What Works
-
Upload
innovative-resources -
Category
Documents
-
view
235 -
download
0
description
Transcript of What Works
whatworks ?
Strengths of an OrganisationNo organisation is perfect. Whether we work, play or live in an organisation it is not difficult to see its faults. Faults and problems can easily hijack our attention—until we are seeing nothing but the faults!
What Works? Strengths of an Organisation is based on a different understanding: all organisations have strengths, and in these strengths lies the potential for growth and change.
What Works? contains 28 cards—each featuring a key strength, and four statements that can be used as catalysts for dynamic thinking and conversations about what really works in organisations.
Use these cards to identify, build and celebrate strengths in your team or organisation. ‘A wonderful resource for all Appreciative Inquiry practitioners, What Works? provides a strong foundation for generative conversations about organisational or community strengths.‘
Sue James, Appreciative Inquiry Facilitator and Consultant
Authors: Kevin Vallence & Russell Deal Designer: Robyn Spicer
whatworks ?
Strengths of an Organisation
Authors: Kevin Vallence & Russell Deal Designer: Robyn Spicer
First published in 2010 by:
St Luke’s Innovative Resources
137 McCrae Street BENDIGO
Victoria 3550 Australia
Ph: 03 5442 0500 Fax: 03 5442 0555
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.innovativeresources.org
ABN: 99 087 209 729
© St Luke’s Innovative Resources and Kevin Vallence 2010
All rights reserved.
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored
in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by
any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying,
recording, or otherwise), without the prior written
permission of the publisher.
ISBN: 978 1 920945 442
Edited by Karen Masman
iii
Forewordby Pam Robinson
On-going change to the way we work and think, whether in organisations,
businesses, communities, or within our families, is so much stronger when
everybody accepts and understands that change is a ‘to-be-expected’
part of everyday living and working, rather than some time-to-time monster
that arrives in front of us when there is a crisis.
Urgency for change, for whatever reason, is to be expected but that urgency
does not need to be crisis-driven.
What Works? provides us with a wonderful opportunity to discuss and consider
change and planning. The array of cards, with their topics and prompts,
provides a simple yet very effective way to review our ways of operating at
any time during the year. Even those most wary of the words ‘change’ and
‘planning’, or those less experienced in discussion groups or training, will, with
the assistance of the cards, be able to sit comfortably with others and
participate meaningfully in whatever topic is under discussion. Effective change
requires all in leadership positions to welcome those less experienced or those
with a sense of unease, and assure them that their input is both important and
required if a shared vision is to be achieved.
Foreword
whatworks ?
What Works? provides everyone with the chance to feel equal in the discussion.
The simplicity and strength of the prompts on the cards immediately provide
the user with a sense of confidence and curiosity. With their calm colours and
open questions, these cards make it feel possible, even easy, to come together
to work through some weak areas of operation, discuss new ways forward with
a specific task, or develop a concept into an overall vision.
What Works? has absolutely hit the right pitch—the choice of language and
questions will comfortably engage a diverse range of participants. The authors
have demonstrated a strong commitment to inclusiveness and to creating a
tool that can be used to implement change successfully and powerfully for the
benefit of participants both individually and collectively—whoever they may be
and whatever their purpose in coming together.
John Quincy Adams, sixth President of the United States of America, said:
‘If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become
more, you are a leader.’ Many people using these cards will personally learn
more, become more, and dream that they too can be leaders.
Foreword
iv
whatworks ?
v
What Works? will help colleagues, friends and family find new ways to discuss
the small and large changes that are required to enjoy the best of the ways
we work and live. Through renewed confidence they will discover previously
unconsidered opportunities within their workplaces and communities.
It takes a lot of experience and insight to make such an effective product
look simple. It is done by ‘walking the talk’ and the development team, Kevin
Vallence, Russell Deal and Karen Masman, are to be congratulated. They have,
through sharing and reflecting on their own professional experiences and ways
of learning and training, created an exciting, practical and effective way to
participate and work with change.
What Works? works—very well.
Pam Robinson OAM, Manager, Climate Change and Environment,
Darwin City Council.
Foreword
whatworks ?
vi
Contents
Foreword by Pam Robinson iii
Publisher’s Preface: Strengths Thinking vii
Introduction 1
The Cards: 28 Domains and 112 Indicators 3
Creative Ways of Using the Cards 8 • Spread, Scan and Select 10 • Scaling 11 • Serendipity 12
Using the Cards for Specific Purposes 13 • Leadership 13 • Planning 14 • Change Management 15 • Role Clarity 16 • Team Building 17 • Appreciative Inquiry 18
Other Team-building Resources 20 • Name the Frame 21 • Change by Design 22 • Strengths in Teams 23
About St Luke’s and Innovative Resources 24
About the Development Team 26
whatworks ?
