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Saturday, April 10, 2010

Appreciative Inquiry as a Tool to Improve Intergenerational Communication

Appreciative Inquiry (AI) is a term that was introduced by David Cooperrider and his colleagues at Case Western University during the 1980’s. AI is a shift in thinking from a deficit-based approach to change to a strength-based philosophy. The thinking is that by focusing on what is wrong we pay too much attention to problems and end up amplifying them. If our mindset is to look for problems, we will be certain to find them.

The appreciative approach considers organizations to be alive appreciative systems in which the focus is on looking for what works best. AI focuses on doing more of what works while the problem-solving approach asks us to do less of what we do not do well.

The AI approach suggests that by asking positive questions we can bring out the best in people, teams, and organizations. Cooperrider and his colleagues suggest that “words create worlds” and by wisely and intentionally selecting positive questions leaders can set the stage for generating a more cohesive and productive workplace environment.

One application for AI concerning improving intergenerational communication would be to ask members of different generational cohorts to interview each other using three or four positive questions and to then note the things that they have in common. Some possible appreciative questions could be:

1. Step into the shoes of a member of a different generation. Through their eyes answer the following questions.

a. What matters most to you?

b. What unique contribution does your generation bring to the workplace?

c. What are your greatest skills and competencies?

d. What makes you tick?

2. Tell me about a time you had a wonderful working relationship with someone from a different generation from yourself. What was the high point of this relationship? What did you learn from this relationship?

3. What do you value most about yourself that contributes positively to the relationships between members of different generations in the workplace?

Appreciative Inquiry proposes that we live in the worlds that our questions create. Therefore, by changing the way we ask employees about generational differences we can begin to help our employees discover the strengths, assets, and best practices of each generation.

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