An appreciative system is a concept developed by Sir Geoffrey Vickers and integrated into Soft Systems Methodology (SSM) by Peter Checkland is a dynamic mental and cultural framework that individuals and groups use to selectively perceive, make sense of, and attribute meaning to the continuous flux of everyday events and ideas.
Rather than viewing human organizations as merely “goal-seeking” entities, this system operates on a model of relationship maintenance, seeking to regulate and balance complex internal and external relationships over time.
How the Appreciative System Works
The appreciative system functions as a continuous, self-reinforcing learning loop consisting of three core stages:
1. The Appreciative Setting (The Filters)
Our accumulated experiences and history form a relatively stable triad of “readinesses” (the appreciative setting) that dictate what we notice and ignore in our environment:
Roles: Social or institutional positions that we adopt or occupy in a given situation.
Norms: The expected behaviors associated with, and helping to define, those roles.
Values: The standards or criteria of “good” and “bad” by which behavior is judged.
2. The Cycle of Judgments
When we encounter new experiences, we filter them through our setting to make three interconnected types of judgments:
Reality Judgments: Perceiving what “is” actually the case in our environment.
Value Judgments: Evaluating those perceived facts against our norms and standards to determine if they are good, bad, acceptable, or unacceptable.
Instrumental (Action) Judgments: Deciding what “ought” to be done—the practical actions required to maintain or modify the relationships in the system.
3. Continuous Adaptation
Once we act on these judgments, the outcomes enter the unfolding events of the world. Crucially, every act of perception, judgment, and action subtly modifies the underlying norms, values, and standards of the appreciative system itself. This creates an ongoing process of individual and organizational learning, ensuring the system continually adapts to a changing world.