Content
vii
Publisher’sPreface: Strengths Thinking
What Works? Strengths of an Organisation started with a very simple question:
would it be possible to construct a conversation-building tool that prompted
reflection and discussion about the significant strengths of any organisation?
The answer that emerged was ‘Yes’… but it took nearly three years to create
such a tool!
The question itself was a very reasonable one. For over twenty-five years,
St Luke’s Anglicare (a busy community and social work service provider
throughout north-central Victoria, Australia), has developed a practice
philosophy based on identifying, mobilising and celebrating strengths as
key strategies for creating positive change in people’s lives.
In 1992, St Luke’s published Strength Cards, a set of cards to reinforce
‘strengths thinking’, particularly in primary school-aged children. In so doing,
St Luke’s laid the foundations for its publishing enterprise, Innovative
Resources, which is now responsible for a broad range of original books,
picture books, stickers and card sets—including What Works?
With the release of Strengths Cards and the development of strengths-based
social work practice, St Luke’s discovered that it was part of an emerging
social movement. Over the years, this movement described itself variously as
Brief Therapy, Solution-focused Therapy, Strengths-based Practice, Positive
Psychology, Asset-based Community Development and Appreciative Inquiry.
While these approaches have some different emphases and some inevitable
Publisher’sPreface
tribalism, they all give pre-eminence to solutions and strengths over problems
and deficits.
Strengths thinking became central to a number of models of individual and
family counselling but it has also established its clear relevance to group work,
community development and organisational culture-building. The term
‘parallel process’ was coined to describe the application of the same values,
strategies and resources across different domains, and at all levels of an
organisation.
The question that prompted the creation of What Works? grew out of the
desire to utilise parallel process in the discussion of organisational strengths.
In particular, we wanted to honour the work of David Cooperider and others
who have used Appreciative Inquiry to inspire entire organisations to plan
around strengths and capacities rather than weaknesses and deficits.
As well as Appreciative Inquiry, other strengths-based approaches are also
being incorporated into the cultures of a broad spectrum of organisations,
particularly those front and centre in the commercial world. What Works?
has relevance across this spectrum. As one of the few hands-on,
conversation-building tools that honours these philosophies, the What Works?
cards will find as many homes on boardroom tables and in strategic planning
meetings of big business as they will in small family businesses, government
departments and community service sectors.
Russell Deal, Managing Director, St Luke’s Innovative Resources
Publisher’sPreface
viii
1
Introduction
whatworks ? Introduction
It is a challenge for anyone in any organisation to find ways to focus on
strengths rather than being seduced into concentrating on weaknesses.
In creating What Works? it became apparent immediately that language
was going to be a challenge because of the subtly different connotations
and ‘value sets’ that accompany the terms and descriptors we use.
For example, what do we mean when we talk about ‘the strengths of an
organisation’? Is ‘strong’ the same as ‘successful’ or ‘healthy’ or ‘mature’,
or ‘well-functioning’ or ‘sustainable’? If ‘success’ is thought of as more than
financial profits, what are the crucial values that employees and others
would want to see accompanying this success?
What is an organisation anyway? If we are an employee, our organisation
might be clear to us but our employer might be anything from a small shop
to a multi-national corporation. Can we describe sporting clubs or volunteer
groups as organisations? What about the communities in which we live and
interact, are they organisations? Obviously, organisations differ in a wide variety
of ways, so how might a single conversation-building tool be relevant to them
all? What part of an organisation’s culture would the resource be aimed at-
teambuilding, planning, supervision, increased profitability, dispute resolution,
leadership? Would we focus on the strengths we receive from our organisations
or the strengths we contribute?
2
Counter-intuitively perhaps, we decided to try to cover as much territory as
possible by being minimalist. We started listing the possible strengths of any
conceivable organisation. We soon had over fifty and our idea was starting
to collapse under the weight of its own complexity—despite our minimalist
aspirations.
Over the ensuing months we played with language, merged categories,
substituted words and tested concepts with unsuspecting friends. What emerged
was a list of 28 key ‘domains’ relevant to a broad range of organisations. Each
domain was accompanied by four ‘indicators’ that suggested how that domain
might be put into practice. Initially, the indicators were framed as questions, and
then in the spirit of minimalisation, they were simplified to statements. Every step
of the way we challenged the language to be as plain and clear as possible.
