Appreciative Inquiry Approach to Evaluation

1. Appreciative Inquiry Approach to Evaluation Gana Pati Ojha Ram Chandra Lamichhane Tessie Catsambas Workshop Presentation Evaluation Conclave February 26 – March 1, 2013 Hotel Hyatts Regency, Kathmandu

2. Content • 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

3. Format • Discussion • AI Interview • Sharing Case studies • Exercise on use of evaluation findings

4. 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

5. 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.

6. Background • 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

7. 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.

8. 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?

9. Principles of AI • Constructionist Principle • Simultaneity Principle • Poetic Principle • Anticipatory Principle • Positive Principle • Wholeness Principle

10. 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.

11. The 4-D Cycle Discovery/Inquire “What gives life?” The best of what is Appreciating Destiny/Implement “How to empower, learn, and improvise?” Sustaining Dream/Imagine “What might be?” Envisioning Results/Impact Affirmative Topic Design/Innovate “What should be – the ideal?” Co-constructing

12. Application of AI • Business Organization • Civil Society Organization • Government • McDonalds, • Wal-Mart • US Cellular, • GTE, • British Petroleum, • Roadway Express, • US Navy • Global Compact Leaders’ Summit of The United Nations • ------------------------------ • UN • TMI • GEM

13. 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 General Kofi Annan

14. 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

15. 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

16. Discovery • Status of the projects • Achievement • Lesson learn • Way Forward • MRE • Accepted • Partially Accepted • Rejected • Comment • Action plan • . Dream Accepted MRE Re-visiting the Project Goal AI Evaluation Process Delivery Action Plan Design Provocative Proposition

17. 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

18. Discovery • Status of the projects • Achievement • Lesson learned • Way Forward • MRE • Accepted • Partially Accepted • Rejected • Comment • Action plan • , Dream Post Project Support Evaluation of Accomplished Project Delivery Thematic Goal Objectives Action Plan Design Provocative Proposition for Post Project Support

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

20. Design • 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.

21. Destiny 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

22. Appropriateness Appreciative 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.

23. Invitation 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