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Section 3 Issues and concerns in research and consultation

3.19 Being appreciative - finding out what’s working well and why

Linked to the idea of a utilisation focus to research and consultation is the idea that it is important to know as much about what is working well as about things that are more of a problem. Knowing what it is that has driven high satisfaction levels will provide a useful signal to continue providing the service in that way. Yet, it is common to accept good ‘headline’ satisfaction ratings at face value and not to go beyond using them to provide a kind of ‘corporate pat on the back’. This has its place, but it will be far more useful to know what’s behind it. It will help to understand expectations and to make the findings more practical and useful.

Adopting a more positive, appreciative approach may go beyond asking what’s working well and why. The way questions are asked is very important to setting the tone and direction of responses. Constructive questions move conversations forward and help to identify experience that can be drawn on to make change. Questions which contain negative assumptions, say, for example, that there is nothing good about living in the area, will almost certainly elicit a catalogue of problems and complaints. A different strategy, which starts with a question based on a positive assumption (that there is likely to be something positive about living in the area), will more than likely bring valued qualities to the fore. These may well then be followed by a similar catalogue of problems, but starting positively does make a difference.

This kind of ‘appreciative inquiry’ approach is based on the idea that in any situation, however awful or difficult, there is something that works, at least some of the time. Appreciative inquiry works on the basis that it is important to discover what that is in order to build on it. This does not mean ignoring the negative things, but starting on a positive, appreciative note sets the tone and opens up potential for change.

Appreciative inquiry is not a separate method, but is an approach that can be incorporated into almost any other method. The inclusion of ‘compliments’ into complaints systems is one idea that builds on this; this may not elicit a barrage of good will, but at least signals that you also want to hear about what is working well.

There is also a link with asset-based community development and ideas about social capital relevant to the Wider Role and community regeneration work of social housing organisations. These are based on recognition of what skills, capacities and resources already exist in a community or organisation. Appreciative inquiry is a good starting point to finding out what these are and there is more information about this approach elsewhere(1).

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(1) Learning Point 2: Appreciative inquiry: asking the right questions, Scottish Centre for Regeneration , February 2005

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