For much of this we thank editor Karen Masman, who brought fresh eyes to the
project in mid-2009.
Also pivotal to the development of the cards was graphic artist, Robyn Spicer,
whose elegant layout and design (built around the intricate workings of a clock)
contributed significantly to the process of refining and presenting the text.
This prototype set formed the basis of a 90-minute workshop at the International
Appreciative Inquiry Conference held in Kathmandu, Nepal, in late November
2009. This interactive workshop provided another layer of focus group input and
indicated that, with a couple of minor tweaks, the many hours of deliberation
and experimentation had finally produced a workable resource.
Introduction
3
TheCards
0
1
2
3
4
5
We share common goals
Our planning is purposeful
The way we plan is open to scrutiny
We plan for the long-term
pla
nnin
g
whatworks ?
planning
© St Luke’s Innovative Resources and Kevin Vallence
whatworks ?Strengths of an Organisation
28Domains
112Indicators
whatworks ?
TheCards
4
Environment• Weunderstandthatouractionshave
environmentalconsequences
• Ourorganisationtakesits
environmentalresponsibilitiesseriously
• Weassessourenvironmentalimpact
• Weplaninordertoreduceour
environmentalimpact
Diversity• Whatwedoislegal
• Werespectanddiscussdifferences
inworkpractices
• Weunderstandpeople’srights
• Wecelebrateculturaldiversity
diversity
whatworks ?
© St Luke’s Innovative Resources and Kevin Vallence
Strengths of an Organisation
Community• Weareencouragedtobeactive
inourcommunity
• Weassistourcommunity
• Weevaluateourroleinour
community
• Ourorganisationisagood communitycitizen
Change• Ourgrowthissustainable
• Weanticipateandembrace
change
• Wehandledisagreementwell
• Wecanbeflexible
Transparency • We have a code of behaviour
• We share information openly
• We are accountable
• We practise what we preach
transparency
© St Luke’s Innovative Resources and Kevin Vallence
Strengths of an Organisation
change
© St Luke’s Innovative Resources and Kevin Vallence
Strengths of an Organisation
Finances• Wemakeresponsiblefinancial
decisions
• Weunderstandourbudget
• Wemanagefinancialrisks
• Whatwedoiscost-effective
community
© St Luke’s Innovative Resources and Kevin Vallence
Strengths of an Organisationwhatworks ?
environment
© St Luke’s Innovative Resources and Kevin Vallence
Strengths of an Organisationwhatworks ?
finances
© St Luke’s Innovative Resources and Kevin Vallence
Strengths of an Organisationwhatworks
?
whatworks ?
whatworks ?
TheCards
Were you thinking that we should present this to
lions for them to see by Tuesday or just the near
future?
Records• Weknowwhyrecordsarekept
• Ourrecord-keepingprocesses
andpoliciesareclear
• Ourrecordsarekeptethically,
legallyandsecurely
• Werespondtorequestsfor
informationrespectfully
Leadership• Weparticipateindecision-making
• Wecandevelopourleadershipskills
• Leadershipskillsarenurtured
• Wevalueteamwork
Resources• Weknowwhatweneed
• Wehavetheresourcesweneed
• Weuseourresourceseffectively
• Welookafterourresources
Fairness• Ourrulesarefair
• Ourrulesareappliedconsistently
• Wearenotafraidtoadmitmistakes
• Ourorganisationisconsideredfair
Disputes• Weknowwhattodoifadispute
occurs
• Weacceptdifferencesofopinion
• Wehearandrespondtocomplaints
• Welearnfromourdisagreements
Communication• Ourcommunicationisclear,
purposefulandrespectful
• Weminimiseredtape
• Ourorganisationtellsitlikeitis
• Ourcommunicationistimely
Trust• Wetrusteachother
• Wecollaborate
• Wegetalongwell
• Ourdecisionsarerespected
Planning• Wesharecommongoals
• Ourplanningispurposeful
• Thewayweplanisopentoscrutiny
• Weplanforthelong-term
records
© St Luke’s Innovative Resources and Kevin Vallence
Strengths of an Organisationwhatworks ?
leadership
© St Luke’s Innovative Resources and Kevin Vallence
Strengths of an Organisationwhatworks ?
resources
whatworks ?
© St Luke’s Innovative Resources and Kevin Vallence
Strengths of an Organisation
fairness
© St Luke’s Innovative Resources and Kevin Vallence
Strengths of an Organisationwhatworks ? planning
© St Luke’s Innovative Resources and Kevin Vallence
Strengths of an Organisationwhatworks ?
trust
whatworks ?
