What Appreciating People does

Appreciating People is a UK private limited company (Companies House registration 06539796), founded in Liverpool in 2006 and now headquartered in Scotland, that delivers organisational development consulting and training grounded in Appreciative Inquiry (AI), a strengths-based methodology focused on amplifying what works well in organisations rather than addressing deficits. The company's core offerings comprise in-house Appreciative Inquiry training programmes for NHS bodies, local authorities, schools, and community organisations; open enrollment courses (e.g., a two-day Introduction to Appreciative Inquiry priced at £360 per person); advanced residential retreats at venues such as the Windermere Centre; and engagement-based consulting for change management, strategic planning, and staff resilience. Its published product portfolio includes the Appreciating Health and Care book and eBooks (2024), Appreciating Church (2017), multiple appreciative journals (Reflections, Food for Thought, Three Good Things, Awesome Journal 2, Number One Journal), and physical card decks (AI Essentials, Taste of AI 2.0, Creating Great Conversations, More than Welcome). Customers span NHS trusts and ambulance services (Birmingham Children's Hospital, North West Ambulance Service, Nottingham University Hospital, NHS Heywood Middleton and Rochdale), local authorities (Westminster City Council), universities (Liverpool Hope), faith denominations, and third-sector recovery and housing organisations. A separate sister entity, Appreciation Works CIC, launched in 2011 to serve the voluntary sector. Revenue derives from professional services fees, course tuition, and e-commerce sales of publications through an own shop using PayPal with international distributors in the US and Australia.

Name

Appreciating People

Legal name

Appreciating People

Website

https://appreciatingpeople.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2006

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Appreciating People is a UK consultancy that delivers Appreciative Inquiry-based organisational development training, consulting, and published resources to NHS bodies, local authorities, schools, community groups, and faith communities across the UK and selectively internationally.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Rafford

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Training Services: Direct delivery of AI training programmes including in-house organizational training, open enrollment courses, and two-day AI training modules. Revenue generated through course fees per participant.
2. Publications and Journals: Sale of published resources including appreciative journals, eBooks, and training materials through the company shop. Uses PayPal for transaction processing.
3. Consulting and Facilitation: Engagement-based consulting services for organizational development, change management, strategic planning, and large group facilitation events.
4. Resilience and Wellbeing Programmes: Specialized programmes such as Back on Your Feet for hostel residents and organizational resilience for NHS staff.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Appreciating People is a UK organisational development consultancy that helps organisations build strengths-based cultures through Appreciative Inquiry (AI). It sells training programmes, facilitation, and consultancy services, alongside a catalogue of published books, journals, card decks, and eBooks that support the AI methodology in practice.

Product overview

Appreciating People offers a comprehensive portfolio of Appreciative Inquiry-based training, consulting services, and published resources. The core offering centers on Appreciative Inquiry training programmes ranging from introductory one-day workshops (A Taste of AI) to advanced practitioner courses covering the 5D Cycle. Their published products include a diverse range of journals (Reflections Journal, Food for Thought, Three Good Things, Number One Journal, Awesome Journal 2), card decks (AI Essentials Cards, Taste of AI Cards 2.0, Creating Great Conversations Cards), and sector-specific books (Appreciating Health and Care, Appreciating Church). The company also delivers specialized programmes such as the Back on Your Feet resilience programme for addiction recovery settings, and offers services including visual minuting and the Workplace Wellbeing Charter. Resources are sold individually through the AI Essentials shop and as bundled packages (Training Bundle 2, AI Beginners Bundle, Journaling Bundle). The company contributes to the AI Practitioner journal and has co-authored articles on the intersection of Appreciative Inquiry and quantum physics.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Appreciation Works: Community Interest Company (CIC) specialising in organisational development and business development for third sector organisations, community planning, Appreciative Inquiry training and strength-based strategic planning, personal development programmes, and positive transitions.
• Appreciating Church
• Appreciating Health and Care
• Food for Thought
• Back on Your Feet

