The DFA Approach to Appreciative Inquiry

In its most basic meaning, "Appreciative Inquiry' is a form of organizational study that selectively seeks to locate, highlight and illuminate what are referred to as the "life-giving" forces of the organization's existence.

In this sense, there are two basic questions behind any appreciative study: 
          A.      What makes the organization possible?   And,
          B.      What are the possibilities of a newer and more effective
                   form of organization?

Appreciative Inquiry seeks out the very best of "what is" to help ignite the imagination of "what might be".  The aim is to generate new knowledge which expands "the realm of the possible" and helps the partners of an organization envision a collectively desired future, and then to carry forth that vision in ways which successfully translate intention into reality and belief into practice.

As a method of organization analysis, appreciative inquiry differs from problem solving.   The basic assumption of organizational problem solving seems to be that an organization is a problem to be solved.  The process usually involves: 1) identifying the essential problem, 2) analyzing the causes,
3) analyzing solutions, and 4) developing an action plan.

In contrast, the underlying assumption of "Appreciative Inquiry" is not so much that the organization is a "problem to be solved" but that it is a "solution to be embraced."  The steps are: 1) Identifying and valuing, 2) Envisioning, 3) Dialogue, and 4) Creating the new vision.

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