© St Luke’s Innovative Resources and Kevin Vallence
Strengths of an Organisation
communication
© St Luke’s Innovative Resources and Kevin Vallence
Strengths of an Organisationwhatworks ?
disputes
© St Luke’s Innovative Resources and Kevin Vallence
Strengths of an Organisationwhatworks ?
5
TheCards
roles
© St Luke’s Innovative Resources and Kevin Vallence
Strengths of an Organisationwhatworks ?
wellbeing
© St Luke’s Innovative Resources and Kevin Vallence
Strengths of an Organisationwhatworks ?
management
whatworks ?
© St Luke’s Innovative Resources and Kevin Vallence
Strengths of an Organisation
values
© St Luke’s Innovative Resources and Kevin Vallence
Strengths of an Organisationwhatworks ?
whatworks ?
© St Luke’s Innovative Resources and Kevin Vallence
Strengths of an Organisation
health and Safety
job satisfaction
© St Luke’s Innovative Resources and Kevin Vallence
Strengths of an Organisationwhatworks ?
Roles• Wereviewourrolesregularly
• Weareadaptable
• Workrelationshipsareimportanttous
• Weknowwhattodo
Wellbeing• Wechecklevelsofwellbeing
• Weaimtomaximiseworkplace
wellbeing
• Weidentifypotentialcauses
ofstressandtakeaction
• Weassistthosewhoexperience
workstress
Management• Weunderstandandmanagerisk
• Wecooperatetoachievegoals
• Wefeelrespectedandsupported
• Managementprovidesgood
supervisionandmentoring
Values• Werespectourorganisation’svalues
• Wediscusswhatourorganisation
standsfor
• Weshareavisionforourorganisation’s
future
• Ourorganisationvaluesintegrity
JobSatisfaction• Jobsatisfactionisimportantinour
organisation
• Webuildbreaksandvarietyinto
ourwork
• Ourorganisationisfamily-friendly
• Ourorganisationencouragesus
toconsiderwork/lifebalance
GoodPractice• Westriveforgoodpractice
• Goodpracticeiswelldocumented
• Weareefficientandeffective
• Weseesustainabilityasakeyfeature
ofgoodpractice
HealthandSafety• Wemaintainhighstandardsof
healthandsafety
• Wereceiveappropriatesafetytraining
• Weidentifyandmonitorpotential
healthandsafetyrisks
• Werespondtohealthandsafety
issuesquicklyandthoroughly
© St Luke’s Innovative Resources and Kevin Vallence
Strengths of an Organisationwhatworks ?
good practice
TheCards
7
privacy
© St Luke’s Innovative Resources and Kevin Vallence
Strengths of an Organisationwhatworks ?
customers
© St Luke’s Innovative Resources and Kevin Vallence
Strengths of an Organisationwhatworks ?
celebration
© St Luke’s Innovative Resources and Kevin Vallence
Strengths of an Organisationwhatworks ?
memory
whatworks ?
© St Luke’s Innovative Resources and Kevin Vallence
Strengths of an Organisation
creativity
© St Luke’s Innovative Resources and Kevin Vallence
Strengths of an Organisationwhatworks ?
evaluation
© St Luke’s Innovative Resources and Kevin Vallence
Strengths of an Organisationwhatworks ?
learning
© St Luke’s Innovative Resources and Kevin Vallence
Strengths of an Organisationwhatworks ?
Privacy• Weunderstandrelevantprivacy
regulations
• Werespectandprotect
everyone’sprivacy
• Weapplyourprivacypolicies
consistently
• Wedealwithbreachesof
confidentialityappropriately
Customers• Customerserviceiscentraltoour
organisation
• Werespondtocustomers’needs
• Weseekfeedbackfromcustomers
• Wetreatcustomerswell
Celebration• Wecelebrateourorganisation’s
successes
• Wecelebrateindividualandteam
achievements
• Weacknowledgequietachievers
• Celebrationsaddvaluetoour
organisation
Memory• Werespectskillsandknowledge
• Wevaluetheorganisation’shistory
• Weuseexperiencetoassisttheway
wedothings
• Ourorganisationacknowledgesprior
experience
Creativity• Wevaluecreativityandcuriosity
• Werewardinnovation
• Weareopentonewideas
• Wetestdifferentideas
Learning• Ourorganisationencourageslearning
• Weunderstandthatpeoplelearn
indifferentways
• Weprovideopportunitiesforlearning
• Ourorganisationmeetsour
learningneeds
Evaluation• Weevaluateourwork
• Wegiveandreceivefeedback
• Weactontheresultsofourevaluation
• Wepractisecontinuousimprovement
TheCards
8
CreativeWaysofUsingtheCards
CreativeWaysofUsingtheCards
Like all the ‘seriously optimistic’, conversation-building materials published by St Luke’s Innovative Resources, What Works? is designed to prompt discussion and reflection. It is certainly not a panacea, nor is it prescriptive or didactic. There are no manuals or recipes to be followed, or ‘right’ answers to be achieved. The usefulness of this resource depends upon the creativity and genuine openness of those using it. It can be used with or without a facilitator, by individuals or by groups.
