Team

Paul Z Jackson Abstract Tate hired ‘The Solutions Focus’ for a departmental team- building. This article follows the design, delivery and results of the assignment. Article Previous    Next    Download     Page: /

Marco Matera & Carey Glass Introduction by Carey Glass Marco has a skill in bringing visual description alive. This article provides us with an enchanting description of SF and a very clear and accessible visual chart for using it with individuals and teams. In his description he provides the lovely image that problems have frameworks but imaginings have space. He describes that if we are moving away from the problem rather than going toward the solution we are still anchored to the problem.

Michele Orr Introduced by Carey Glass What forms of power does a leader need for a remote working team during COVID19? Michele Orr heads up a mental health team in Melbourne, Australia and describes what levers have been necessary for remote working to succeed. Interestingly, from a clinical standpoint, staff have used Solution Focus more with clients and more effectively, when they focus on listening to clients on the telephone, rather than face to face.

Eniko Tegyi, Dora Solymar, Gyorgy Kovacs & Viktor Magyaros Introduced by John Brooker In early 2019, I was a speaker at the International Coaching Federation Conference in Budapest. At lunch I started chatting to the people I was sharing a table with. They told me a story of how they use SF in fast paced training interventions with staff and often have those staff try out their new skills immediately in live experiences back at work. I thought this was a story worth sharing with InterAction readers, and with the huge thanks to Eniko Tegyi, that article is here for you now. You will experience the enthusiasm of the team, learn some of their ‘microtools’ and find their ‘Golden SWAT rules’ to help you apply what you read about.

Paul Z Jackson Abstract This article explores networks from a participant’s perspective. In particular, we have paid attention to the activities in global SF networking. The emerging ideas are primarily based on the results of a survey which, together with this paper, provided a backdrop for a workshop and discussion at the SOL International conference held in Bruges in May 2007. SF pioneers Insoo Kim Berg and Steve de Shazer are reported to have been adamant that SF was an approach available to all, not something they owned or patented. Our study shows that, to this end, the community spirit of sharing and learning together is what many feel makes the SF commu- nity so special. The sharing concerns knowledge, resources, ideas, perspectives and experiences. Key findings emerging from the survey and discussion at the workshop were that this SF network is both useful, stimulating, enjoyable and valued by participants. Reflecting the SF practice of ‘asking the question’ and seeing ‘what emerges’ in the network has provided ideas for further investigation. It appears as if the networks we researched are primarily used for learning and social support. There is openness and a generosity in sharing that appears to be unique to the SF networks. The network responses to e-mail enquiries issued on the list surpass expectations and enable thinking “outside the box”, expanding the participants’ frame of mind. Finally, the opportunity for discourse across a global range of professional approaches and applications, cultures and social norms provides the very chal- lenge that most participants seem to value.

Carey Glass Kirsten Dierolf Ben-Furman Abstract Dr Ben Furman is a psychiatrist, inspirational speaker and author from Finland. He is renowned for his practical adap- tations of the SF approach in different settings. In Kids’ Skills, people involved in the upbringing of children learn how to encourage children to develop the skills they need to overcome their difficulties. Together with his colleague Tapani Ahola, he created the Twin Star and Reteaming models as practical applications of SF in organisations. The first offers very practical suggestions on how to improve the psychosocial environment of the work place. The latter pres- ents concrete steps to motivate people to change. One characteristic of Ben Furman’s approach is the avoid- ance of blame storming. Talking about problems and what caused them quickly leads to accusations and excuses. These can be overcome by engaging in “solution talk”: talking about what you want instead of the problem and what can be done to get there. Another constant in his work is his inter- active perspective: “We work with teams even when we work with individuals.”