Abstract
Engagement plays an essential role in advancing sustainability. Engagement elicits participation and collaboration from the diverse parties who all together impact sustainability. It is through engaged listening that an organization understands the value it is creating or destroying as seen from the perspectives of multiple stakeholders. For this reason, how effectively the organization creates stakeholder engagement is a measure of sustainable business practice and is a key indicator in the responsible management reporting standards of Integrating Accounting and of the Global Reporting Initiative.
Appreciative Inquiry (AI) is a process through which companies and communities have effectively and efficiently engaged a broad representation of stakeholders in a collaborative visioning and design process to advance sustainability. Rather than investigating and solving problems, AI mobilizes change through positive inquiry into strengths and aspirations. A sustainability summit is a large group process which convenes diverse stakeholders to apply AI to cocreate a sustainable future.
This chapter provides practical guidelines for preparing and conducting a sustainability summit using AI. Two case studies are presented to demonstrate the successful application of AI for transformative change toward sustainability – Fairmount Minerals and the City of Cleveland, Ohio.
Systems move in the direction of what they consistently inquire about. Therefore, the questions used in Appreciative Inquiry shape what the system will become. Examples of discussion questions for the discovery, dream, design, and destiny stages of an AI sustainability summit are provided.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
Andriof, J., & Waddock, S. (2002). Unfolding stakeholder engagement. In J. Andriof, S. Waddock, B. Husted, & S. Sutherland Rahman (Eds.), Unfolding stakeholder thinking: Theory, responsibility and engagement (pp. 19–42). Sheffield: Greenleaf Publishing.
Annan, K. (2004). Testimonial of UN Secretary General, Kofi Annan. Retrieved from https://appreciativeinquiry.champlain.edu/testimonials/united-nations-secretary-general-kofi-annan/
Barrett, F., & Cooperrider, D. (n.d.). AI workshop slides. Retrieved from https://appreciativeinquiry.champlain.edu/educational-material/ai-workshop-slides/
Benyus, J. (1997). Biomicry: Innovation inspired by nature. New York: William Morrow.
Bradbury, H., & Clair, J. A. (1999). Promoting sustainable organizations with Sweden’s natural step. Academy of Management Executive, 13(4), 63–74.
Brown, B. C. (2011). Conscious leadership for sustainability: A study of how leaders and change agents with post conventional consciousness design and engage in complex change initiatives. Dissertation, Fielding Graduate University, Santa Barbara, California.
Bushe, G. R. (2013). The appreciative inquiry model. In H. Kesser (Ed.), Encyclopedia of management theory (pp. 41–44). San Francisco: Sage Publications.
Cameron, K. (2012). Positive leadership: Strategies for extraordinary performance. Oakland: Berrett-Koehler Publishers.
Cameron, K. S., & Spreitzer, G. M. (Eds.). (2011). The Oxford handbook of positive organizational scholarship. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Christian Reform World Relief Committee. (1997). Using appreciative inquiry to build capacity. In S. Johnson & J. Ludema (Eds.), Partnering to build and measure organizational capacity. Grand Rapids: Christian Reformed World Relief Committee.
City of Cleveland. (2009). Sustainable Cleveland 2019 participant workbook.
Cooperrider, D. L. (2012). The concentration effect of strengths: How the whole system “AI” summit brings out the best in human enterprise. Organizational Dynamics, 41(2), 106–117. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.orgdyn.2012.01.004.
Cooperrider, D. L., & Godwin, L. N. (2011). Positive organization development: Innovation-inspired change in an economy and ecology of strengths. In K. Cameron & G. Spreitzer (Eds.), Oxford handbook of positive organizational scholarship (pp. 737–750). Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Cooperrider, D. L., & Whitney, D. (2005). Appreciative inquiry handbook: The first in a series of AI workbooks for leaders of change. Oakland: Berrett-Koehler Publishers.
Cooperrider, D. L., Whitney, D. K., & Stavros, J. M. (2008). Appreciative inquiry handbook: For leaders of change (2nd ed.). Oakland: Berrett-Koehler Publishers.
Doppelt, B. (2010). Leading change toward sustainability: A change-management guide for business, government and civil society. Sheffield: Greenleaf Publishing.
Fredrickson, B. L., Tugade, M. M., Waugh, C. E., & Larkin, G. R. (2003). What good are positive emotions in crisis? A prospective study of resilience and emotions following the terrorist attacks on the United States on September 11th, 2001. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 84(2), 365.