In the spirit of parallel process, What Works? is designed to have multiple applications in multiple settings:
• a manager might use the cards to gain insight into a specific operational function or objective • a supervisor might introduce the cards at a planning meeting to provide a different window into good practice• a team leader might use the cards to build a strengths-based culture in a work group• an Appreciative Inquiry practitioner might use multiple sets to invite an entire organisation to identify its strengths by working in small groups• a lunch group might argue about the cards rather than about the football• an individual might use the cards to reflect on aspects of her work• a group might use the cards to review the past year• a team might use the cards to celebrate the strengths of a member
who is retiring.
CreativeWaysofUsingtheCards
The simple scale at the bottom of each card can be used to add an
additional dimension to any discussion. The cards have a wipe-on/wipe-off
surface so participants can write directly on the scale with a non-permanent
marker.
While it is often useful to work with the entire set of cards, on some occasions
it may be more productive to select an individual card or a subset of the
cards. The applications should always focus on the richness of the conversation
and not the number of cards used. There are endless circumstances, both
formal and informal, in which the cards can be used. Conversations about
organisational strengths can occur in the tea-room, at a staff meeting or in a
more structured planning session. The uses and questions suggested below may
have relevance across many of these applications, and are intended to prompt
users to invent their own ways of using What Works?
9
CreativeWaysofUsingtheCards
whatworks ?
10
Spread,ScanandSelect
Spread the 28 cards on a table, with the domains uppermost, and ask
‘sorting’ questions such as:
• What would you say are the key strengths of your organisation?
• Would everyone in the organisation agree with your selection?
• Which of the strengths you identified are most important to you?
• What strengths do you believe people outside your organisation
(your competitors perhaps) would use to describe your organisation?
• In what domains does your organisation excel and how might these
be used to develop other strengths?
• As you plan for the future (say, for the next twelve months) what
organisational strengths do you believe should be emphasised?
• What strengths does your organisation have that generate optimism
about the future?
• What strengths come easily to your organisation and which ones take
more effort to enact?
• Are there strengths that you believe deserve a higher priority than they
currently have?
• How would you describe your organisation’s strengths now, as compared
to twelve months ago or when you joined?
• Can you identify a particular challenge the organisation faced in the last
twelve months? What strengths would you say were employed to overcome
it? Which strengths were the most effective?
CreativeWaysofUsingtheCards
11
CreativeWaysofusingtheCards
whatworks ? Scaling
Scaling is a widely used technique within strengths-based approaches. For
example, a worker may ask a client to rank a feeling according to its intensity
on a scale of one to five, where one is very mild and five is very strong.
Visual scaling adds another dimension by providing a graphic way of rating
one’s response to a question, a statement or the experience of an event.
Many visual scales are in common use such as a thermometer to measure an
emotion rising and subsiding, or to gauge funds being raised by a community.
What Works? uses a simple visual and numerical scale on one side of each card.
The scale on the cards can be used to rate an organisation’s performance in
that particular domain (the key word on the card) or in any of the indicators
(the four statements on the card). This rating can then be compared to those
of other respondents or used to assess the organisation’s journey over time.
Some participants may prefer to rate in numerical terms (1 to 5). Others may
simply prefer to use the changing colours to identify their feelings and
perceptions.
Questions that might be asked for scaling or rating include:
• How would you rate your organisation’s performance on each indicator?
• How do you think your rating would differ from other staff?
• Is the rating you give your organisation now, different from when you first
joined? In what ways?
12
Innovative Resources has produced a set of scaling pads using different visual
metaphors such as a water tank and a pathway. Called The Scaling Kit, each
of these tear-off sheets features a simple line drawing that can be used to
identify and evaluate a whole range of experiences without the need for words.
Serendipity
Serendipity uses random selection rather than any form of guidance from
a facilitator, as an alternative way to introduce the cards. Random choice
adds an element of surprise and fun—and often an unexpected element of
meaning—to a conversation.
Randomly deal one or a small number of cards to each person in a small group:
• What relevance or significance do these cards have for both you and
your organisation?
