Strengths-based Workshop

Find what works and do more of it!

In a strengths-based workshop your entire team or organisation is engaged in finding your strengths, success factors and good examples, and, based on what works well, come up with ideas for further development.

The workshop methodology is based on the best practises from methods like Solution Focus and Appreciative Inquiry. It can be held separately or in combination with an inspirational talk about Happiness & Engagement with Strengths-based development or Strengths-based/Appreciative Leadership.

Appreciative Inquiry (AI) is a method for developing groups and organisations, originally developed in the 1980’s by David Cooperrider and Suresh Srivastva at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio. 

Solution Focus was originally developed in the 1980’s as a therapy method by Steve de Shazer and Insoo Kim Berg at The Brief Family Therapy Center in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Today it’s also used with great success in coaching and in team/organisation development.

The basic philosophy in both AI and Solution Focus is that everyone – individuals, groups and organisations – have something that works well. By exploring and inquiring into what’s right and good, we can get more of it. AI and Solution Focus differ from traditional, problem-oriented methods in that they explore what causes success, and find ways to do more of what works, rather than search for problems and deficits to fix.

The purpose of a strengths-based workshop is to involve as many of the employees as possible (and sometimes also customers and other stakeholders) in contributing to development of the team and the work they do. You choose the theme for the workshop – something that your team/organization want to develop and become even better at/get more of. It can be anything from customer service to collaboration.

The workshop can be designed for different time spans. It can be half a day, two half days with some time in between, or one or more full days if it’s a larger change process. To create a dynamic experience, we shift between working in pairs, in smaller groups and in the whole group.

What’s the result? The appreciative approach, where you focus on what you already do right and well, and identify and explore your own good examples, creates a positive atmosphere, pride, motivation and engagement. To be involved and allowed to contribute to the continuous improvement of the organisation strengthens the employees and helps them grow and feel more engaged in the operations. The workshop usually results in a sense of pride and commitment among the participants, and lots of creative ideas for further development. These ideas also lead to action, and can be implemented fast since everyone is already on board.