Freeman, R. E. (1984). Strategic management: A stakeholder perspective. Boston: Pitman.
Glavas, A., Senge, P., & Cooperrider, D. L. (2010). Building a Green City on a blue Lake: A model for building a local sustainable economy. People & Strategy, 33(1), 26–33.
Global Reporting Initiative. (2016). Consolidated set of GRI Sustainability Reporting Standards 2016. Retrieved from https://www.globalreporting.org/standards/gri-standards-download-center/
Green City Blue Lake. (2009). Summary of initiatives generated by Sustainable Cleveland 2019. Retrieved from http://www.greencitybluelake.org/Summaries%20of%20Proposed%20Sustainable%20Cleveland%202019%20Initiatives.pdf
Haidt, J. (2003). Elevation and the positive psychology of morality. In C. L. Corey & J. Haidt (Eds.), Flourishing: Positive psychology and the life well-lived (p. 275). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.
Heaton, D. (2016). Higher consciousness for sustainability-as-flourishing. In S. Dhiman & J. Margues (Eds.), Spirituality and sustainability: New horizons and exemplary approaches (p. 121). New York: Springer.
International Integrated Reporting Council. (n.d.). International Integrated Reporting Framework. Retrieved from http://integratedreporting.org/resource/international-ir-framework/
Laszlo, C. (2008). Sustainable value. Stanford: Stanford University Press.
Laszlo, C., & Zhexembayeva, N. (2011). Embedded sustainability: The next big competitive advantage. Stanford: Stanford University Press.
Laszlo, C., Brown, J. S., Sherman, D., Barros, I., Boland, B., Ehrenfeld, J., ..., Werder, P. (2012). Flourishing: A vision for business and the world. The Journal of Corporate Citizenship, 46, 1–51.
Ludema, J. D., Whitney, D., Mohr, B. J., & Griffin, T. J. (2003). The appreciative inquiry summit: A practitioner’s guide for leading large-group change. Oakland: Berrett-Koehler Publishers.
Maharishi, M. Y. (1995). Maharishi University of Management: Wholeness on the move. India: Age of Enlightenment Publications.
Meyer-Emerick, N. (2012). Sustainable Cleveland 2019: Designing a green economic future using the appreciative inquiry summit process. Public Works Management & Policy, 17(1), 52–67. https://doi.org/10.1177/1087724X11429043.
PRME (Principles for Responsible Management Education). (2017). About us: Six principles. Retrieved from http://www.unprme.org/about-prme/the-six-principles.php
Senge, P., Smith, B., Kruschwitz, N., Laur, J., & Schley, S. (2010). The necessary revolution: Working together to create a sustainable world. New York: Crown.
Sustainable Cleveland 2019 (2010). Action Areas. Retrieved from https://www.sustainablecleveland.org/action_areas
Telkom. (2015). Integrated Report 2015. Retrieved from http://www.telkom.co.za/ir/apps_static/ir/pdf/financial/pdf/Telkom%20IR%202015%20Final.PDF
United Nations. (2004). The Global Compact leaders summit participant worksheet. Retrieved from https://appreciativeinquiry.champlain.edu/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/workbook-June-2004.pdf
Unruh, G. C. (2008). The biosphere rules. Harvard Business Review, 86(2), 111–117.
US Chamber of Commerce Foundation. (2006). 2006 Citizens Awards. Retrieved from https://www.uschamberfoundation.org/article/2006-citizens-awards
Watterson, A. (2012). Creating positive change through Appreciative Inquiry. https://www.greenbiz.com/blog/2012/08/01/creating-positive-change-through-appreciative-inquiry
Whitney, D., Trosten-Bloom, A., Cooperrrider, D., & Kaplin, B. S. (2013). Encyclopedia of positive questions: Using appreciative inquiry to bring out the best in your organization. Brunswick: Crown Custom Publishing.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2018 Springer International Publishing AG, part of Springer Nature
About this entry
Cite this entry
Heaton, D. (2018). The Sustainability Summit. In: Marques, J. (eds) Handbook of Engaged Sustainability. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-71312-0_33
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-71312-0_33
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-319-71311-3
Online ISBN: 978-3-319-71312-0
eBook Packages: Business and ManagementReference Module Humanities and Social SciencesReference Module Business, Economics and Social Sciences