• Are there indicators that have not been listed on a card that you think
are even more relevant than those listed?
• How do these cards interconnect, relate or ‘speak’ to each other?
• What relevance do these cards have to your organisation? Do they assist
reflection? Do they illustrate an organisational blind spot? Do they suggest
something that regularly gets in the way?
• In thinking about these cards as a linked combination, do they bring to
mind something that may have been overlooked in planning or
culture-building?
CreativeWaysofUsingtheCards
13
UsingtheCardsforSpecificPurposes
whatworks ?
UsingtheCardsforSpecificPurposes
Leadership
While anyone can contribute leadership skills regardless of where they may
be in the hierarchy, most organisations have specific people designated to
leadership positions. Here are some questions that can be used with the cards
to explore the qualities and roles of leadership:
• As a leader, within which of the 28 domains do you make your most
significant contributions?
• Can specific domains be ‘led’ or championed by different people within
the management team?
• How are the skills within domains passed on by leaders in your
organisation?
• Which of the domains do you consider essential to expressing good
leadership?
• If leadership responsibilities are shared, which skills, as identified by the 28
cards, does each person on the management team do well?
• Which skills do managers and leaders, as individuals, want to develop
further?
• Which skills do the management or leadership team, as a whole, want to
develop further?
14
Planning
Whether it is organising the Olympics, a local fundraising event or a public
relations exercise, most organisations acknowledge the central place of
planning.
• Select the Planning card. Which, if any, of the four indicators would you
want to see identified and addressed explicitly in your organisation’s
strategic or business plan?
• Do you see any of these four indicators as a priority?
• Can acceptable minimum standards be set for each of the four indicators?
• Look through the rest of the cards. Are there other domains or indicators
that you see as particularly relevant to your organisation’s planning?
• Given the culture or history of your organisation, do some cards become
more important than others when planning? What are the implications
for cards that are omitted?
• For a given domain or indicator, what are the first steps to take?
• For a given domain or indicator, what is a reasonable timeline for
implementation?
• For a given domain or indicator, what will be the key milestones along
the way?
• For a given domain or indicator, who might take this particular focus or
set of tasks forward?
UsingtheCardsforSpecificPurposes
15
whatworks ? ChangeManagement
The Change and Planning cards can be used as springboards for conversations about that constant within any organisation—change. From these, additional issues and questions can be raised. For example:
• Is the sequence of the indicators on the Change and Planning cards significant? Why? What are the next two, four or six indicators that you would add? • Select any three other cards. What implications for change do these cards present? How do they interconnect, relate or ‘speak to’ management of the proposed change?• What other cards are important when change is taking place or in order to bring about change?• Select a card. What would the change process be like if this domain were strengthened? How might that be achieved?• Is there a right, better, worse or wrong time for the implementation of particular changes? How can this be ascertained?• What is expected from the proposed changes? Is this expectation shared by everyone? Are there any hidden agendas in the proposed changes?• Are the changes simply for their own sake?• What are the values that underpin the changes? • Are the proposed changes, and the way they will be implemented, ethical?• Are there times when the term ‘change management’ could be a euphemism for actions with undisclosed intentions? • Can the outcomes of the changes be quantified?• Is the change process likely to build or destroy relationships?
• Are the changes respectful of staff, customers, and the community?
UsingtheCardsforSpecificPurposes
16
RoleClarity
While the Roles and Transparency cards can be used as initial discussion prompts,
there are additional issues and questions that can be raised:
• Is the sequence of the indicators on the Roles and Transparency cards
significant? What are the next two, four or six?
• Substitute the word ‘I’ for the word ‘We’ in the indicators on the Roles and
Transparency cards (i.e. ‘We review our roles regularly’ becomes ‘I review
my roles regularly’). What alters when you read the cards in the first person?
• Are you clear about your own work roles?
• Are you clear about the work roles of others?
• How might other cards have relevance for role clarity? For example, how
might you apply the indicators on the Evaluation card to role clarity?
• How ‘fluid’ are roles in your organisation? What advantages or challenges
does this bring?
• How often are work roles and position descriptions reviewed in your
organisation? Is this often enough?
• What internal or external circumstance(s) prompted your last review?
Was it a well-considered and clearly-communicated review, or was it
a knee-jerk reaction to something?
UsingtheCardsforSpecificPurposes
17
TeamBuilding
While the Learning and Trust cards might be used as initial discussion prompts,
there are additional issues and questions that can be raised:
• Is the sequence of the indicators on the Learning and Trust cards
significant? Why? What are the next two, four or six?
