Authors: Harlene Anderson David Cooperrider Kenneth Gergen Mary Gergen Sheila McNamee Jane Watkins Diana Whitney A Taos Institute Publication, The Appreciative Organization is based on the authors' diverse experiences in organizational life and they are unanimous in their view that the appreciative construction of meaning is essential to the efficacy of an organization and the fulfillment of its participants. In clear and direct language, the volume treats the challenges of decision making, leadership, group functioning, personnel evaluation, and the relationship of the organization to its context. Bold ideas are developed, examples described, and multiple suggestions developed for creating the appreciative organization. You will want to add this new "gem" to your personal library. This volume will be of special significance to consultants and organizational members who wish to see the key elements of appreciative inquiry realized in the everyday working of the organization. For more information visit the Taos Institute website: www.taosinstitute.net
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 diana@positivechange.org.
