Doing What Works: Forward in Solution-Focused Change

thanks anonymous. I agree, analysis can lead to pa...

2012-05-27T22:20:09.112+02:00

thanks anonymous. I agree, analysis can lead to paralysis. This goes too for self-analysis...

Great post, Coert. It resonates with me as well. A...

2012-05-27T22:17:58.040+02:00

Great post, Coert. It resonates with me as well. Analysis leads to paralysis sometimes.

Thank you, Carolyn!

2012-05-27T08:26:48.340+02:00

Thank you, Carolyn!

Very helpful list. And as a student of Haesun...t...

2012-05-27T05:58:33.188+02:00

Very helpful list. And as a student of Haesun...thank you.

Yes, there are differences and it's tempting i...

2012-05-22T01:28:16.089+02:00

Yes, there are differences and it's tempting in assessing the differences as an audit of which is better. I'm guilty at times!! I've even had the chance to tell Marty Seligman personally about, '…what PP could do better!'

In a world of problem-focused reviews, analysis and the 'end of humanity' mindset thank goodness we have PP, SF, AI, et al to point us towards a more purposeful outlook. I think the larger task is to get all of these approaches out into the mainstream.

very nice logo. The word “Doing” seems somewhat ...

2012-05-19T14:50:42.258+02:00

very nice logo.

The word “Doing” seems somewhat strangely compressed though

The SF-approach assumes that you yourself have a k...

2012-05-19T14:48:11.306+02:00

The SF-approach assumes that you yourself have a knowledge of the causes of the problem, and the way to achieve a solution. It encourage you to take little "experiments" to achieve that solution.

The problem and the solution is thereby "anchored" in a specific context and possible very personal view. This can be viewed at as a weakness.

The SF approach handles this weakness with the little "experiments", and adaption different viewpoints (how would xxx see any difference regarding yyy) . This may take time though.

So the weaknesses I see, are :
- Problem and solution operate in a very specific context
- Reaching a solution may take some time

Not very big issues in my opinion.

Hi Coert, I like this post! Thinking about 'ta...

2012-05-17T22:53:50.847+02:00

Hi Coert,
I like this post! Thinking about 'talents' implies thinking about innate properties. Something you can not change. Interests are more fluid. If one is really interested in a subject, one will learn more about it and even be good at it in the end. I will take myself as an example: I am not good at math or anything that has to do with numbers. No talent whatsoever! But I was intrigued by statistics and I dug into it. Great challange, but I loved it. And it paid off: got high grades.
Greetings, Caroline Heijmans

I suspect a weakness is that the solution-focused ...

2012-05-17T14:36:39.817+02:00

I suspect a weakness is that the solution-focused approach might lead you to believe it is always the best way, whereas there will be circumstances where it is ineffective. Perhaps the discipline could benefit from being clear about where it is the right approach and where it is not.

One question that often pop-up is the one about th...

2012-05-17T10:27:24.951+02:00

One question that often pop-up is the one about the long lasting effect of the solution if you don´t know the cause of the problem (you can´t really solve the problem if you don´t really understand it´s causes).
//Magnus Ström, Sweden

:)

2012-05-15T08:57:46.463+02:00

Amen! ;)

2012-05-15T08:56:43.649+02:00

Amen! ;)

thanks Peter and Marco. Peter, would you perhaps...

2012-05-14T19:54:52.370+02:00

thanks Peter and Marco.

Peter, would you perhaps like to write a guest post once about one of your SF projects?

Totally agree. Just done some work with a large ba...

2012-05-11T11:21:19.586+02:00

Totally agree. Just done some work with a large bank and by getting to the team leaders first and encouraging them to begin by leading out SF "by example", their teams started asking for the training before we'd even offered it to them. Two of the team leaders have also had interested enquiries from their regional managers who've noticed a positive change in the way team leaders are communicating with them. It looks like we'll be able to operate a middle-out model.

I have a wast experience in facilitating solution ...

2012-05-10T19:54:29.400+02:00

I have a wast experience in facilitating solution focused organizational development in companies. One of the key factors for effectiveness in our development processes is the development of behavior and attitudes of the top management and particularly the CEO according to solution focus approach. A CEO and each and every top manager, leader and superior is a role model simply because people observe them more than others. Theirs development of solution focus mindset, habits and behaviours is copied by others if it is effective and efficient. If accurately developed top down in a solution focused way it is effective and efficient because this are the major goals of managers. Solution focused development works like a self-fulfilling prophecy. For sostanability of the development beside this it is also necessary a solution focused bottom-up process - and this works in an analogue way.

Brilliant!

2012-05-10T15:33:21.156+02:00

Brilliant!

The categorization is diffenerent thing it just ca...

2012-05-10T02:39:35.934+02:00

The categorization is diffenerent thing it just categorizes a group beteen various categories , so this helps in searching prticular thing easily.

Thats true , categorization leads to the exaggerat...

2012-05-04T03:05:29.818+02:00

Thats true , categorization leads to the exaggerating differences between groups and minimizing differences within groups. so categorization is most important.

Great! Thanks for the article. After reading it ...

2012-05-01T14:51:22.954+02:00

Great! Thanks for the article. After reading it I'm spontaniously thinking at it's end the "managment team sitting around the table"... and posit that if those who's behavior is to be changed were at the table each and every box in the chart would be more deeply elicited.

Hi Michael, thanks. Glad you like it. I am fully w...

2012-04-26T22:47:49.224+02:00

Hi Michael, thanks. Glad you like it. I am fully with you in this respect.

As I see it, scepticism, rationalism, and the scientific approach can go together very well with SF. I've been a sceptic since my early 20s (which is quite a long time ago) and this has never hindered me one bit my enthusiasm for SF. I see no problem at all in approaching SF sceptically and scientifically.

In fact, I have, in a modest way, been trying to do some empirical research into SF (with some encouraging findings, by the way). Others have done much important work as I have reported on on this blog on several occasions.

Thank you for sharing this and turning me on to th...

2012-04-26T22:39:36.086+02:00

Thank you for sharing this and turning me on to their your tube channel. I often do wonder, how this 'burden of proof' and the Wittgenstein influence on de Shazer with the language came construct of reality, and the SF ideas, which can be challenged as many social science claims can. Allow us (perhaps just me and my journey with SF) to still be skeptical of our own work, and results.

Thanks Johanna and Jeanet!

2012-04-20T14:30:49.143+02:00

Thanks Johanna and Jeanet!

Yes Coert, I agree here. I prefer to adress talent...

2012-04-20T13:19:38.430+02:00

Yes Coert, I agree here. I prefer to adress talents as motivational talents. I think it's helpful to know the activities you like to do, that come natually, that make you tick.
When you have adressed your motivational talents, you can see in what degree they get space in your present job/situation - and you can feel and see what you'd like to adjust. For people that start with their career orientation as well as for people that want a better fit, I think working with motivational talents is a good start.

Jeanet Elders, career coach for scientist
The Netherlands

This is an important point of view. I’ve been thin...

2012-04-17T17:57:58.965+02:00

This is an important point of view. I’ve been thinking the same when thinking about assessing children with developmental disabilities. Nowadays the focus is mainly on what these children can (or especially what they can’t), instead of asking what motivates them, what is important to them. So thank you for confirming the direction of my thoughts!

-Johanna Olli, Nursing scientist from Finland

This an amazing website. The resources there are w...

2012-04-17T11:02:41.553+02:00

This an amazing website. The resources there are wonderful, especially the videos.