• Can you select other cards that are significant strengths in team building?
How well does your team and your organisation ‘do’ these strengths?
• How can you build these strengths in your team?
• What does ‘team building’ mean to you and to the organisation as a
whole?
• How are new individuals introduced into an existing work group or team?
• Sometimes it is said: ‘A new member means a new team’. What
implications does this statement have for your work group?
• In your organisation, does team work apply only to output, quality, safety,
and so on, or does it also apply to less tangible things such as shared
values and purpose? If it includes the latter, is this explicit or implicit?
• Can the benefits of a well-built team be quantified? Is this important?
Why?
UsingtheCardsforSpecificPurposes
whatworks ?
18
AppreciativeInquiry
Appreciative Inquiry is a model of organisational skill-building that assists
change by harnessing the power of skills, capacities and what is already
working well. Sue James, an Appreciative Inquiry facilitator and consultant,
offered the following ideas for using the What Works? cards within an
Appreciative Inquiry framework.
• When planning with a core team, use all 28 cards to expand thinking and
define the most appropriate or applicable topic of inquiry.
• As either a precursor or follow-up activity to Appreciative Inquiry interviews,
use the cards to encourage further discovery about ‘the root cause of
success’.
• At the beginning of a planning process, select cards that are relevant to
identified themes and use the indicators on each card as starting points
to develop ‘Provocative Propositions’.
• When reviewing the success of the delivery or ‘destiny’ phase, selected
cards may be used to trigger conversations about the progress that has
been made, and further possibilities.
UsingtheCardsforSpecificPurposes
OtherTeam-buildingResources
AboutStLuke’sandInnovativeResources
AbouttheDevelopmentTeam
whatworks ?
19
OtherTeam-buildingResources
Innovative Resources publishes original, conversation-building materials that
promote and celebrate good practice however and whenever it is enacted.
With a staff of over 300, St Luke’s itself has provided a living laboratory that has
both inspired and tested a number of tools for building organisational culture
around strengths.
What Works? applies the values and insights provided by solution-oriented
models such as Appreciative Inquiry. While it can certainly be used by itself,
with or without a facilitator, What Works? can also be used in conjunction with
other strengths-based materials published by Innovative Resources. Additional
resources such as those featured below can provide different ‘windows’ into
organisational life.
whatworks ?
OtherTeam-buildingResources
20
21
OtherTeam-buildingResources
NametheFrame
Name the Frame is a set of 32 cards each of which provides a ‘lens’ or
a ‘frame’ to challenge the decisions and decision-making processes of any
organisation. Based on the knowledge that all organisations have blind spots
and room for improvement, each card suggests a criterion for examining
how an organisation enacts fairness and justice. Do we live up to our stated
values and principles? Are we considering the ‘quiet voices’ from within our
organisation or community? Are we trapped in traditions, stereotypes and
assumptions that act as constraints or ‘corrosives’?
Name the Frame has particular relevance in times of change or when
significant decisions are being made. It can also be introduced into staff
meetings, supervision or strategic planning sessions to build teams and
challenge the ‘elephants in the room’ that inhabit all organisations.
22
ChangebyDesign
This set of 60 double-sided cards provides a unique way of examining the
nature of leadership within any organisation. Leadership is often confused
with management and delegated to those in particular roles at the top
of an organisational chart. Change by Design is based on the belief that
leadership is most effective when it is shared throughout an organisation
and that diverse leadership skills are critical in times of change. Leadership
is thus assumed to be a shared responsibility.
As a conversation-building tool Change by Design provides rich material
for any organisation to reflect on how its culture of leadership can enact
democratic and ethical principles, and create a broad base of leadership
skills.
OtherTeam-buildingResources
whatworks ?
StrengthsinTeams
We all know that life can be a circus … and so can the organisations in which
we live and work! Strengths in Teams uses zany, light-hearted characters
and situations from a circus to provide insights into the nature of teams and
teamwork.
From kindergartens to corporate boardrooms we are all involved in numerous
teams. Strengths in Teams can be used with adults or children, in a wide variety
of settings. Whether your organisation is formal or informal, short-term or
enduring, successful or challenging, Strengths in Teams is sure to generate
discussion about strengths using such questions as:
• Who is the ring-master in your organisation?
• Who are the clowns?
• Do some members of your team move from one of these roles to the other?
• How might your team identify, mobilise and celebrate its strengths more
skillfully?
OtherTeam-buildingResources
whatworks ?
23
24
AboutStLuke’sandInnovativeResources
St Luke’s Anglicare was established by the Anglican Diocese of Bendigo in 1979.
