Ravalier PhD Theis.pdf - Anglia Ruskin Research Online

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1b.3) The Appreciative Inquiry Cycle
The AI model as originally conceptualised by Cooperrider and Srivastva (1987) is said to consist of a fourphase
cycle, known as the ‘4 D’s’ (see Figure 1). The following is adapted from an AI case study by McAllister &
Luckcock (2009) in which an AI methodology was utilised within a public council organisation in the North West of
England in order to increase levels of customer service.
1) Discover – What’s Working Well
The task is to discover the positive exceptions, successes and most vital or alive moments. This can be done both
within and across organisations (i.e. as a benchmark setting) and across time (for example looking into the history
of the organisation to discover success stories; Cooperrider, Whitney & Stavros, 2008). Individuals explain their
personal experience of a phenomenon allowing a researcher to attempt to uncover and strengthen the positive in
the phenomenon/situation (Steyn, 2009). In the case study by McAllister and Luckcock (2009) the process started
by defining an affirmative topic, i.e. in this case what excellent customer service looks like.
2) From Discovery to Dreaming – The Ideal Service
This phase involves the creation of a new vision of the future. By creating new ground, new possibilities arise
(Steyn, 2009). The assumption is that the research naturally begins to search further and envision new
possibilities. This envisioning process involves creating a positive image of a desired and preferred future
(Cooperrider, Whitney & Stavros, 2008). McAllister and Luckcock (2009) described this as allowing individuals
space to ‘dream’ about what an ideal service would look like, with each participant encouraged to express their
vision freely in , any way that they want, with a common theme emerging.