The Appreciative Interview

The bedrock of AI is the appreciative interview, which transpires during the discovery phase (Whitney & Cooperrider, 2000; Cooperrider & Whitney, 1999). The appreciative interview sparks positive energy meant to pervade the entire initiative; it provides an opportunity for members to discuss the best of what occurs in the organization (Cooperrider & Whitney, 1999). As you have already learned, AI is the search for strengths, abundance, and appreciation within an individual, a team, or an organization and this transformative launch occurs during discovery.

Using the appreciative interview protocol, stakeholders can interview other stakeholders including peers, leaders, customers, third-party contributors, etc. In other initiative designs, appreciative interviews transpire at a large-scale or even a whole-systems event called an AI Summit (covered in Lesson 10). The design depends on the needs of the client, their resources, available time, and ability to bring members together.

Interviewers are often given a primer on the appreciative interview protocol and encouraged to engage fully in the activity for the optimal results. It is important to allow the interviewee the space and freedom to tell her story with as much vivid and rich detail as possible.

It is also helpful to contemplate any overarching themes that emerge from the interview; the next part of discovery requires stories to be shared and common themes set the tone for the dream phase. Identifying these themes allows people to imagine what is possible for the organization’s future.

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