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Appreciative Inquiry: Root Causes of Success

schedule
Time Frame

60-120 min

groups
Group size

40+

emoji_people
Facilitation lvl

medium

window
Comfort zone

medium

What made success possible? In less than one hour, a group of any size can generate the list of conditions that are essential for its success. You can liberate spontaneous momentum and insights for positive change from within the organization as “hidden” success stories are revealed. Positive movement is sparked by the search for what works now and by uncovering the root causes that make success possible.

Materials

Chairs for people to sit in pairs face-to-face; no tables needed, Paper/Post Its for participants to take notes, Flip chart to record the stories and assets/conditions

Step 1

Describe an overview of the process and then specify a theme or what kind of story participants are expected to tell.

3 minutes

Step 2

Structuring Invitation

Ask, “Please tell a story about a time when you worked on a challenge with others and you are proud of what you accomplished. What is the story and what made the success possible? Pair up preferably with someone you don’t know well.”

Facilitator notes:

Goal: Discovering and Building on the Root Causes of Success

Step 3

In pairs, participants take turns conducting an interview and telling a success story, paying attention to what made the success possible.

7–10 minutes each; 15–20 minutes total

Step 4

In groups of 4, each person retells the story of his or her pair partner. Ask participants to listen for patterns in conditions/assets supporting success and to make note of them.

15 minutes for groups of 4 people

Step 5

Collect insights and patterns for the whole group to see on a flip chart. Summarize if needed.

10-15 minutes

Step 6

Ask, “How are we investing in the assets and conditions that foster success?” and “What opportunities do you see to do more?”
You could Use 1-2-4-All! to discuss the questions.

10 minutes

Facilitator notes:

We chose a narrow scope of Appreciative Inquiry related to Discovering and Building on the Root Causes of Success.
To learn more about A.I. visit http://appreciativeinquiry.case.edu/

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