Appreciative inquiry is a strength-based organisational transformation approach developed in 1987 by David Cooperrider at Case Western Reserve. It is based on the idea that organisational change is more effective when the approach focuses on the positive attributes and experiences within an organisation instead of the challenges. Several studies have been conducted on applying appreciative inquiry in the strategic planning process at higher education institutions to discover the impact of appreciative inquiry on organisations and individuals. This study examines how the use of appreciative inquiry in a higher education institution's strategic planning process influenced participants' emotional, social and professional experiences. We found that using appreciative inquiry in the strategic planning process may improve contributor social experiences and attitudes towards an organisation, which could lead to higher retention rates through greater contributor satisfaction levels.