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Creating Classrooms of Preference

An Exercise in Appreciative Inquiry

Gannon University, thomas.conklin76{at}gmail.com

This article reviews Appreciative Inquiry (AI) as a process used in organizational creation and change and then outlines steps for an in-class exercise titled "The Preferred Classroom," to be used to design and organize a college classroom for the term. The exercise also prepares business students for future exposure to AI. A brief literature review is followed by a detailed step-by-step approach of how the exercise has been conducted in Organizational Behavior, Management, and Leadership Development courses at the graduate and undergraduate levels. Strategies for success, the value of the exercise in students’ lives, and implications are also discussed. Results of the exercise show increased awareness and optimism in students about their lives as well as relationship development with others in the class through shared experiences. In addition, increased freedom occurs with the opportunity to contribute to the design of the course and course values.

Key Words: appreciative inquiry • empowerment • management education • class exercise

This version was published on December 1, 2009

Journal of Management Education, Vol. 33, No. 6, 772-792 (2009)
DOI: 10.1177/1052562909333888


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