Introduction to Appreciative Inquiry
By focusing on what is "right" than what is wrong, AI gives us access to the kind of energy that can be transformative.
AI begins with the belief that we have choice - that we can consciously choose (in the Gestalt sense) what we "see" and act upon. In
both the personal and social realms, we can choose to focus on
problems, needs and deficits - the traditional problem-solving approach. Or, we can choose to see possibilities, capabilities and assets - the basis of AI.
Rather
than "accepting reality", we see what we call "reality" is defined by
what we choose to see, what we choose to think and talk about, what we
choose to act upon. It follows that we have the capacity to create the kind of future we desire.
SAIDI is pleased to bring this "new way" of learning. Dr. Rosalina Fuentes, the main facilitator, has been trained by the research himself, Dr. David Cooperrider. He started and popularized this concept.
For more information about AI, see
WHAT IS APPRECIATIVE INQUIRY?
Very
briefly, it is rooted in an emerging paradigm of looking for what is
"right" and moves toward it, understanding that in the forward movement
toward the ideal, the greatest value is embracing what works.