Hosted by the Graduate Program in Critical and Creative Thinking, UMass Boston
Thursday, March 7, 7:00-8:30pm ET, online in Zoom
Free and open to all. RSVP here to receive the Zoom login information.
Much attention is given to the value and methods of problem-solving, perhaps an obvious statement given our focus on many types of problems at many scales in our current condition, reinforced by the media, our institutions, and discourse at local and global levels. Cooperrider and Whitney (2000) prompt us to consider though if the overall frame of the “problem” is itself the dominant but not necessarily inevitable and only paradigm for how we see the world. Instead, might we not look at the world as a place already filled with “infinite constructive capacity”, providing rich ways to construct our environment and recognize strengths that build positive potential. The Appreciative Inquiry practice supports individuals to build together the conditions that best position us for growth and recognize the sources of energy that allow us to move forward, including within those spaces where it is all too easy to continue to recognize what is wrong and how to correct it. Appreciative Inquiry often is approached as a system-wide process that involves engaged participation, and it is not a replacement for addressing issues that require urgent or technical solutions, but it helps participants to address the ‘why’ as well as the ‘how’ as they look to create a positive future. In this short session, we will use some reflective exercises to experiment with the basics of this practice. We will consider if there are opportunities to carry forward the principles of Apprciative Inquiry into our own work and lives, in addition to into our organizations. We will include time for dialogue to identify additional insights, themes, or questions that come up through our exploration.
References:
- Cooperrider, D. L., & Srivastva, S.,(1987). Appreciative inquiry into organizational life. Research in organizational change and development, 1(1), 129-169.
- Cooperrider, D. L., & Whitney, D. (2000). A positive revolution in change: Appreciative inquiry. In Handbook of organizational behavior, revised and expanded (pp. 633-652). Routledge.
