Appreciative Coaching: A Positive Process for Change
Appreciative Coaching: A Positive Process for Change by Capella faculty member Sara Orem and co-authors Jacqueline Binkert and Ann Clancy applies the concepts of appreciative inquiry to coaching.
Appreciative Inquiry is based on the idea that change occurs by emphasizing the positive instead of focusing on problems. As an internal organizational development consultant Sara saw different responses from groups when a positive approach was used. She started to experiment with other teams and with one-on-one coaching relationships. Together with her co-authors, they developed an appreciative coaching process based on five principles (Orem, Binkert, & Clancy, 2007)
- The Constructionist Principle: Knowing and becoming are interwoven. Appreciative coaches recognize who a person is now and apply current knowledge to aim for a desirable future.
- The Positive Principle: Positive attitudes, actions and connections influence the person’s ability to make lasting change.
- The Simultanety Principle: The future “happens in and as a result of the present”(p. 15).
- The Poetic Principle: Life stories can be rewritten to better fit how people see themselves in the present and their future.
- The Anticipatory Principle: A dream for the future can guide current behavior.
Dr. Orem came to Capella University as a coach in the MBA program, and has continued to teach in the School of Business and Technology. She finds the appreciative coaching principles apply to teaching as well. She believes that when instructors are “more curious and less judging, they get a different response.” Sara has heard from nurses, managers and others who find appreciative coaching is valuable in their work with people—whether or not they have a formal role as coach.
Click here for more on Appreciative Inquiry. Appreciative Coaching: A Positive Process for Change is available in hardcover or as an e-book, online at Jossey Bass and from bookstores.
Orem, S. L., Binkert, J., & Clancy, A. L. (2007). Appreciative coaching: A positive process for change. San Francisco: Jossey Bass.
This entry was posted on Wednesday, November 12th, 2008 at 8:50 am and is filed under Books and Publications, Current Topics. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
December 16th, 2008 at 10:25 am
Dr. Orem is doing a workshop for coaches and coaching managers in January combining Appreciative Coaching and Asset-Based Thinking. The full description is on her website at http://www.saraorem.com.
January 11th, 2009 at 8:27 am
“What Can Coaches Do for You?” is a new research report in the January issue of the Harvard Business Review. Check it out! (The Harvard Business Review is online in the Capella Library and educators can get access by registering at http://www.hbsp.harvard.edu/hbsp/course_materials.jsp.
February 12th, 2009 at 1:44 pm
[...] Orem, Capella School of Business and Technology faculty member and author of Appreciative Coaching: A Positive Process for Change is offering a five-session series by teleconference and web for coaches and coaching managers, [...]
May 27th, 2009 at 8:16 am
[...] Orem, a member of the Capella School of Business and Technology faculty, is co-author of two books, Appreciative Coaching and a new a new manual and workbook combining Asset-Based Thinking with Appreciative Coaching, The [...]