The Solutions Focus by McKergow, Mark -- Read -- Imperial Library of Trantor

Index

Cover Page Title Page Copyright Page Contents Preface to the Second Edition 1 Small Changes—and a Big Idea

Problem focus or solutions focus? The Solutions Focus model Benefits of the Solutions Focus Ways to use the Solutions Focus A theory of no theory Your own solutions

2 Staying Simple

The power of simplicity Change the doing or change the viewing Introducing the solutions tools Many routes to success Strategy, tactics and pitfalls

3 Solutions not Problems

Problem talk and solution talk Amplifying useful change Potential pitfalls: Too much problem talk

No customer for change Trying to solve an “unsolvable” problem

4 Inbetween—The Action Is in the Interaction

Systems thinking Systems synthesis: The interactional view Organizations as interactional systems Potential pitfall: Finding the “cause” of the problem Behavior emerges unpredictably Potential pitfall: Whose fault is it anyway?

5 Make Use of What’s There

Everything is a useful gift Counters When does the situation—or part of it—happen already? Making use of skills and resources Potential pitfall: Focusing on deficits Build cooperation—or expect resistance Potential pitfall: Expecting “resistance to change”

6 Possibilities—Past, Present and Future

Possibilities are central to progress Possibilities from the past Potential pitfall: Accusatory explanations Possibilities present Affirming and offering compliments Resources Potential pitfall: Using unresourceful words Future possibilities Potential pitfall: Explanations with no way forward

7 Language—Simply Said

Words matter Potential pitfall: Bewitched by words Scaling Potential pitfalls: Words are personal

Words are not the world

8 Every Case Is Different

Finding enough fit Small actions After the small steps—finding more counters Potential pitfalls: Applying ill-fitting theories

“Knowing” too much Relying on “experts” Acting “solution forced,” not solution focused

9 The Complete Toolkit

Reviewing the tools All the tools in action Practical applications

10 Coaching Solutions

Meet OSKAR A coaching conversation The role of the coach—optimism and pessimism

11 Managers Coach Their People to Solutions

12 Team Coaching

What’s your role in the team? Working with teams Platform with teams Future perfect with teams Scaling with teams Counters with teams Affirms with teams Small actions with teams Guerrilla SF Celebrating success—what’s better and why? Applying Simple principles to coaching

13 Organizational Solutions

Consulting models Finding what’s working in organizations—every case is different Growing and expanding businesses Building solutions between organizations in conflict Positive deviance More ways to find counters in organizations Toward the solutions-focused organization? Conclusions

14 The Solutions Artist and Scientist

The solutions artist The solutions scientist Keep on keeping on And finally…

15 How We Reached Here

Anthropology and systems The Mental Research Institute From problem to solution Mark McKergow Paul Z Jackson

Acknowledgments References Bibliography Index About the Authors