Is there a theoretical framework that supports Appreciative Inquiry?
A. Yes. Appreciative Inquiry was developed in the mid-eighties by David Cooperrider and his colleagues. David is an associate professor in the department of Organizational Behavior at the Weatherhead School of Management, Case Western Reserve University. Drawing on research and writing from diverse fields such as organizational behavior, psychology, sociology, and education, and on his own extensive experience in working with organizations, David challenged the traditional change-management theories and created a new set of ideas that have been tested by practitioners over the years. Appreciative Inquiry is an evolving set of theories and practice shaped by the contributions of many who, attracted by its potential, then add their own ideas and experiences in an ever-expanding global learning forum. These are among the most important concepts underlying Appreciative Inquiry: Image and action are linked. The research that David Cooperrider has done shows this relationship quite clearly,
