Page 37 - Holly Carney Issue (3)

Business Matters
Appreciative Inquiry

By Jack Doxey

I just looked up the word “appreciate” in one of my old dic- Recently, I was told about someone in business that
tionaries and found one of the definitions to be: Increase in used this concept of Appreciative Inquiry and
value. I like that definition. the results were amazing. One of
the managers was concerned
Appreciative Inquiry is a tool used in business (today) to about employee turnover
cause people to look at themselves and business situ- and demanded to know
ations in a positive way. Too often in business why it was so high.
we ask ourselves the question “what One person said:”
did we do wrong or who was at Wait a minute, there
fault?” You know how that are a whole bunch
line of thinking of employees that
goes. We have been with us
for a long time
and why don’t
we ask them
why they have
stayed with
the com-
pany?”

In other
words,
San Diego Woman

tend
to do
it to 37
our-
selves
as well.”
Why did I approach
fail? Why it from the positive
couldn’t I thought of employee retention
have done or appreciative inquiry into the
a better job?” positive world of employee retention.
We are re-
ally hard on our- They received so much good information on why employees
selves at times. stay, they used this new found knowledge to retain employ-
ees. The results were outstanding and the turnover issue
May I suggest that we take time out went away.
of our busy sched- ules to write down all the
things that we like about ourselves, including some Wouldn’t it be nice if we were not so quick to criticize our-
of the traits that we are proud of. Also, what do our friends selves or others and substitute it with the practice of Appre-
and co workers say about us that raises our self esteem? ciative Inquiry? It will increase our value to ourselves, our
After compiling the list I suggest that you pair up and share employer, employees, customers and humanity in general.
your list with another associate. The exercise can be very
rewarding. It raises your self esteem and you come away Sounds like a good deal to me.
from the exercise exhilarated.

July/August 2008