Using Appreciative Inquiry for Teambuilding

Purpose:

To get to know each other better.

To define “great team” characteristics.

Process:

Overview of Appreciative Inquiry

Appreciative Inquiry is a practical philosophy of choosing to seek out that which is positive and life-enriching, both in our own lives and the lives of others. It is a process for engaging people in building a team that they want to participate in or on.

Appreciative Inquiry is an idea that there is a connection between the images we hold of what is possible and the questions we ask about our past and present. AI is about focusing on the positive and moving forward from there – asking questions in a positive way and focusing on what is right, rather than always what is wrong.

The rationale behind AI is two-fold: (1) when you focus on the positive, it becomes a springboard or energizer for the future and (2) it also generate exceptionally useful information about what to enhance and build on as we move into the future as a team.

The phases of AI are (1) definition – building our team (2) discovery –what constitutes your memories of what a good team looks and acts like (3) dream – what are our collective themes about good teams and what would a “best team” look like (4) design – what will our best team look and act like (5) destiny – what are the action steps to make this a reality?

Sharing of “best team” experience (Discovery)

A. Have each of the participants think about the following questions:

- What is your best team memory?
- What made it a peak experience?
- Who were the significant players?
- What was happening on the team at that time?
- What was happening in your life at that time?
- Without being humble – what did you add to the team?
- What was the most important thing about the team that you can remember?

B. Have each person share – and flip chart all responses. Encourage members to set aside their preconceived notions about teams and get fully grounded in their memory of the actual experience, and fully explore what about themselves, the situation, the task, and others made this a “peak” experience.

Debrief the process

Ask everyone what the process of sharing was like.

Exploration of themes (Dream)

A. Have the group look at all of the flipcharts and begin to develop a list of the attributes of a highly effective group.

B. List these attributes on a separate flipchart.

C. Ask if there is anything else they have seen in others today that helped the group become more effective and add these to the flipchart.

Clarifying best team characteristics (Design)

A. After the list of attributes is made – clarify, as a team, what are to be the attributes of this team going forward

B. Be sure to have everyone’s agreement and buy-in.

Actions steps for making this happen (Destiny)

A. Break the group into smaller groups and allow each mini-group to come up with action steps for making this new group definition live on.

B. Bring the group together and share all of the action steps.

C. Agree as a large group what the action steps are for creating and maintain a highly effective team.

Debrief process

A. Ask: which part of today’s meeting most intrigues or engaged you?

B. What part of today’s meeting should we try to build on as we meet with others in the future?

C. What wishes do you have for the next time we meet?


Payoff:

Everyone feels more comfortable participating in the team and therefore more quality work is produced.

Action steps toward working together as a new team are defined and everyone is clear about their participation in the group.