We are part of the Anglicare Australia network of community services and we
provide a wide range of child, youth and family services, disability services,
mental health support services and financial and consumer services throughout
north-central Victoria and southern New South Wales.
St Luke’s services are built around a strengths-based philosophy that is summed
up in the book The Strengths Approach, by Wayne McCashen and published in
2005 by St Luke’s Innovative Resources in Bendigo, Australia.
St Luke’s has a long-standing commitment to social justice and to challenging
those structures and processes that discriminate and disadvantage. St Luke’s
motto is ‘Respect, Hope and Fairness’.
To learn more about the work of St Luke’s, please visit the website:
www.stlukes.org.au
St Luke’s Innovative Resources is the publishing arm of St Luke’s. Innovative
Resources produces original, strengths-based, conversation-building materials
that are used throughout Australia, New Zealand and many other countries, to
assist people in many different roles and situations talk about ‘what’s important’.
AboutStLuke’sandInnovativeResources
25
Innovative Resources is a not-for-profit enterprise that does not rely on either
government or philanthropic support. Any surplus that is generated from the
sale of our materials is returned to St Luke’s to enhance its direct service and
advocacy initiatives.
Humour, colour, illustration and design are used within Innovative Resources’
materials to help bring conversations alive, especially for those in society
who haven’t had a voice or who have been silenced. As well as publishing,
Innovative Resources operates a bookshop (located in Bendigo, Victoria,
Australia, and on-line). We aim to provide a source of high quality, practical
resources for people who work with others across a wide range of professions
and roles.
In addition, we provide highly interactive, ‘seriously optimistic’ workshops
demonstrating the value of creative arts and tactile materials in building
transformational conversations. These highly interactive workshops offer
participants an opportunity to experiment with many different ideas for using
our card sets and a variety of other materials.
For more information or to place orders, please go to:
www.innovativeresources.org
AboutStLukesandInnovativeResourcesAboutStLuke’sandInnovativeResources
26
AbouttheDevelopmentTeam
whatworks ?
AbouttheDevelopmentTeam
KevinVallence:Kevin is an educator and writer. He has written and co-authored three
products for Innovative Resources. He has taught and held educational
management positions in Australia, Canada, England, Laos and Cambodia
and is a Fellow of the Australian College of Educators.
RussellDeal:Russell has a background in psychology, social work and education. He has
worked in prisons, youth services, teaching, family services and management
– and in so doing has experienced a range of organisational cultures. Along
the way he inevitably found himself participating in a SWOT analysis (assessing
an organisation’s Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats), decided
that one was enough and spent many years scrupulously avoiding doing
another. Appreciative Inquiry is a most attractive alternative! As a social work
publisher Russell continues to be fascinated by strengths-based approaches
and the use of creative arts to provide opportunities for healing, growth and
social change.
27
KarenMasman:Karen is an editor, author, workshop facilitator and counsellor who has been
involved in creating numerous books, picture books, card sets and stickers for
adults and children. She is currently a national manager for a ‘not-for-profit’
organisation in Australia, and an editorial consultant to Innovative Resources.
Karen’s book The Uses of Sadness was published by Allen and Unwin in 2009.
RobynSpicer:Robyn’s background is in special education. While teaching, she wrote and
illustrated a children’s book entitled Oopsie the Witch, published by Five Mile
Press in 1982. Following her passion for illustration and design she undertook
a career change. She completed an Honours Degree in Graphic Design at
La Trobe University, Bendigo. In 2008 she was awarded a mentorship with the
May Gibbs Children’s Literature Trust. Robyn is now a busy, enthusiastic
freelance graphic designer and illustrator.
Robyn Spicer: www.magicmousegraphics.com.au
AbouttheDevelopmentTeam
whatworks ?
whatworks ?
Strengths of an OrganisationNo organisation is perfect. Whether we work, play or live in an organisation it is not difficult to see its faults. Faults and problems can easily hijack our attention—until we are seeing nothing but the faults!
What Works? Strengths of an Organisation is based on a different understanding: all organisations have strengths, and in these strengths lies the potential for growth and change.
What Works? contains 28 cards—each featuring a key strength, and four statements that can be used as catalysts for dynamic thinking and conversations about what really works in organisations.
Use these cards to identify, build and celebrate strengths in your team or organisation. ‘A wonderful resource for all Appreciative Inquiry practitioners, What Works? provides a strong foundation for generative conversations about organisational or community strengths.‘
Sue James, Appreciative Inquiry Facilitator and Consultant
Authors: Kevin Vallence & Russell Deal Designer: Robyn Spicer