This paper describes the design, conduct and outcomes of an Appreciative Inquiry-based intervention. The subject group was a newly formed unit of a he Show moreThis paper describes the design, conduct and outcomes of an Appreciative Inquiry-based intervention. The subject group was a newly formed unit of a health care organization. The unit was formed by merging elements of two preexisting groups, and was guided by inexperienced managers. Previous interaction between those groups had been characterized by distrust and competition. Appreciative Inquiry provided the foundation for the intervention. Members of the unit galvanized around identified strengths, shared values and beliefs, shared perspectives, and a positive vision of their future; the normative-relational aspect of the intervention. On that foundation, members of the unit developed generative skills and new behaviors for building trust, communicating, connecting, collaborating in thought and task, and organizational learning; the cognitive-behavioral aspect of the intervention. The collective pursuit of their vision and other possibilities, and the use of active application of new behaviors are reflected in the changing structural attributes of the unit’s social network. Findings provide insight into how Appreciative Inquiry works, and suggest that the unit has begun a process of conscious evolution and organizational renewal. Show less