Products and services

• Appreciative Inquiry Training Programmes Structured training courses teaching the Appreciative Inquiry methodology to HR, L&D, and organisation development professionals in client organisations.
• Organisational Development Consultancy Consulting engagements that apply Appreciative Inquiry to help organisations strengthen culture, leadership, and team performance.
• Facilitation Services Facilitation of workshops and change events using Appreciative Inquiry for client teams and leadership groups.
• Books on Appreciative Inquiry Published books authored or co-authored by the firm's directors to extend its Appreciative Inquiry methodology to a wider practitioner audience.
• Journals Reflective journals designed to support individuals and teams applying Appreciative Inquiry in practice.
• Card Decks Tool card decks used to structure Appreciative Inquiry conversations and workshops within client organisations.
• eBooks Digital books extending the firm's Appreciative Inquiry content to online readers and practitioners.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 100 QI Change Agents trained at North West Ambulance Service
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers19 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Appreciating Church (International Academy for Appreciative Inquiry)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 8 December 2021Long-standing partnership spanning over seven years with the International Academy for Appreciative Inquiry (IAAI). The relationship began with collaboration on church-specific AI resources and has grown to include joint training delivery, advanced retreats at Windermere Centre, and mutual publication contributions. Emphasis on collaboration and co-creation characterises the partnership.
• Liverpool Hope UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 5 December 2011Partnership with Liverpool Hope University and Liverpool Citizens to establish a range of AI and strength-based training opportunities for students. Includes introduction to AI courses, strategic planning, engagement and large group facilitation training.
• Rathlin Development and Community AssociationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMultiple AI projects with RDCA including the Rathlin 20/20 Community Plan involving over 90 interviews. Core project group received two-day Taste of AI training. Partnership led to significant community outcomes including £750,000 Coastal Communities grant.
• Patient Safety Collaborative of West Midlands Academic Health Science NetworkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOngoing collaboration since August 2016 delivering AI training for Learning from Excellence programme. The partnership has trained staff across Birmingham Children's Hospital and supported rollout across the West Midlands region. Led to winning a Patient Safety Award.
• United Reformed Church, Methodist Church, Society of Friends, Congregational FederationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDevelopment partnership for Appreciating Church resource - a practical AI resource for church communities. Published February 2017 following multi-denominational collaboration.
• Big Local (Local Trust)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAppreciating People directors serve as Big Local representatives in the North West, appointed by the Community Development Foundation. Support residents in 7 neighbourhoods for community development using AI approaches.
• Mike HoganminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with partner Mike Hogan to host workshops, including one with Robin Shohet (author of Supervision in the Helping Professions) in Liverpool.
• Grundtvig Project Partners (Italy, Czech Republic)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEuropean Grundtvig Lifelong Learning Programme partnership. Project called 'Sharing strengths, developing communities - promoting strength-based learning across societies for the future.' Focuses on exchange of ideas and practices between European organisations.
• Appreciation Works CICminorOthersSister organisation launched in July 2011 to specialise in organisational development and business development for third sector organisations, community planning, and personal development programmes. Separate CIC but connected to Appreciating People.
• AQuA (Advancing Quality Alliance)minorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerWorked with AQuA in 2015 on Safety and AI training, introducing staff to key elements in the Charles Vincent Safety Framework. Initial work that led to broader Safety-II exploration.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Limeade: Employee experience and wellbeing platform serving large enterprises. Competes in the workplace wellbeing/resilience space where Appreciating People also delivers programmes such as NHS staff resilience work.
• Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI): Global leader in healthcare quality improvement. Provides training, certifications, and consultancy to health systems including the NHS. Overlaps with Appreciating People on the Learning from Excellence / patient safety training opportunity.
• Centre for Creative Leadership (CCL): Global leadership development and OD provider offering programmes, coaching, and research. Overlaps with Appreciating People on strengths-based leadership and organisational change offerings.
• BetterUp: Global coaching and wellbeing platform combining 1:1 coaching with AI-driven personal development. A potential future competitive threat as it productises and scales strengths-based development that Appreciating People delivers manually.

Direct peers

• Lane4: UK-based organisational development and performance consultancy delivering leadership, team, and change programmes. Directly comparable in service offering and target market (UK corporates and public sector).
• Roffey Park Institute: UK institute specialising in leadership development, organisational development, and change management. Competes for similar OD/change budgets across NHS, local government, and third-sector clients.
• Taos Institute: A global organisation founded by Appreciative Inquiry pioneers that delivers AI certification, consulting, and conferences. It is the most direct competitor in pure-play AI methodology training and practitioner development.

Regional players

• Health Foundation: UK charity funding and delivering healthcare QI and workforce improvement programmes. Targets the same NHS improvement budgets and operates comparable training/coaching offerings.
• The King's Fund: UK-based independent healthcare improvement think tank that delivers leadership development, OD, and QI programmes to NHS organisations. Competes for the same NHS training budgets as Appreciating People but at much larger scale.

Peers

• David Cooperrider / Appreciative Inquiry Consulting: Practice founded by David Cooperrider (co-creator of Appreciative Inquiry) offering AI consulting, training, and large-group facilitation. Direct methodological peer with global brand authority in the same niche.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/AppreciatingP
• Facebookfacebook.com/appreciatingpeople
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/appreciating-people

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Appreciating People