Announcing the August 2009 AI Practitioner

Appreciative, Systemic and Constructionist ideas and practices at work in Denmark

Guest editors: Carsten Hornstrup and Thomas Johansen

Articles highlight the different sources of inspiration in AI developments in Denmark over the last decade. Key influencers include Kenneth Gergen, Gregory Bateson, Humberto Maturana, Gianfranco Cecchin as well as Axel Honneth from the German critical tradition.

Authors find new meaning in AI such as inquiring appreciatively, developing the practice of evaluation and doing irreverence appreciatively. They describe examples such as:

• working with corporate values that are meaningful and linked to organizational goals and strategies in public and private organizations
• staff in a drug rehabilitation centre reducing their stress-related problems and absences by changing their conversational practices
• the leader of a public school succeeding in designing a project that gives life and meaning to the entire organization

AI Research Notes focusses on the differences between research and evaluation. Jan Reed and Lena Holmberg, the section editors, say 'if you move between the worlds that have been constructed around the two activities, you can feel confused.' They have brought together contributions around the difference in the starting and ending of a project, for example.

Cover photo: Thomas Johansen

Regards,
Anne

Anne Radford editor@aipractitioner.com
Publisher, AI (Appreciative Inquiry) Practitioner
skype name: aipractitioner
tel +44 (0)20 7633 9630
www.aipractitioner.com  

Anne Radford is also Consultant to business leaders and organisational consultants www.aradford.co.uk