Appreciative inquiry is a strengths-based approach to organizational change. Rather than beginning by diagnosing what is wrong, it investigates what currently works well, identifies strengths and successful experiences, and uses those assets to imagine and create a more effective future.
That orientation fits the TD manager's intention to use the process change as an opportunity to discover team members' achievements, strengths, and potential. The conversation therefore begins from capability and possibility rather than deficiency.
The McKinsey 7-S framework examines alignment among organizational elements such as strategy, structure, systems, skills, staff, style, and shared values. Action research uses cycles of data gathering, intervention, and evaluation to address organizational problems. Kotter's model provides a structured sequence for leading large-scale organizational change. All are valid change approaches, but none is as explicitly strengths-focused as appreciative inquiry.
Appreciative inquiry can improve engagement because employees participate in identifying successful experiences and envisioning how those strengths can be expanded. It positions change as something people help create rather than merely a correction imposed on them.
Study Guide Topics: Change Management; appreciative inquiry; strengths-based change; organizational development; employee participation.
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