What are you looking at? The potential of Appreciative Inquiry as a research approach for social work

Authors:
BELLINGER Avril, ELLIOTT Tish
Journal article citation:
British Journal of Social Work, 41(4), June 2011, pp.708-725.
Publisher:
Oxford University Press

Appreciative Inquiry (Ai) is a fully participative research approach focused on how best practice can be developed and maintained. It allows good practice to be defined through stakeholder experience and embedded in programme culture. This article argues that, although Ai is a little used research method within social work, it has the potential to make a significant contribution to research practice and its consequences for service delivery. This paper begins with a review of the arguments for and against Ai as a robust methodology. A case example from a university in south-west England presents the use of Ai in defining, locating and promoting good practice in the role of the Practice Learning Manager. A brief account of the research process and findings is followed by a critical analysis of the potential for research activity to influence a desired cultural shift from managerialism to professional autonomy through its process as well as outcome. The article concludes that there is widespread recognition in the UK of the need for a cultural shift away from managerialism, bureaucratisation and target-driven priorities towards critical reflection and relationship-based approaches. It proposes that there is potential for Ai to be used within organisational frameworks to promote good practice through giving it consistent attention.

Subject terms:
participatory research, practice placement, research methods, good practice;
Content type:
research
Location(s):
England
Link:
Journal home page
ISSN online:
1468-263X
ISSN print:
0045-3102

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