Teaches new ways of authentically engaging with others in business to facilitate positive change

About the authors
About the contributors
AcknowledgementsIntroductionPart One Understanding conversational approaches to change01 Organizations as machines, workers as cogs and management as a control process
Introduction
Organization as a group social skill
Taylorism and Scientific Management
Belief in the power of problem solving to change organizations
Belief in the power of naming problems to produce change
Belief in the power of instruction to achieve change
The belief that emotions are problematic
Belief in the power of criticism and fear to motivate change
Belief in the head and body organizational split
Belief in the power of separating elements to enhance clarity and so the ability to act efficiently
Belief in a 'right answer' to the problem of design
Summary

02 An alternative approach: organizations as living human systems
Introduction
The organization as living
Organizations as human
Organizations as systems
Belief in the power of appreciation to promote growth
Belief in the power of inquiry
The power of talk to change things
The power of imagination to produce change
The power of positive emotional energy to achieve change
The belief that language is creative
Belief in the place and power of stories in organizational life
Summary

03 The development of conversational approaches to organizational change
Where does the story begin?
What is the history of Appreciative Inquiry?
Why is Appreciative Inquiry becoming popular?
Postmodernism
Appreciative Inquiry and the information revolution
Appreciative Inquiry and globalization
Appreciative Inquiry and the human search for hope
Appreciative Inquiry meets a need for connection in organizations
Summary

04 Appreciative Inquiry: how do you do it
Introduction
Preparing for change
Define
Discovery
Dream
Design
Destiny
Summary

Part Two Advanced ideas and practice

05 The power of the question
Introduction
Not locks and keys
Looking at questions
Summary

06 The power of conversation
Introduction
What is conversation?
The power of conversation to transform
The fear of conversation
Understanding the fears and ambivalence towards conversation
Some issues for the conversational practitioner to consider
The ambivalence of organizations towards conversation
How can a conversational practitioner support powerful conversations within organizations?
The inner life of the conversational practitioner
What will we as conversational practitioners bring to our work with organizations?
Summary

07 Extending practice: working with story in organizations
Introduction
The common ground with the conversation-based approach to organizational change
Using story
Working with story
Sense making: creating temporary moments of clarity in an unclear world
Summary

08 Extending practice: Working with appreciative coaching
Introduction
The nature of coaching
The common ground between conversational change and coaching
Using appreciative coaching
Strengths coaching with clients
The impact of AI approaches
Summary

09 How Positive Psychology Enhances Appreciative Inquiry
Introduction
What is Positive Psychology?
The relationship between Positive Psychology and Appreciative Inquiry
How Positive Psychology research informs Appreciative Inquiry and change management practice
Positive emotions
Elevation
Character strengths
Flourishing
Positive deviance
Growing tip development
Transcendental deviance
Using Positive Psychology to enhance Appreciative Inquiry practice
Summary

10 Developing your conversational practice
Introduction
Common themes
The World Café
Open Space
Future Search
The Circle
A real-life example of using conversational processes to achieve organizational rebirth
Bringing them all together
Summary

11 Becoming an appreciative conversational practitioner
Introduction
Purpose
Working spirit-fully
Appreciative practice skills
Summary

Part Three Using conversational approaches in the organization

12 How to introduce Appreciative Inquiry and related approaches to your organization
Introduction
Guidance in getting started: commissioning conversations
Moving to the 4D cycle: common blocks and how to overcome them
Summary

13 Case study: Using Appreciative Inquiry at BP Castrol MarineDavid Gilmour and Anne Radford
Introduction
The organization
The organization challenge
Selecting the approach
Appreciative leadership
Mix of AI and other methodologies
Objectives for the change process
Description
Introduction of appreciative leadership: managers and regional sales teams
The Easy Business vision
Outcomes
Reflections and lessons learned

14 Case study: Revitalizing corporate values in Nokia
Caryn Vanstone and Bruno Dalbiez
Introduction
The organization
The organization challenge
Selecting the approach
Description of the project experience
Outcomes so far
Reflections and learning
Summary

15 Case study: World Café enabling strategic change at the American Society for Quality
Arian Ward, Paul E Borawski and Juanita Brown
Introduction
The organization
The organization challenge
Selecting the approach
Aims for the change
Description
Outcomes
Reflections

16 Case study: Rapidly transforming conflict into co-action at a South African coal mine
Johann Roux and Elonya Niehaus
Introduction
The organization
The organization challenge
Selecting the approach
Aims for the change
The process
Me in the relationship: the positive difference I make
We can make a difference
Outcomes
Reflections and learning

17 Case study: Applying Appreciative Inquiry to deliver strategic change at Orbseal Technology CenterJacqueline M Stavros and Joe R Sprangel Jr
Introduction
The organization
The organization challenge
The role of decision making
Selecting the approach (why AI and SOAR framework)
Description of the project experience
The outcomes
Reflections and learning

Appendix: Resource list
References and further reading
Index