The past several posts of the Big WHY of Evaluation blog have focused on the practice of appreciative inquiry. This post completes the circle, the final stage of the process, ‘Destiny’.[1]
I have read many publications on appreciative inquiry and this discussion by Luke Younge resonates most with me, “The post-modern view [of the destiny stage of appreciate inquiry] … asks how can we reframe action planning to take into account that we’re not closing the ‘gap’ but rather we are creating, through dialogue and language, a new, inspiring future and generating actions from it? The answer lies in understanding the basic flow of the approach we have chosen to take.”[2]
What is different – specifically unique – to the destiny stage of appreciative inquiry compared to other change processes is that the ‘action of inquiry creates the change’. This means the destiny stage is not synonymous with implementation, but rather I see implementation achieved through the entire process of appreciative inquiry. In the destiny stage, we realize our shared articulated future state.
In the Next Issue
In the next few posts, we will continue to explore how Appreciative Inquiry might be a vital component for shifting how, when, why, and where energy is used by diving more deeply into the Five D’s. I would love to hear from others!
[1] In prior posts on appreciative inquiry, I referred to this stage as Delivery. Further reading and exploration led me to the article linked below that discusses the destiny stage of appreciative inquiry as a post-modern stage.
[2] https://www.centerforappreciativeinquiry.net/destiny-in-appreciative-coaching-action-planning-as-an-appreciative-process/
About This Blog
We are on the brink of an evaluation renaissance. Smart grids, smart meters, smart buildings, and smart data are prominent themes in the industry lexicon. Smarter evaluation and research must follow. To explore this evaluation renaissance, I am looking both inside and outside the evaluation community in a search for fresh ideas, new methods, and novel twists on old methods. I am looking to others for their thoughts and experiences for advancing the evaluation and research practice.
So, please…stay tuned, engage, and always, always question. Let’s get smarter together.