Appreciative Inquiry: Rethinking Human Organization Toward a Positive Theory of Change [Paperback]

David L. Cooperrider (Author), Jr. Sorensen Peter F. (Author), Diana Whitney (Author), Therese F Yaeger (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1999 | ISBN-10: 0875639313 | ISBN-13: 978-0875639314 | Edition: 1

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Product Details

• Paperback: 287 pages
• Publisher: Stipes Pub Llc; 1 edition (September 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0875639313
• ISBN-13: 978-0875639314
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #443,591 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Diana Whitney, Ph.D. is President of Corporation for Positive Change, a consulting firm dedicated to the creation of collaborative advantage and life affirming organizations. She is an internationally recognized consultant, keynote speaker, and thought leader on Appreciative Inquiry, positive change, Appreciative Leadership and spirituality at work. Diana is a fellow of the World Business Academy, a Distinguished Consulting Faculty with Saybrook University, and a founder of the Taos Institute.
She is a coauthor or coeditor of fifteen books and dozens of articles, and chapters including The Power of Appreciative Inquiry (with Amanda Trosten-Bloom), The Appreciative Inquiry Handbook (with David Cooperrider and Jackie Stavros), The Appreciative Inquiry Summit and her newest Appreciative Leadership: Focus on What Works to Drive Winning Performance and Build a Thriving Organization. Diana is the 2004 recipient of the OD Network's Larry Porter Award for contribution to the field of OD through writing.
Diana's work is large scale and high engagement, focusing on culture change, strategic planning, merger integration, union-management partners and service excellence. Included among her clients are British Airways, CapGemini, Verizon, Glaxo Smithkline, PECO, NY Power Authority, Canadian School of Public Service, Merck, the Sisters of Good Shepherd and the University of Virginia Health System. Diana is a founding consultant and ongoing advisor to the United Religions Initiative, a global interfaith organization that now exists in over 450 locations worldwide.

Diana lives in Chapel Hill, North Carolina and can be reached at [e-mail].

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

129 of 131 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars OD perspective on AI case studies, relevance, and future, November 16, 1999

By 

Bill Kohley, Spraying Systems Co. (bill.kohle... (Wheaton, IL) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Appreciative Inquiry: Rethinking Human Organization Toward a Positive Theory of Change (Paperback)

This is a concise book filled with practical AI examples from manufacturing, finance, academia, and not-for-profit organizations -eighteen short chapters that get to the point. It does an excellent job emphasizing strengths and weaknesses of the AI approach in Organization Development (OD) work. This provides readers with AI insight on theory, application and results from recent fieldwork. Experienced AI readers will enjoy the new empirical work and extensions of the AI approach to new applications. Previous AI books, such as the Thin Book of AI, and the Field guide to AI, focus more on methodology and process. Cooperider, Sorensen, Whitney and Yaeger's book has three key parts: theory, application (case study), and "what's next" for AI (new horizons). The book really shines in Parts II and Parts III where it provides condensed field research with organizations such as Wendy's International, Commonwealth Edison, Benedictine University and Chicago area gangs. Two strong chapters are David Jones' empirical work at Wendy's international (ch. 13) and James Ludema's chapter (ch. 18) on "hope". Jones' chapter provides some strong empirical evidence supporting AI's value. Ludema's chapter lends value by illustrating AI's contribution to a better world through a relational construct such as "hope". Finally, OD'ers should read Ch. 14, which tests AI within traditional OD interventions as well as suggesting its' merits under positivistic inquiry. Just under 300 pages, the book is an easy read an provides a little something for every reader. It presents AI through the OD lens, and does a nice job strengthening AI's relevance in the field through empirical case work and future implications. Reader's may find they want to know more about particular case studies or concepts presented, for the book's chapters are short -especially in Parts II and III. Some of the chapters would be good books in themselves. Overall, it is great read for those who need case evidence of AI and want an overview of theory and application, as well as intermediates (students, consultants, managers/leaders) who are looking for empirical research, new applications, and a status report on this powerful Organization Development approach.

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars AI Source - a collection of important papers, June 9, 2001

By 

Patrick Merlevede (Eeklo, Vlaanderen (Belgium, Europe)) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Appreciative Inquiry: Rethinking Human Organization Toward a Positive Theory of Change (Paperback)

The method of appriciative inquiry is something that any organisation should envisage. The idea of focussing on the positive aspects and to grow from the is very powerful (in fact, I spent the last issue of my 7EQ newsletter on this topic). The number of awards won by authors and projects described in thsi book only confirms this statement. This book will explain you the why's of AI, give you some cases and show its relation to other large scale methods. It's not meant as a book you'll read from coer to cover, but rather as a resource from which you'll get what you need. The 18 chapters of this book are in fact 18 papers, some are written especially for this book, some have been published elsewhere, starting with the original "Appreciative Inquiry" Paper by David Cooperrider and Suresh Srivastva (1987). Many of the other papers have been published in the OD Journal and the OD practitioner between 1995 and 1998.