John Brooker Annie Bordeleau Introduction A passionate group of solution-focused organisational practitioners came together for a two-day Unconference on how the Solution Focus (SF) approach could help create truly sustainable organisations. A powerful theme emerged: the need to make sustainability achievable for individuals and teams, empowering them to take meaningful action and providing hope that their efforts can make a real difference — whether within their organisation, networks, or society at large.
Annette Gray Synopsis Annette Gray and Paut Struik’s session on the Mindsetter Game at the Unconference was designed as a dynamic and engaging way to introduce and apply solution-focused (SF) thinking in the context of sustainability. They chose to use the Mindsetter Game to facilitate discussions on how SF practitioners can integrate strategies for sustainable organisational practices. They drew particularly on Annette’s experiences in Antarctica to provide real-world examples of environmental sustainability. The Mindsetter Game, developed initially by Gesa Doringer, serves as both a teaching tool and a therapeutic intervention, promoting solution-focused approaches in various settings. In this session, Annette and Paut used the game to open discussions around the core principles of SF, such as identifying what is already working, envisioning desired changes, and understanding the concept of “leading from one step behind” within diverse professional environments. This interactive format encourages participants to reflect collaboratively on these tenets, fostering a deeper understanding and application of SF principles.
Andrew Gibson Synopsis The “Best Year Ever” process is a structured Solution Focus (SF) workshop methodology designed to help teams and organisations develop actionable improvement plans, thereby fostering sustainability. This method utilises the SF Numberless Scaling technique, which encourages participants to envision celebrating their most successful year as if it had already happened, then looking to see how much of this is happening now or has happened recently, and then to work out their next small steps in the form of an Action Plan.
John Brooker & Cathy Macharis Synopsis Cathy Macharis and John Brooker co-hosted an open space session at the Unconference titled “Frameworks for creating sustainability and change - what can we learn.” The session was a collaborative effort to explore how Solution-Focused (SF) practices could enhance sustainability frameworks within organisations. While they had originally planned separate sessions, Cathy and John combined their sessions, reviewing the two frameworks together to see what they and the attendees could learn. Cathy introduced the Factor 8 change process, which she developed based on the ‘iceberg’ model. It is based on ‘8As’ Awareness, Avoidance, Act and Shift, Anticipation, Acceleration, Actor involvement, Alteration and All in love! She was curious to establish how to integrate SF techniques into this framework.
Lien Tettelin Synopsis Lien Tettelin’s open space session on “Good practices in the public sector” focused on strategies for enhancing organisational sustainability. The session explored how public sector entities can integrate sustainability into their decision-making processes, develop relevant strategies and KPIs, and redefine notions of profit to encompass social benefits.
Critical strategies discussed included starting conversations around the environmental impacts of decisions, such as carbon footprints, and developing targeted strategies for sectors with the most significant potential impact.
Netta Jakola Synopsis The diagram illustrates the interconnected relationship between three key aspects of sustainability: Environment, Economy, and Equity (or Social dimension).
Here’s a breakdown of the visual elements and their meanings:
Environment: This represents the natural world and is fundamental to sustainability. It emphasises the importance of preserving natural resources and minimising environmental impact. Economy: This aspect focuses on the financial and economic factors that must be sustainable to support long-term prosperity and stability. Equity/Social: This refers to social justice and fairness, ensuring that benefits and responsibilities are distributed equitably among all members of society. Arrows: The arrows between each component indicate a two-way relationship, suggesting that each dimension influences and is influenced by the others. Central Question: “Balance between dimensions?” This question at the centre of the diagram raises the critical point of how organisations can balance these three dimensions to achieve overall sustainability. This diagram encapsulates the complex interplay between environmental integrity, economic health, and social equity, which organisations must harmonise to foster a sustainable future.
Peter Röhrig Synopsis Peter Röhrig’s “Talking with your children” session centred on employing solution-focused (SF) techniques to enhance intergenerational communication about sustainability. This informal conversation illuminated the importance of SF values in nurturing constructive dialogues between different age groups within families.
Key concepts discussed included ‘holding space’ for open conversations, actively listening to each other’s perspectives, and appreciating each other’s contributions. These practices help to build a shared understanding and co-construct a family reality that includes all voices. Moreover, the session delved into practical SF methods practitioners can apply to help families articulate and align around a shared vision for the future, focusing on sustainability and reconciliation.
Andrew Gibson Synopsis Andrew Gibson’s open space session delved into innovative methods for integrating solution-focused approaches discreetly within various organisational contexts. Participants shared various strategies tailored to subtly foster positive change without overtly disrupting existing structures or workflows.
For example, Roy introduced the concept of “Guerrilla solution-focused practice,” which involves being solution-focused in meetings even if one is the only proponent of such methodologies. This approach includes thinking aloud in a solution-focused manner and maintaining a structured review process in meetings to ensure constructive outcomes. Similarly, Wendy’s input revolved around identifying existing signs of solution-focused practice and amplifying them. Her tactics, such as asking “What do you want instead?” when facing complaints, aimed to shift conversations from problem-centric to solution-oriented.
Wendy Van den Bulck Synopsis The game, ‘The Power of 5’ consists of a playground and reflection questions. We have based it on working interactions in nature, more specifically on five core elements of natural horse behaviour and how they can help human interactions become more sustainable on the different levels of interaction:
Intrapersonal (interaction within team ‘Me, Myself & I’) Interpersonal (interaction between individuals) Intragroup (interaction within teams, associations, groups, …) Intergroup (interaction between teams, associations, groups, …) Using “The Power of 5” tool within networks and ecosystems can significantly contribute to creating more sustainable organisations and societies. Let’s explore how we can apply each of the core elements within this context: Keep Your Attention 360 Degrees:
Ania Smolka Synopsis The open space session facilitated by Ania Smolka on designing ‘sustainable leadership’ programmes was an intensive exploration of ideas on integrating sustainability into leadership practices across various organisational layers. Ania asked three teams to consider the challenge and we show their outputs below. As well, one of the teams highlighted the concept of Regenerative Leadership (subtly different from Sustainable Leadership). Below, you can download a PDF article on the relationship between this concept and Solution Focus.