Storytelling in Appreciative Inquiry

69 Pages·2015·0.65 MB·English

by  Joel Jeppson Richards

East Tennessee State University
Digital Commons @ East
Tennessee State University
Electronic Theses and Dissertations Student Works
12-2012
Storytelling in Appreciative Inquiry
Joel Jeppson Richards
East Tennessee State University
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Richards, Joel Jeppson, "Storytelling in Appreciative Inquiry" (2012).Electronic Theses and Dissertations.Paper 1494.
https://dc.etsu.edu/etd/1494
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Storytelling in Appreciative Inquiry
_____________________
A thesis
presented to
the faculty of the Department of Curriculum and Instruction
East Tennessee State University

In partial fulfillment
of the requirements for the degree
Master of Arts in Reading
with a concentration in Storytelling
_____________________
by
Joel Richards
December 2012
_____________________
Dr. Joseph Sobol, Chair
Dr. James Fox
Dr. Walter Stead

Keywords: organizational storytelling, organizational development, appreciative inquiry,
organizational change
ABSTRACT
Storytelling in Appreciative Inquiry
by
Joel Richards
This study is an examination of the role of story and storytelling within Appreciative Inquiry, a
method of organizational change that orients around a consensus model building on individual
and collective strengths instead of focusing on overcoming problems. Interviews with 12
Appreciative Inquiry practitioners were conducted, transcribed, and analyzed using a process of
iterative coding consistent with a General Inductive method of qualitative research. Once
consensus with a secondary coder was achieved, 6 themes emerged. The 6 emergent themes
outlined general roles that story and storytelling plays in the Appreciative Inquiry process:
relationship building, coauthoring a future, reframing narrative, narrative meaning, discovery,
and engagement. No one of these categories seemed to guarantee success, and all success stories,
shared during the interviews, incorporated something from all 6 of these categories. These
categories also provide a possible framework for further study on how to optimize or incorporate
more storytelling into Appreciative Inquiry practice.
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

This project would not have been possible without the generous participation of the 12
practitioners who took the time to share their stories with me. While I cannot name them here,
they were an inspiration to me throughout this process.
I would also like to thank Dr. Boyd Richards and Dr. Dorene Balmer for their help and
encouragement in formulating the methodology and interview protocol. I also thank Marcus
Bowers (MA in Organizational Development) for his insights into leadership and organizational
development. Finally, I could not have completed this study without the patience, support, and
editing skills of my wife Gini Richards.
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CONTENTS
Page
ABSTRACT .....................................................................................................................................2
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS .............................................................................................................3
Chapter
1. INTRODUCTION ...........................................................................................................6
Statement of Purpose ...............................................................................................8
Definitions................................................................................................................8
Scope of Study .........................................................................................................9
Delimitations ................................................................................................9
Assumptions .................................................................................................9
2. REVIEW OF LITERATURE ........................................................................................11
Organizations .........................................................................................................11
Organizational Storytelling ....................................................................................12
Appreciative Inquiry ..............................................................................................20
Summary ................................................................................................................26
3. METHODOLOGY ........................................................................................................28
Theoretical Framework ..........................................................................................28
Research Design .....................................................................................................28
Subjects ..................................................................................................................30
Interview Protocol ..................................................................................................31
Data Collection ......................................................................................................33
Data Analysis .........................................................................................................34
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4. RESULTS ......................................................................................................................39
Relationship Building ............................................................................................39
Coauthoring a Future .............................................................................................41
Reframing the Narrative ........................................................................................43
Narrative Meaning .................................................................................................46
Discovery ...............................................................................................................48
Engagement ............................................................................................................50
5. CONCLUSIONS ...........................................................................................................53
Moving Forward ....................................................................................................53
Future Explorations ................................................................................................57
REFERENCES ..............................................................................................................................59
APPENDIXES ...............................................................................................................................63
Appendix A: Consent Form ...............................................................................................63
Appendix B: Interview Questions ......................................................................................65
Appendix C: Mind Map of 1st Iteration of Categories .......................................................66
Appendix D: List of Appreciative Inquiry Practitioners ....................................................67
VITA ..............................................................................................................................................68

