Appreciative Inquiry Approach to Evaluation

Appreciative Inquiry Approach to Evaluation

Appreciative Inquiry Approach to Evaluation

Gana Pati Ojha

Ram Chandra Lamichhane

Tessie Catsambas

ContentContent• What is AI?

• Background

• AI principles

• AI process

• AI approach to evaluation

• AI evaluation: What is it?

• How of AI evaluation

• Why of AI evaluation

• Use of evaluation finding

• Appropriateness

FormatFormat

• Discussion

• AI Interview

• Sharing Case studies

• Exercise on use of evaluation findings

What is AI?What is AI?

• Appreciative Inquiry is the cooperative co-evolutionary search for the best in people, their organizations and the world around them.

• Asset-based approach

• Integration of positive core to vision development, program design and program delivery

• AI involves the art and practice of asking questions that strengthen a system’s capacity to apprehend, anticipate and heighten positive potential

• AI interventions focus on the speed of imagination and innovation; instead of the negative, critical and spiraling diagnoses commonly used in inquiry process.

• It involves the discovery of what gives “life” to a living system when it is most effective, alive and constructively capable in economic, ecological and human terms.

BackgroundBackground

• Started in mid-1980s

• Several organizations using AI

• Business and organizations development in Developed world

• Development organizations in Developing world

• Use in evaluation is emerging

• Yet to be popularized among the funding agencies on evaluation

• Useful for evaluation result utilization

All human system have something to value about their present or

past

All human system have something to value about their present or

past

• All systems, no matter how troubled, can find practices experiences, or ways of being that work well or have at sometime in their history.

• AI draws the analytical focus to these types of factors- the root causes of success – as the basis for change action, instead of looking for deficits or what is problematic or lacking in the system.

Two Basic Questions for AI in Evaluation

Two Basic Questions for AI in Evaluation

What factors give life to a particular program/organization when it is and has been most alive, successful and effective ?

What possibilities, expressed and latent, provide opportunities for more vital, successful and effective forms of program/organization?

Principles of AI Principles of AI

• Constructionist Principle

• Simultaneity Principle

• Poetic Principle

• Anticipatory Principle

• Positive Principle

• Wholeness Principle

What about problems, pain and sufferings?

What about problems, pain and sufferings?

AI never says to deny or ignore problems pain and suffering but advocates that if you want to transform a relationship, a situation, an organization, or community, focusing on strength is more effective than focusing on problems.

When we turn people’s attention from what is wrong to who

we are at our best, conflict turns to cooperation.

The 4-D CycleThe 4-D Cycle

Dream/ImagineDream/Imagine““What might be?”What might be?”

EnvisioningEnvisioningResults/ImpactResults/Impact

Dream/ImagineDream/Imagine““What might be?”What might be?”

EnvisioningEnvisioningResults/ImpactResults/Impact

Design/InnovateDesign/Innovate““What should be – What should be –

the ideal?”the ideal?”Co-constructingCo-constructing

Design/InnovateDesign/Innovate““What should be – What should be –

the ideal?”the ideal?”Co-constructingCo-constructing

Destiny/ImplementDestiny/Implement““How to empower, How to empower,

learn, and improvise?”learn, and improvise?”SustainingSustaining

Destiny/ImplementDestiny/Implement““How to empower, How to empower,

learn, and improvise?”learn, and improvise?”SustainingSustaining

Discovery/InquireDiscovery/Inquire““What gives life?”What gives life?”The best of what isThe best of what is

AppreciatingAppreciating

Discovery/InquireDiscovery/Inquire““What gives life?”What gives life?”The best of what isThe best of what is

AppreciatingAppreciating

Affirmative Topic

Application of AIApplication of AI

McDonalds, Wal-Mart US Cellular, GTE, British Petroleum, Roadway Express, US Navy Global Compact Leaders’ Summit of

The United Nations ------------------------------ UN TMI GEM

• Business Organization• Civil Society Organization• Government

13

Center for Business as an Agent of World BenefitJune, 24th 2004 at the UN

Center for Business as an Agent of World BenefitJune, 24th 2004 at the UN

“Let us choose to unite the power of markets with the strengths of universal ideals…let us choose to reconcile the creative forces of private entrepreneurship with the needs of the disadvantaged and the requirements of future generations”

UN Secretary GeneralKofi Annan

AI Evaluation: What is this?AI Evaluation: What is this?• Asset-based approach

• Search for strengths, life giving forces, root causes of success

• Comprehensive analysis and amplification of core strengths

• Integration of strengths to vision creation, program development and program delivery

•

How AI Evaluation Works?How AI Evaluation Works?• Involves large number of stakeholders

• Story telling focusing on what worked rather than what did not

• Focuses on stories of best practices, peak moments, greatest learning, successful processes, generative partnerships……

• Integrates inquiry and action

• Recognises Contribution of different stakeholders

• .

Dream

Accepted MRERe-visiting the Project

Goal

Discovery•Status of the projects•Achievement•Lesson learn•Way Forward

MRE-Accepted-Partially Accepted-Rejected -Comment-Action plan

DesignProvocative Proposition

Delivery Action Plan

AI Evaluation

Process

Discovery Discovery

• AI Interview

• Root causes of Success

• Root causes of support from stakeholders

• Root causes of people participation …………….

•Real status of the projects•Achievement•Lesson learn•Way Forward

• ,

Dream

Post Project Support

Discovery•Status of the projects•Achievement•Lesson learned•Way Forward

MRE-Accepted-Partially Accepted-Rejected -Comment-Action plan

DesignProvocative

Proposition for Post Project Support

DeliveryThematic Goal

Objectives Action Plan

Evaluation of Accomplished

Project

DreamDream

• Based on the evaluation finding of Discovery phase, the vision of the program under study is revisited

DesignDesign

• Review of policies, plans, strategies, processes, systems, and approaches created in the beginning during the design phase for reaching the re-envisioned/refined future – the dream.

• Examining whether the resources (human, physical, monetary, social, time frame and others) allocated for particular theme are still alright or need reallocation/readjustment.

DestinyDestiny

Participants/stakeholders review previously made commitments and action plan based on the evaluation findings and reaffirm their personal and organizational commitments so that the (re)design(ed) statements are realized

AppropriatenessAppropriatenessAppreciative Inquiry Can Be Successfully Applied

to Evaluation When…• The organization is interested in using participatory and

collaborative evaluation approaches.• There is a desire to build evaluation capacity.• The evaluation includes a wide range of stakeholders.• There is limited time and resources for conducting the

evaluation.• The organization values innovation and creativity.• The organization wants to use evaluation findings to

guide its change efforts.

Invitation for Sharing ExperienceInvitation for Sharing Experience• Using the logic model

• Dealing with gap between what was expected and what was achieved

• Using evaluation result for revisiting dream/vision, programme design and plan of work

• Follow up activities, if any, to continuously review the progress and refine the vision, programme design and plan of work

• Suggestions to improve the quality of AI Evaluation