Co-constructing Appreciative Inquiry across disciplines: A duo-ethnography

Corinne Meier,Dirk J Geldenhuys

doi:10.4102/sajip.v43i0.1400

Corinne Meier, Dirk J Geldenhuys

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.4102/sajip.v43i0.1400

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Abstract

Orientation: Appreciative Inquiry (AI) has become increasingly popular as a tool for change management in the world of business and is spilling over into a range of contexts, linking a diversity of disciplines. However, instances where management has used AI in consultation with education for collaborative purposes could not be traced as yet.Research purpose: The aim of this study was for two AI practitioners, one in the field of Industrial and Organisational Psychology and one in Education, to partake in a collaborative study proceeding from reflection on the said researchers’ experiences with facilitating AI in different contexts.Motivation for the study: With social constructionism as a core principle underlying AI, it is argued that sharing experiences across disciplines could enrich the literature and the application of AI in different contexts.Research design, approach and method: The research is based on a qualitative, empirical, duo-ethnography using self-reflective narratives of the experiences of facilitating AI in cross-disciplinary contexts.Main findings: Reflecting on experiences in various disciplines lead to the co-construction of new knowledge. Not only were similar experiences supported, validated and extended, thus affirming the strength-based principle of AI, but it also provided the opportunity for disciplinary cross-fertilisation by combining different perspectives regarding the formality of the AI process and the extent of the facilitator’s and participants readiness to work with AI methodology.Practical/managerial implications: The formality of the AI process and hence the extent of the facilitator’s involvement (signalling his or her readiness to participate actively and take the lead in co-creating a new reality) must be tempered by due allowance for the participant’s readiness to work with AI methodology. Furthermore, participants should be accommodated within the psychological space where they find themselves at the moment when the intended intervention is initiated.Contribution/value-add: Duo-ethnography provided the researchers with the opportunity to challenge the ‘other’ to reflect on their own discipline-related AI experiences, in a deeper, more relational and authentic way. The voices and ideas identified and presented counter narratives, also blended in unique ways to augment the definition of AI as a multidisciplinary force to co-create a better society. More specifically, the ‘readiness’ of the facilitator for an AI encounter was conceptualised and applied to the psychological and behavioural readiness of not only the participants, but also the facilitators of AI workshops.

Highlights

With its focus on building on the positive and inclusive collaboration as founding concepts, Appreciative Inquiry (AI) has become increasingly popular as a tool for change management in the world of business for which it was originally intended, but is currently applied in a variety of contexts and disciplines (Dematteo & Reeves, 2010; Trajkovski, Schmied, Vickers & Jackson, 2013)
With its focus on the unconscious irrational dynamics of human systems, and AI with its focus on the positive can almost be regarded as two opposing interventions, based on two opposing paradigms in psychology, namely psychodynamics and positive psychology
On completion of my doctorate, I attended a number of AI workshops presented by Professor Freddie Crous, a colleague and friend of mine from another tertiary institution

Summary

Introduction

With its focus on building on the positive and inclusive collaboration as founding concepts, Appreciative Inquiry (AI) has become increasingly popular as a tool for change management in the world of business for which it was originally intended, but is currently applied in a variety of contexts and disciplines (Dematteo & Reeves, 2010; Trajkovski, Schmied, Vickers & Jackson, 2013) Application of this novel approach has yet to proceed beyond its infancy, in the context of education (Cockell & McArthus-Blair, 2012); the researchers argue in this article that sharing experiences of facilitating AI across contexts and disciplines may lead to the construction of enriched theoretical perspectives regarding the application of AI. The amygdala uses approximately two-thirds of its neurons to detect negative experiences, and any bad news is rapidly stored in the long-term memory, unlike positive experiences that have to occupy the recipient’s consciousness for more than 12 seconds to secure transfer from short-term to longterm memory

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