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CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION
Appreciative Inquiry, or AI as it is commonly known among proponents and
practitioners, is an organizational philosophy and organizational development methodology. It
bucks the centuries-old approach of deductive problem solving and instead seeks to inductively
determine an organization’s inherent strengths and maximize those aspects. This leads ideally to
more holistic, unified, and successful process of organizational change. The term “Appreciative
Inquiry” elegantly captures the essence of the approach. “Inquiry” because these strengths are
inquired after among all levels of the organization, not predetermined or mandated by those with
control. “Appreciative” because the viewpoint of each member is acknowledged and his or her
best or peak experiences are sought. Much of the data collected in this inquiry process is in the
form of stories, and yet very little Appreciative Inquiry literature focuses on the role that story
and storytelling plays in this process.
Meanwhile organizational storytelling has become a buzzword in business. Long an
integral but unconscious component of marketing, advocates like Stephen Denning (2005) now
champion the importance of storytelling in knowledge management, and Howard Gardner (1995)
promotes the importance of story in leadership. Others, like Annette Simmons (2007), focus on
the quality and substance of the stories themselves and teach organizational members how to tell
stories in a variety of capacities. Many experts and scholars have started to study and write about
the role story and storytelling play in all aspects of organizational life—including organizational
change.
Denning, Gardner, Simmons, and the other experts and scholars who have studied
organizational storytelling did not originate storytelling in organizations. They called attention to
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what was already happening and revealed what was possible if stories were nurtured and
storytelling applied in all these different aspects of organizational life. Case studies such as those
found in Simmons’s book Whoever Tells the Best Story Wins (2007) or in Marshall and
Adamic’s article “The Story is the Message” (2010) give evidence that attention to storytelling
can be transformative and powerful. Nevertheless, few who write about storytelling in
organizations mention Appreciative Inquiry, and few who espouse and write about Appreciate
Inquiry connect it to the growing body of knowledge about storytelling in organizations.
In the same way that marketers have always used story to build brands, coworkers have
always swapped stories to share information, and leaders have always told stories to inspire,
storytelling is already present in Appreciative Inquiry. It forms an integral, yet unexamined, part
of the accepted 4D process in Appreciative Inquiry of discover, dream, design, and destiny
(Cooperrider, Stavros, & Whitney 2008). As seen in the study of other organizational aspects, a
clearer understanding of the role storytelling already plays in Appreciative Inquiry may lead to
insights or refinements in the way storytelling is used in the method hereafter. Thus those using
Appreciative Inquiry will have a better understanding of when storytelling may, or may not,
enhance the positive growth they are seeking. There is also much left to be studied and much left
to be said about storytelling in all aspects of organizational life—Appreciative Inquiry included.
Research linking the study of organizational storytelling to Appreciative Inquiry is a foundation
on which to build future explorations.
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Statement of Purpose
Due to the limited literature that directly addresses the role of storytelling within the
Appreciative Inquiry process, I will undertake exploratory research on the questions:
• What links, if any, can be found between the use of story and the outcomes
experienced by a sampling of Appreciative Inquiry practitioners?
• What role does storytelling play in the dissemination of leadership and organizational
change through the Appreciative Inquiry process?
Definitions
Appreciative Inquiry (also known by the acronym “AI”): “[A] philosophy that incorporates an
approach, a process (4D Cycle of Discovery, Dream, Design, and Destiny) for engaging people
at any or all levels [of an organization] to produce effective, positive change” (Cooperrider et al.,
2008, p. xv)
Direct stories: Stories that are related wholly and purposefully from teller to listener (in the case
of oral storytelling) with an explicit structure that involves, to some degree, characters, conflict,
and plot.
General Inductive methodology: A qualitative research methodology that uses “detailed readings
of raw data to derive concepts, themes, or a model through interpretations made from the raw
data” and results in “dominate, frequent, or significant themes” (Thomas, 2006, p. 238).
Indirect stories: Stories that are latent in an organization and are expressed without explicit story
structures (plot, conflict, etc.) by referencing common knowledge, experiences, or sensory
artifacts such as photos, décor, industrial design, etc.
Ingroup and outgroup: A basic psychological division of a people into those who are, or are not,
part of an individual’s social group. Individuals will show preference towards members of their
ingroup and are more likely to discriminate against those considered in their outgroup (Billig,
Bundy, & Tajfel, 1971).
Narrative: A description of a series of events. This description of events may be expressed
externally or internally (Gold, 2007).
Story: As used in the context of this research, story is a narrative with some degree of structural
components like character, plot, conflict, etc. These may be explicit (see direct stories) or
implied (see indirect stories).
Storytelling: One party relating a story (as previously defined) to another party. For the purpose
of this work storytelling is usually, but not limited to, oral storytelling where the participant(s)
who is not telling the story is listening to the story.

Scope of the Study
Delimitations
This study is not an exhaustive review of Appreciative Inquiry practice. It is an
exploratory deconstruction using General Inductive qualitative methodologies to create a
framework for understanding the role storytelling plays within the practice of Appreciative
Inquiry. It is not an intervention or comparative study of specific storytelling techniques.
Participants are limited to practitioners currently operating in the United States of America.
Assumptions
The validity of Appreciative Inquiry as a method for organizational change and
development is assumed. There are many case studies and testimonies that attest to the impact of
the method and explain its growing popularity. Checking the validity of these case studies and
testimonies is outside the scope of this study. Likewise, the truthfulness of the interviewed
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