International Journal of Appreciative Inquiry

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February 2025
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Call for Submissions

Regenerative Business: Strengths-Based Practices for Building a Better World

Proposals due by 16 March 2025 for AI Practitioner, November 2025

Bernard Mohr and Susan Donnan, Guest Editors

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The business sector has been and can be, a force for good – lifting people out of poverty, raising the quality of life for so many and driving innovations to reduce or eliminate harm. But what is the world calling for now? Is it Regenerative Business? What does that mean? And what does it mean for us?

The guest editors of this special issue are drawn to the definition that both the enterprise and society will benefit when a business shifts from harm reduction/net zero to net positive restoration and revitalization of our social and natural worlds. Additionally, we think that appreciative/strengths-based approaches accelerate the collaborations, partnerships and innovations required for this shift.

We invite YOU to help clarify what this could look like!

This issue of the AI Practitioner seeks articles, interviews or videos that illuminate an “appreciative/strengths-based approach” to one or more specific Regenerative Business Practices.

Let us know of your interest in submitting an article, interview or video, by submitting a 250-word proposal by March 16, 2025.

Regenerative Businesses create profits not from creating the world’s problems, but from solving them.*Being a Regenerative Business is a destination – and for most businesses that destination is attained over time with the intentional use of Regenerative Business Practices.

1. Regenerative Business Practices:

• are outwardly focused, go beyond simply minimizing harm to the environment and society to actively work to restore and revitalize them.

• create and deliver value for shareholders/investors partners/suppliers, employees, customers AND additional stakeholders , such as societies, communities and nature.**

2. By appreciative/strength-based we mean approaches involving some form of:

• Co-creation between the enterprise and one or more of its ecosystem stakeholders of innovative practices that create value across social, enterprise and/or environmental values.

• Where the co-creation includes some form of generative inquiry that identifies Strengths, Opportunities, Aspirations and desired Results in the business and its stakeholder ecosystem (Note: the framework for strength-identification need not be SOAR).

Regenerative Practices are contrasted with “doing-less-harm” practices. Both are good, but regenerative practices actively restore/revitalize social and natural world. The table below shows examples of each.

NOTE The Regenerative Business Practices listed were not done from a “strengths-based” focus . That is what we are looking for from YOU – stories of how these and other regenerative business practices have been accelerated and reach higher impact using the principles and practices of Appreciative Inquiry.

Doing Less Harm Practices

Regenerative Practices

For Society
  • Using no child labor or slaves.
  • l Working with and supporting local communities, which can lead to stronger communities, increased economic opportunity and improved social wellbeing.
  • l Adopting fair labor practices can lead to improved working conditions and increased employee satisfaction.

For the Enterprise
  • By reducing waste and energy consumption, and improving resource efficiency the enterprise gains reduced cost of production.
  • l By constantly looking for new ways to improve their environmental and social performance, regenerative businesses create the culture and capabilities that support better business performance.
  • l By partnering with suppliers to support their efforts in Regeneration, the supply chains become more resilient and reliable.

For the Environment
  • Using renewable energy sources ( solar, wind, and geothermal, to power business operations, reduces carbon emissions
  • By designing products and services that are durable, repairable, and recyclable (i.e. circular economy) material consumption is reduced
  • Reducing waste can have a positive impact on air and water quality.
  • l Restoration of natural ecosystems – revitalization of damaged ecosystems, such as forests, wetlands, and oceans can lead to increased biodiversity, improved water quality, and enhanced carbon sequestration.
  • l Improved soil health – using regenerative agriculture practices can improve soil health, leading to increased fertility, reduced erosion, and enhanced water retention.

 

Proposals should describe specific strengths-based Regenerative Business Practices, and describe how the practice:

• Restored and revitalized social and natural systems.

• Generated both short and long-term value for traditional stakeholders (shareholders/investors

partners/suppliers, employees, customers) AND additional stakeholders – such as societies, communities and nature.

Ideally your submission will also highlight the use of networks, new partnerships and collaborative innovation processes, to transform the business ecosystems within which the business operates.

Final articles are expected to be in the range of 800 to 2500 words. Interviews and videos must be submitted in edited form.

For more info to help you submit your proposal, please email the editors for this special issue:

• BERNARD MOHR bernard@cocreatingmutualvalue.org

• SUSAN DONNAN susan@cocreatingmutualvalue.org

Please contact us – we want to answer your questions!!

Important Deadlines:

March 16, 2025 250-word Proposal or Overview/Outline of Contribution

May 15, 2025 First Draft Due

July 15, 2025 Final Submission Due

October 1 2025 AIP editor sends final versions back to authors for final corrections

November 1 2025 Publication

* Adapted from Net Positive Paul Polman, Former CEO, Unilever

** Adapted from Towards regenerative business models: A necessary shift? Jan Konietzko, Ankita Das, Nancy Bocken

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