My Book: Appreciative Inquiry for Collaborative Solutions
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Why is this book important?
Appreciative Inquiry for Collaborative Solutions: 21 Strength-Based Workshops is a unique application of Appreciative Inquiry to the world of learning and development. Amid global challenges and complexities, the Appreciative Inquiry worldview asks, “What is it that we do already that is working for us, and how can we leverage our strengths going forward?”
“What you learn in a single book can change everything. Appreciative Inquiry for Collaborative Solutions is Robyn Stratton-Berkessel at her very best—helping all of us open ourselves to our best selves, envision possibilities, and get in touch with our own and others strengths. A brilliantly applied book—with over 21 workshops ready for prime time delivery—helping leaders tap the revolutionary power of appreciative inquiry or “AI” for creating value for customers, suppliers, team members, shareholders, and families. Are you ready to walk on the strengths-based side of organization development and leadership? This inspiring volume will propel you upward step by step—it takes AI from concept to reality in an eloquent, empowering, and utterly engaging way.” David Cooperrider, Fairmount Minerals Professor at Case Western Reserve University’s Weatherhead School of Management.
What can you achieve with this book?
If you are a leader, facilitator, trainer, or organization development practitioner, here are twenty-one highly engaging, participatory workshops that provide the opportunity for organizations to unleash the creative, the imaginative, and the innovative capacity of their members through their active participation to build organizational capacity. Collaboration, idea generation, social bonding, team building, and learning are natural outcomes of participating in these workshops. Through respectful inquiry, participants become more aware of their own thinking and emotions and learn more about the thinking and emotions of their colleagues as they begin to work together to co-construct outcomes that will benefit all those impacted—individuals, teams, and organizations—and society at large.
How is this book organized?
This book includes an introduction and four parts. The introduction describes the purpose, objectives, content, and structure of the book. Part I provides a context for the Appreciative Inquiry worldview and explains why a positive, strength-based paradigm of doing business and building community is now called for. Part II provides a basic overview of the principles and process that guide the Appreciative Inquiry method, so that you may deliver the workshops with greater awareness, knowledge, and credibility and fully engage your participants. Part III is the heart of the book. It offers twenty-one fully developed workshops that leaders, facilitators, trainers, or consultants can pick up and deliver as they are or customize to their own situations. Part IV provides further tips and techniques for designing your own workshops using Appreciative Inquiry and related strength-based approaches.
Invitation for Readers’ Comments
Here is the place for a conversation about ideas and practices for Appreciative Inquiry for Collaborative Solutions. I’d love you to share your thoughts and experiences! Perhaps you might like to comment on the following:
What has attracted you to this book? How are you planning to use the material in this book? How are you using the workshops in your communities? Your stories will help us all to broaden and build our creative work.
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Robyn,
Congratulations! This looks great. We met virtually during the ASAE CSR conference. I am going to get this book!
Hello Lynn. I do remember you, of course – an AI co-facilitator doing meaningful work. Thank you very much for purchasing my book. Please let me know how you use it and what solutions your clients come up with as they participate in the various workshops. My dream is that the topics and structure will engage all relevant stakeholders in heartfelt, meaningful, transformative conversations that engage them, empower them and inspire them to action. As we know the smallest change can have a very big impact.
Dear Robyn:
Thank you for sharing your book with me. I can see that it reflects many years of experience, education, and commitment to ideas and solutions.
The book is very well organized and clear. The workshops will be of great benefit in a very practical, long-term way.
I also appreciated that the idea of Collaborative Solutions can be applied to many diverse life situations.
Lots of luck to you with the book, and in your ongoing work.
Helen
Helen,
I so appreciate your very generous and positive comments.
With the depth of your experience, I am most complimented.
I look forward to seeing you again very soon.
Warmest regards,
Robyn.
Dear Robyn,
I sometimes think that books find you when you go looking. This is the case for me as I was looling for interesting ways to engage a leadership team I'm doing work with at the moment. Just browsing through you book was exhilarating so thank you. I'm sure this will become a well thumbed friend!
Best regards
Celia
Hi Celia,
Your comment thrills me. Your response delights me – that you were exhilarated and you will continue to find it very useful!
Thank you for taking the time to let me know.
I would love to hear how it continues to serve you and your clients.
With deep appreciation,
Robyn.
Dear Robyn
As a management consultant & trainer, i am constantly looking for (and finding) new tools amongst which AI is a major one. Your book is a big relief to me, since most of the available stuff (as far as i know) being rather academic, finally, finally, your work makes it as it should be, SIMPLE and pragmatic.
Frank De Munter
Frank, that you for taking the time to share your most gracious comments about my book. I am so happy it is serving, as I intended it to serve. AI is a simple, heartfelt way to reconnect us to our best selves and remind each one of us what it is we truly value about our own talents and gifts, and the talents and gifts of others, and what we can value about each situation we find ourselves in. AI gives us way to be fully present with each other in conversation. I am grateful to you.
For people that have not yet used Robyn's book, I wondered if the following email I sent to Robyn (and got a wonderful reply to) would be helpful. (I have to break it into bits to get it into the comments…)
EMAIL SENT TO ROBYN (Part 1)
Overall, the approach I used on Transparency worked really well. The 2 day team building exceeded the team’s expectations. We would not have had such a positive second day, if we had not done the AI on Transparency the first day. When you read these comments, please keep in mind I have never run an AI workshop or participated in one… so I was really starting from scratch.
Two things bothered me about day 1 (the AI approach).
1. During the day, it was really really hard work for both me and the participants. I felt like we were pushing a grand piano up a muddy hill. I know some of this had to do with big jump I wanted the participants to make between their habitual negative approach and being positive, but some of it also had to do with the approach itself. So, here is what I am going to change for next time.
a. The written instructions (the hand outs) were too complicated, with too many words. Next time am going to really really simplify.
b. The red thread (the AI model) was not as clear in participants heads as I would have liked (Next time, will spend more time on the model, the positive core, and at each exercise, re-emphasize the journey (the model) they are on and where they are.
c. Based on the distance the team has to travel (in their heads and hearts) to stay in a positive place… am going to need to gauge that more purposefully and think through what I can do to support them better on staying in the positive.
Strongly recommend this enlightened and enlightening book anad approach. Will comment again when I have used more of the materials but v much appreciate having discovered this great resource. BT
Hi Bern, very happy to hear you are finding Appreciative Inquiry for Collaborative Solutions a great resource. Thanks for taking the time to let us know.