Appreciative-Leadership

Chapter 2
The Leadership Story: Thinking Differently about Leadership, Appreciative Organisation, Appreciative Leadership and Appreciative Inquiry
Caring for the Relationships: The How and the Who
The Appreciative Organisation is built on the concept of Social Constructionism. This theory believes that we
make sense of the world through the relationships we have with people and the subsequent meaning that we
make together. In the Appreciative Organisation, the “How” is just as important as the “What” and the belief is
that relationships between people have as significant an impact on organisational culture and performance as the
achievement of targets.
In caring for the relationships, the Appreciative Organisation:
• Accepts that action is not the only route to change and that thinking and understanding are equally important
• Encourages the asking of questions as a routine way of dispelling assumptions and improving performance
• Believes that people can and will think for themselves and that the organisation is stronger if that thinking is
shared
• Accepts that some relationships are not helpful
• Recognises that engaged people are happier, healthier and deliver more
Appreciative Leaders support this by:
• Creating space for conversations about tasks, targets, ideas, improvements and concerns (different from
meetings)
• Enabling teams to work as communities of practice in line with objectives
• Encouraging a culture of inquiry, openness, honesty and transparency in how things are done as well as
what is done
• Supporting collaborative working through the emotional engagement of people
• Challenging behaviour that undermines the team
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