Transformative Learning

Introduction

Traditional organizational change methodologies are based on the idea that the person or organization is somehow damaged or deficient and needs to be fixed. Learning to identify and resolve problems have, therefore, become the standardized way to achieve change. This approach to creating change often gives rise to a number of challenges. For example, when a supervisor’s concerns for their organization are viewed from a deficit perspective, their approaches to addressing the issues have the potential to become solely focused on what is most problematic. This methodology is not necessarily constructive in supporting an individual’s potential to develop and learn how to create a better future for their organization. To challenge this widely accepted approach, scholars such as Cooperrider and Srivastva (1987) have posited that an individual’s motivation to learn and change can be unleashed through a focus on the positive. Appreciative Inquiry (AI) is an organizational development tool that focuses on bringing out the best in people and organizations, instead of viewing them as problems that need to be solved. Moreover, in the context of a mentoring relationship, Appreciative Inquiry can be an effective tool to empower individuals toward a process of transformational learning.

Appreciative Inquiry is a philosophical approach grounded in social construction that allows a life-giving way of being in relationship and creates conditions for a person to experience a process of learning and transformation (Cooperrider, 1986). Moreover, Appreciative Inquiry is a practical strategy for change based on the idea that focusing on what works within organizations, communities and individuals instead of what is not working, leads to a...

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...ed with a traditional course that incorporates AI by taking learners through the process of designing a vibrant learning community and then modifying the course design accordingly. Another avenue for future research could be a comparative study of two learning events – one that maintains a traditional format and one that actively incorporates an AI approach. In both cases, it would be interesting to solicit general reactions to the learning event, estimates of whether the amount of work (for the learners and instructors) differed, opinions about the development of community within the learning setting, and a rating of the likelihood of learners and instructors to utilize an AI approach in the future based on this experience. Of course, it would also be valuable to know whether the use of AI actually enhances what people learned and what they do with that learning.