Customer Reviews

Appreciative Intelligence: Seeing the Mighty Oak in the Acorn

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In a remarkable turn of events, this week's Fortune magazine cover article highlights the ways that former GE CEO Jack Welch's management maxims, once taken as gospel by leaders around the world, are now being questioned and even rejected. Welch is credited with reinvigorating Six Sigma, the penultimate tool set for organizational improvement. It's probably no coincidence that Tojo Thatchenkery and Carol Metzker's new book on Appreciative Intelligence (Seeing the Mighty Oak in the Acorn) should emerge at the same time to offer a powerful alternative to traditional forms of management thinking that have spawned problem solving, "forced ranking," and other deficit-oriented approaches to organizational change.
Appreciative Intelligence is defined by the authors (full disclosure: Thatchenkery and I were in graduate school together nearly twenty years ago but have had virtually no contact since then) as consisting of three components: reframing, appreciating the positive, and seeing how the future unfolds from the present. The book is full of wonderful case examples, both for-profit and non-profit settings, of how the principles of Appreciative Intelligence can be understood and practiced. There are simple methods for profiling one's own levels of Appreciative Intelligence, awareness and action.
While researchers will find several chapters digging into the biological basis for Appreciative Intelligence of considerable academic interest, probably the biggest payoff of this book for organizational practitioners is the last chapter on how to apply the principles to employee development efforts. As the process owner for career development within a major global technology company, this book provides powerful support for continuing to find ways to build on the internal talent that many companies and organizations possess by focusing on future potential - seeing the mighty oak in the acorn - and helping to realize that potential in ways that benefit the individual and the enterprise.

When you search for problems, you find problems.. You and your organization can get mired in negativity. On the other hand, if you seek and tap into what's positive in individuals and organizations, you focus on possibilities and potential -- the oak in the acorn. Thatchenkery and Metzker have drawn a roadmap to discovering and nurturing the best in people (including yourself) and organizations by encouraging four qualities - persistence, conviction that one's actions matter, tolerance for uncertainty and irrepressible resilience. Their well-written, timely, and compelling book will prove useful for organization development professionals, human resource specialists, and executives alike who want to foster excellence not only in their organization but also in themselves.

This a book with a fresh, powerful message and tools for leaders everywhere. It is especially valuable in the Agile community where we are trying to clearly define and capture what leadership and innovation mean on Agile projects.

I found myself drawn in page after page as stories of "reframing", "appreciating the positive", and "seeing how the future unfolds from the present" unfolded to to articulate the contruct (not concept) of Appreciative Intelligence.

In my opinion, the latter half of the book is better suited for those interested in practical application. Also be warned that the considerable erudition of the authors shows up in a flood of references that might slow down your reading.

All in all, a great book with fresh thinking and tools for those interested in leadership and innovation.

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The authors Thatchenkery and Metzker have produced a remarkable book that is not only thorough and solid which will clearly hold the attention of the scholar, but also an approachable and practical piece of work that will be of immense value to the practitioner. The notion of Appreciative Intelligence is intuitively appealing and the authors do a fine job of building clear and convincing arguments as to why it is an important and impactful concept in the realm of human affairs. However, what excites me most is that, Appreciative Intelligence, much like Emotional Intelligence did, has the potential to push the boundaries of both theory and practice.

In this ground breaking book, Tojo Thatchenkery and Carol Metzker integrates the cutting edge research from cognitive sciences and social psychology to identify and describe an ability that enables some people to take new or challenging circumstances and turn them into successful experiences, while others waver at similar situations. This ability called `Appreciative Intelligence' helps one to perceive and realize the positive generative potential within the present.

In a lucid and compelling fashion, the authors describe how people with high levels of appreciative intelligence see mighty oak in the acorn. They also go beyond to explain how to plant and preserve the acorns to help them grow and thrive despite challenging circumstances.

Read and more importantly, practice these ideas. You will be amazed at the positive possibilities of your present situation - no matter what your profession is.

As background, I have worked with Tojo Thatchenkery on teaching Appreciative Inquiry here in India.

Having always been fond of the subject, I continued to be diappointed that the field had relatively little concrete theoretical foundations. With this book, the authors have helped to create the requisite conceptual backing for the field of AI.

The book is well researched and structured, thus making it very interesting to read. I would recommend it to everybody who is passionate about harnessing human potential to the benefit of humanity.

'Appreciative Intelligence: Seeing the Mighty Oak in the Acorn', by Tojo Thatchenkery and Carol Metzker, is a wonderful book that can transform the way you look at people and situations in your professional environment as well as family environment. Authors have correctly identified the factor that some people seem to have, that make them see things differently than most of us. AI may be present in all of us albeit in varying degree. Good news is that you can nurture it and sharpen it once you realize the presence of it within you. The real life examples given in the book serves very well as tools to this effect. This is a beautifully written book that can enhance your management skills and enable you to look at people and situations in a positive way. Highly recommended for general reading as well as for in depth study.

This book offers an inspiring way to understand our worlds, helping us choose to make a difference. Deep and abiding success (however we define it) comes from deploying appreciative intelligence and this volume helps us to cultivate it well. It is a good read - easy and compelling. I found myself sharing stories as I was reading - and am delighted to recommend it.

This is a groundbreaking and thought-provoking book that demonstrates that Appreciative Intelligence--defined as the ability to reframe reality to reveal the hidden potential within even the most apparently unpromising situation--is a type of intelligence found in ALL individuals. Immensely readable and inspiring, the book uses wonderful real-world examples to show AI in action and includes useful tools and exercises for developing and increasing AI to become more successful, creative, and fulfilled.

With Appreciative Intelligence, Thatchenkery and Metzker introduce a construct that is both satisfying and inspiring. Appreciative Intelligence helps us understand enviable capacities we see around us, capacities to achieve extraordinary future states out of situations that others find improbable. It extends the notion of Emotional Intelligence and fits nicely in the positive psychology framework. Not a pair of rose-colored glasses, this capacity includes the ability to bring to bear the right forces and hard work to attain that envisioned future. The authors offer some tools for us to increase our own Appreciative Intelligence and further invite us into the process by suggesting we create our own tools as well. They help us believe that we, too, can see the positive future and make it happen.