David Cooperrider on Appreciative Inquiry

Regular readers of this blog know that I graduated from the Masters program in Positive Organization Development and Change (MPOD) at Case Western Reserve University. One of the immeasureable benefits of attending that program was the opportunity to study Appreciative Inquiry with AI founder David Cooperrider.

This month you can attend a free online workshop and hear David speak about Appreciative Inquiry. David is an inspiring speaker, and AI is a growing "social technology" that helps organization imagine and design their futures. You won't want to miss this opportunity to hear David Cooperrider talk about Appreciative Inquiry!

You can register for the workshop on the MPOD web site.

You'll notice that this is a recruiting event for the MPOD program. Harlow Cohen, the director of the program, will host an online MPOD Open House after David's talk where you can ask questions about the program and learn more.

MPOD was transformational for me. If you're thinking about going back to school for a Masters in organization development, you should seriously consider the Case program. The Organizational Behavior department at Case has been rated top in the world by the Financial Times for several years running. All the hype aside, the professors are spectacular, the program attracts serious, committed, sincere, talented, and accomplished students, and you will learn more about yourself and the world than you ever dreamed possible.

Tags: appreciative inquiry, David Cooperrider, MPOD

Art of the Appreciative Question

Most evenings I ask the kids to recount the best thing that happened at school that day. They've come to expect it, so the question and answers have grown a little stale.

Yesterday, in an effort to re-energize the question, I asked my eight-year-old, "What's your teacher's favorite thing to do at school?" He seemed truly puzzled by the question for a moment or two. Then he came to life with an answer, "She loves math games!" He went on to describe the games with much relish and excitement, and we reenacted the "brain vs. calculator" game with Dad and his older brother to really get a feeling for it.

It was a nice family moment.

That appreciative question generated a lot of learning! I learned about something going on in the classroom. I also learned that an appreciative question doesn't necessarily need to be about the person you are talking to (my son). It can be something that will elicit thoughts about someone else's joy (his teacher).

Does the teacher really love math games? I'm not sure, but she's certainly inspired enthusiasm in my son! (Thank you, Miss C.)

(edited 11/28/2007 to correct an error)