htp://www.sajip.co.za Open Access SA Journal of Industrial Psychology ISSN: (Online) 2071-0763, (Print) 0258-5200 Page 1 of 12 Original Research Read online: Scan this QR code with your smart phone or mobile device to read online. Author: Dirk J. Geldenhuys 1 Afliaton: 1 Department of Industrial and Organisatonal Psychology, College of Economic and Management Sciences, University of South Africa, Pretoria, South Africa Corresponding author: Dirk Geldenhuys, geldedj@unisa.ac.za Dates: Received: 27 June 2020 Accepted: 07 Sept. 2020 Published: 10 Dec. 2020 How to cite this artcle: Geldenhuys, D.J. (2020). Valuing and adaptng appreciatve inquiry to enhance well-being using a neuropsychotherapeutc framework. SA Journal of Industrial Psychology/SA Tydskrif vir Bedryfsielkunde, 46(0), a1823. htps://doi. org/10.4102/sajip.v46i0.1823 Copyright: © 2020. The Authors. Licensee: AOSIS. This work is licensed under the Creatve Commons Atributon License. Introducton Considering the impact of the unprecedented worldwide changes on employee well-being; well- being will increasingly become a competitive edge for organisations. With the infuence of appreciative inquiry (AI) on the development of positive organisational behaviour (POB) concept and on the strengths-based movement (Bushe, 2011), the argument put forward in the literature is that AI can be used to promote well-being (Lewis, 2016; Lewis, Passmore, & Cantore, 2011; Moore & Charvat, 2007; Nel & Govender, 2019; Trajkovski, Schmied, Vickers, & Jackson, 2013). According to Lewis (2014, p. 232), AI ‘can be seen as an approach that offers a pragmatic methodology for putting some of the fndings from positive psychology to practical effect in an organization’. This article is about valuing and refning AI as a strengths-based intervention, aimed at enhancing well-being in organisations, using a neuropsychotherapeutic framework. Bushe (2011) echoes Head (2005) by stating that further research on AI is required to explain the contingencies and moderators that infuence the effectiveness of related interventions. Notably, Orientation: Considering the impact of the unprecedented worldwide changes on employee well-being; well-being will increasingly become a competitive edge for organisations. The focus of this study was on appreciative inquiry (AI) as intervention for well-being; to hypothesise why and under what circumstances AI could be effective, and what can be performed to enhance its effectiveness, especially in respect of improving the well-being of employees. Research purpose: The purpose of this study was to valuate and refne AI as an intervention aimed at facilitating well-being in the workplace, using a neuropsychotherapeutic approach as framework. Motivation for the study: Appreciative inquiry is well known in the management and organisational sciences as an approach and a method to facilitate change. Despite the importance of well-being for organisations, in the academic literature, reporting on the use of AI as an intervention to facilitate well-being remains largely limited. Furthermore, no evidence of a similar study using a neuropsychoterapeutic framework could be found in the English literature. Research approach/design and method: This was a conceptual analysis with theory adaption as an approach. Appreciative inquiry was chosen as a domain theory and neuropsychotherapy as a method theory. Firstly, AI was discussed, after which the focus fell on neuropsychotherapy with the focus on well-being. Neuropsychotherapy was then used to evaluate and refne AI as an intervention directed at well-being. Main findings: It was found that neuropsychotherapy served as a valuable method theory to refne AI for enhancing well-being. Practical/managerial implications: Appreciative inquiry in its more traditional form can be used to facilitate employee well-being in general but will probably be less effective in changing hard-wired neural circuits for the better. For employees who experience high levels of stress, a refnement of AI is needed, in line with neuropsychotherapy. Contribution/value add: This study contributed to the literature on well-being interventions. Keywords: appreciative inquiry; memory systems; neural networks; neuropsychotherapy; well-being; interventions; organisations. Valuing and adaptng appreciatve inquiry to enhance well-being using a neuropsychotherapeutc framework Read online: Scan this QR code with your smart phone or mobile device to read online.