Is Appreciative Inquiry just the latest management fad?

Appreciative Inquiry

An article on appreciative inquiry appears in the March 2010 edition of the British Journal of Healthcare Management. Author Robert S. P. Jones poses the question as to whether the purported benefits of this technique are merely anecdotal, or whether they would stand up to rigourous empricial investigation.

Abstract

Articles attesting to the positive effects of using a performance management technique known as appreciative inquiry are increasingly appearing in management literature. More detailed analysis reveals that little, if any, unambiguous evidence exists to support the claims of the proponents of appreciative inquiry and that the movement has many of the characteristics of a management fad. Despite this, the amount of anecdotal data on the benefits of appreciative inquiry suggest that future empirical investigation is warranted. Without such data gathering, appreciative inquiry risks becoming another management fad that promises much, but ultimately fails to deliver.

Citation

Jones, R.S.P. 2010. "Appreciative inquiry: more than just a fad?" British Journal of Healthcare Management 16(3): 114 - 122 (Mar 2010).

Download the article here.