader in your organization’s performance management process

Targeted clientele
Managers responsible for leading the performance management process with employees

Managing projects in appreciative mode: Accelerating results

Imagine that you can generate engagement and energy for all stakeholders at every phase of a project. Experience has shown us that it is possible when leaders dare to look at project phases from a different angle. 

Objective
Experience the appreciative inquiry approach as a powerful lever for transformation in a project management or organizational transformation context.

Targeted clientele
Project managers and agents of change

Discover appreciative inquiry and transform the organizational dynamic

Objectives
Understand the theoretical foundations of appreciative inquiry and learn how to apply this approach in various organizational contexts.

At the end of the training, participants will be able to:

  1. Explain what the appreciative inquiry approach is:
    1. Differentiate the impact of a problem-focused approach from that of an appreciative approach
    2. List AI research components
    3. Explain the underlying principles and assumptions of the AI approach
    4. Explain the phases of the appreciative inquiry approach
    5. Rationalize the selection of the AI approach using the findings of positive psychology research and other studies
  1. Apply the AI approach to real-life situations:
    1. Apply AI approach phases
    2. Where appropriate, integrate the philosophy of the appreciative inquiry approach into daily practice:
      1. Engage members of your organization and inspire interest in innovation and ability to innovate
      2. Provide concrete examples of approaches that have been conducted in Quebec, across Canada and around the world 

Targeted clientele
Motivated managers and professionals looking for a new approach to create breakthroughs and breathe new life into their organization

Management from an
appreciative angle

Duration: 90 to 120 minutes (tailor-made)

Management from an
appreciative angle

Look at management from an appreciative angle in a dynamic approach that leads to action and mobilization.

Objectives

  1. Present the appreciative inquiry approach
  2. Explain the underlying principles and assumptions of the AI approach
  3. Show how questions managers ask guide their actions and those of their employees
  4. Examine concrete examples where AI was used
  5. Explore ways to give an appreciative angle to management methods and discuss the impact

Targeted clientele
Managers of all levels who oversee teams

Appreciative post-mortem

Duration: 90 to 120 minutes (tailor-made)

Appreciative post-mortem

Objectives

  1. Explain what a post-mortem is
  2. Briefly present the appreciative inquiry approach
  3. Propose a way to do appreciative post-mortems as a team following a transaction or project

Targeted clientele
Project managers and their teams

Management from an
appreciative angle

Look at management from an appreciative angle in a dynamic approach that leads to action and mobilization.

Objectives

  1. Present the appreciative inquiry approach
  2. Explain the underlying principles and assumptions of the AI approach
  3. Show how questions managers ask guide their actions and those of their employees
  4. Examine concrete examples where AI was used
  5. Explore ways to give an appreciative angle to management methods and discuss the impact

Targeted clientele
Managers of all levels who oversee teams

Appreciative post-mortem

Objectives

  1. Explain what a post-mortem is
  2. Briefly present the appreciative inquiry approach
  3. Propose a way to do appreciative post-mortems as a team following a transaction or project

Targeted clientele
Project managers and their teams

Any questions?

For questions about appreciative inquiry in your organization,
feel free to contact us!

Contact FOUG