Appreciative Inquiry for Academic Librarians: A Strength-Based Path to Leading and Managing Teams

In academic libraries—where change is constant, resources can be tight, and collaboration is essential—it’s easy to default to problem-solving through a deficit lens. What’s not working? What’s broken? What’s falling behind?

But what if, instead, we began by asking what’s working well? What gives our teams life? What brings out the best in our people and practices?

That’s the heart of Appreciative Inquiry (AI)—a strengths-based, collaborative approach to leadership and organizational learning that empowers librarians to not only lead and manage more effectively but to build cultures where people feel valued, inspired, and capable of co-creating the future.

What Is Appreciative Inquiry?

Appreciative Inquiry, developed by David Cooperrider and Suresh Srivastva, is a model that invites us to focus on what gives life to organizations when they are functioning at their best. Instead of asking “What’s wrong?” AI asks: “What’s right, and how can we build on it?”

At the core of Appreciative Inquiry is the 4-D Cycle:

• Discover: Identify what’s working well.

• Dream: Envision what might be possible.

• Design: Plan systems, processes, or structures to support that vision.

• Destiny/Deliver: Commit to action and continuously evolve.

These phases are grounded in five guiding principles:

• Constructionist: Conversations shape reality.

• Simultaneity: The moment we ask a question, change begins.

• Poetic: Organizations are open to interpretation; we can choose what we focus on.

• Anticipatory: Positive images of the future inspire present action.

• Positive: Positive questions lead to positive outcomes.

Appreciative Inquiry isn’t about ignoring problems—it’s about approaching them from a foundation of strength, creativity, and possibility.

Why Academic Librarians Should Use Appreciative Inquiry

1. Identifying and Amplifying Teammates’ Strengths

Appreciative Inquiry is uniquely suited to environments like academic libraries, where collaborative work is essential and staff are often stretched across multiple roles. One of its most powerful applications is helping leaders and colleagues identify and amplify each other’s strengths.

Rather than waiting for annual evaluations or formal assessments, AI encourages everyday conversations that recognize and uplift individual contributions:

• “What do others often rely on you for?”

• “Tell me about a moment you felt most effective in your role.”

• “What project made you feel most energized this semester?”

These inquiries help team members see their own value, while also highlighting the unique talents others bring. It shifts the culture from comparison to collaboration and fosters peer affirmation alongside formal leadership recognition.

2. Strengthening Team Dynamics During Change

Libraries are constantly adapting—introducing new technologies, reimagining services, and responding to shifting student and faculty needs. AI helps teams anchor in what has worked during past transitions and use those strengths to approach future change with confidence.

Asking “What brought us together during the last reorganization?” instead of “Why did it cause friction?” encourages learning, not blame. It’s a mindset shift from fix-it to build-on-it.

3. Creating a Feedback-Rich, Inclusive Culture

Incorporating AI into daily practice cultivates a psychologically safe culture where feedback becomes continuous, appreciative, and inclusive. Leaders and peers alike can use appreciative prompts in meetings and check-ins:

• “Whose work inspired you this week?”

• “What success can we build on next month?”

• “What story from this project deserves to be celebrated?”

These questions deepen connection, reduce fear, and lay the foundation for resilient teams that learn and grow together.

4. Aligning with the CALM Framework

Appreciative Inquiry also complements the CALM Framework—a leadership model grounded in Communication, Adaptability, Learning, and Management.

• Communication: AI is dialogue-driven, centering storytelling and inquiry.

• Adaptability: It empowers teams to respond to change using existing strengths.

• Learning: Reflecting on success fosters knowledge-sharing.

• Management: It reorients performance and goal-setting around people and purpose.

Together, AI and CALM create a roadmap for leading from a place of curiosity and care.

Appreciative Inquiry in Action: A Digital Scholarship Example

To illustrate how Appreciative Inquiry can function at both a team and organizational level, consider the case of a digital scholarship initiative in an academic library.

Scenario: Launching a Digital Scholarship Program

A library team is preparing to support faculty and students in digital humanities research by launching a new digital scholarship program. In the past, a similar initiative faltered due to limited engagement, unclear workflows, and siloed expertise. Instead of focusing solely on what went wrong, the library leadership uses Appreciative Inquiry to reboot the effort.

Discover

During the discovery phase, the project team holds a story-based session where they ask:

• “Tell us about a time when you felt most energized supporting digital projects.”

• “What did our team do really well when collaborating across departments?”

• “When have faculty been most excited to work with the library on research?”

From this, they uncover that:

• A previous faculty exhibit in Omeka brought unexpected visibility and campus excitement.

• A student-led podcast project succeeded because librarians provided tailored, just-in-time support.

• Cross-department collaborations thrived when there were shared project management tools and timelines.

Dream

The team then envisions a future where digital scholarship services are integrated into course curricula, where students present at undergraduate research symposia, and where faculty rely on the library as a partner in grant-funded research. They ask:

• “What would it look like if every digital scholarship project had a collaborative launchpad in the library?”

Design

Drawing on insights from the Discovery and Dream phases, the team co-designs:

• A structured intake process for digital scholarship project consultations.

• A cross-functional team (instruction, IT, archives) that meets monthly.

• A shared project space using ClickUp or Trello to streamline communication.

They also identify individual strengths—such as one librarian’s experience with data visualization and another’s grant writing expertise—and assign roles accordingly.

Destiny/Deliver

To sustain the momentum, the team:

• Develops a storytelling campaign highlighting successful digital scholarship partnerships.

• Hosts a brown-bag lunch series where students and faculty share their digital projects.

• Reflects quarterly using appreciative prompts: “What part of this work is most fulfilling to you?” and “What feedback from faculty excited you the most?”

The Impact

Rather than repeating past mistakes or assigning blame, the Appreciative Inquiry approach enabled the library to:

• Build on small but significant wins.

• Identify underutilized talents within the team.

• Co-create a shared vision with faculty, students, and staff.

• Shift the culture around digital scholarship from reactive to aspirational.

It also reinforced the library’s role as a learning organization, where change is driven not by hierarchy or urgency, but by shared stories, strengths, and possibilities.

From Small Scale to Organizational Culture: Implementing Appreciative Inquiry in Libraries through Organizational Learning

Appreciative Inquiry can be implemented gradually—starting within a single department or team—and then scaled through organizational learning strategies.

Starting Small: Grassroots Practices

Even in solo or small-staff libraries, AI can begin with simple shifts:

• Appreciative Check-Ins: Begin team meetings with “What’s one thing that made you proud this week?”

• Mini 4-D Workshops: Use the 4-D cycle to debrief a project or plan a new service.

• Peer Recognition: Create space for colleagues to name the strengths they see in one another—on a whiteboard, in Slack, or during end-of-week wrap-ups.

• Performance Conversations: Ask team members, “What part of your job brings you the most satisfaction, and how can we support more of that?”

These low-barrier practices build momentum, foster trust, and introduce a new way of thinking about team dynamics and impact.

Scaling Organization-Wide: Appreciative Inquiry as a Learning Strategy

To implement AI more broadly, tie it into learning organization principles inspired by Peter Senge. Here’s how AI supports Senge’s five disciplines:

1. Personal Mastery: Individuals reflect on and refine their strengths.

2. Mental Models: Deficit-based thinking is challenged through positive framing.

3. Shared Vision: Collective dreaming builds ownership of the library’s future.

4. Team Learning: Reflective inquiry promotes open dialogue and collaboration.

5. Systems Thinking: Teams understand how individual contributions align with institutional goals.

Library leaders can expand the impact of AI by:

• Hosting retreats that use appreciative questioning for strategic planning.

• Embedding AI into new staff onboarding and mentorship programs.

• Co-creating organizational goals based on collective strengths and aspirations.

• Revisiting departmental or institutional values through the Discover and Dream phases.

Over time, these practices embed AI into the DNA of the organization, transforming how the library listens, leads, and learns.

A Culture That Appreciates to Innovate

Appreciative Inquiry invites us to lead not with criticism, but with curiosity. It encourages teams to look inward for strength and outward with optimism. In academic libraries—spaces shaped by service, knowledge, and care—this approach offers a sustainable path to managing complexity while affirming human potential.

By identifying and amplifying one another’s strengths, beginning with small practices, and committing to learning as an organization, we move from being reactive to becoming reflective and resilient.

In doing so, we don’t just build better libraries—we build better teams, better relationships, and better futures.