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SFiO is an international network of solution-focused practitioners which promotes, supports and develops research and applications of Solution Focus in Organisations.

This website accompanies you in your discovery of SF by offering you an overview of SF events worldwide, access to the SF Clues, to the InterAction Collection, and much more. Enjoy staying curious.

Upcoming Events

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Solution-Focus in Schools

Please join us for our next Solution Focused in Schools Gathering on February 3rd 2023 for an exciting shared learning opportunity; Maintaining Relational Harmony in Schools - Tara Gretton and Vicky Essebag

SF24/23 – Building Hope, Empowering Change

A FREE Global-Spanning Conference – 3rd & 4th August 2023

2023 Sol World Conference in Vienna

We would be delighted to welcome you to the SOLworld Conference 2023 in Vienna, Austria. Together, we will have three days full of inspiration, co-creation, learning, acting, observing and reflecting about the impact solutions focus can have on the lives of many in and after such a crisis.

Australian 2023 SF Conference

We are coming together on 7th 8th and 9th July 2023 and, in partnership with Queensland University of Technology, the conference will be held in Brisbane at the Kelvin Grove campus in the KG Village area. For those who know the area there are great accommodation and eating options available in walking distance so it will be an easy and relaxing place to get together.

Building Bridges for Change 2023

Solution Focus Cooperation for Young Professionals with a Purpose. We’ve worked hard to put together an unforgettable week for you. Explore the site for all the information you need, and if you have any questions, let us know.

SFiO Deutschsprachiges Chapter

Praktiker-Erfahrungsaustausch am 16.9.23. Das Treffen wird im zentral gelegenen Trainingszentrum BPM&O Akademie in der Domstraße 37 in 50668 Köln stattfinden, nur ein paar Schritte vom Kölner Hauptbahnhof entfernt.

SFiO Fika

Join us every third Sunday of the month with your coffee, tea or hot chocolate for a does of light hearted conversation and learning about SF.

Featured InterAction Pieces

20 years of SOLWorld!

What does SOLWorld stand for? On the SOLWorld website we can read: SOLWorld stands for Solutions in Organisations Link-up. The strap line is “Sharing and Building Solutions Focused practice in organisations”. For us, sharing is the key word. The originators of the approach, Steve de Shazer and Insoo Kim Berg, have not trade marked their work. Indeed, the SF approach itself is based on collaboration. It is important to us that SOLWorld retains this generosity of spirit and the collaborative ethos.

Leading in the Moment

Annie Bordeleau Introduced by Carey Glass The paradigm of leadership is shifting. We begin to understand better how to lead in complexity rather than force linearity. What does it mean to sense and adapt to change rather than drive change? Here, Annie Bordeleau shares three Solution Focus listening experiments to train that difference. Annie has the capacity to stop you in your tracks. Charismatic, gentle, personable, and thoughtful, she projects magnificently on screen.

SF Parenting

Ayse Adil & Joe Lettieri Introduced by Jenny Clarke Who better to bear witness to the value of SF than the client? In this video, we hear a powerful testimony from four clients of Family Based Solutions (FBS), an organisation based in Enfield, London, who works collaboratively with families using the solution focused approach. They share what their journey with FBS has meant to them, their families, and their wider communities.

Introduction to Solution Focus Coaching for Agile Teams

Veronika Jungwirth and Ralph Miarka Introduced by John Brooker In this edited recording of an SFiO Global Chapter meeting, Veronika Jungwirth and Ralph Miarka summarise the topic of Solution Focus Coaching for Agile Teams, with many valuable tips on using SF to coach teams that wish to adopt agile practices. Role modelling SF from the very beginning, Veronika and Ralph relate how they came to write their book after much experience of coaching teams, mainly in IT, to adopt agile ways of working.

Time for Youth

Will Reed & Katalin Hankovszky SFiO - Solution Focus in Organisations · Time for Youth - A Solution Focus Conversation with Will Reed Introduced by liselotte-baeijaert In this podcast, we hear Will Reed, a 19-year-old solution-focused practitioner, in conversation with Katalin (Kati) Hankovszky. Will is an active and bright young man who talks with a lot of fire and enthusiasm about the relevance and need of Solution Focused skills for young people.

Using the Solution Focus Strategy Canvas

Rod Sherwin Introduced by John Brooker Adie Shariff and Alison Abington published a case study about the Solution Focused Strategy Canvassing in 2010 in InterAction. You can find the original article here: https://sfwork.com/resources/interaction/s6-Vol2-1-6.pdf The paper describes the use of SF strategy canvassing as “a way to support managers to develop and implement a strategy in practical and pragmatic ways, so to align people at all levels in the organisation in a collective effort…”.

Clarifying Complexity With Cynefin

Chris Corrigan, Klaus Schenck Introduced by Klaus Schenck Left unattended, order decays by itself (states the 2nd Law of Thermodynamics). On the other hand, in nature and organisations, life reverses that decay, creates “order from noise”, and “surfs on the edge of chaos”. The “Cynefin” framework, which Chris Corrigan introduces in this webinar, adds three more options or “domains”, beyond order and chaos, to its map of the world.

Coaching A-Z

Haesun Moon & Annette Gray& Julia Mines SFiO - Solution Focus in Organisations · Haesun Moon on Coaching A - Z SFiO Chapter with the Author Introduced by Julia Mines My copy of Haesun Moon’s new book is waterlogged (from soaks in the tub); scribbled in (with notes, stars, and exclamation points); and now, it also has dog-eared pages (the ones I’d like to come back to soon).

Perspectives on SF in social and political dynamics

Sofie Geisler and Anton Stellamans SFiO - Solution Focus in Organisations · Perspectives on Justice - A Solution Focus Conversation With Sofie Geisler Introduced by Marika Tammeaid In this captivating fifty-minute audio conversation, Anton Stellamans interviews Sofie Geisler about her work with large scale processes and political and social movements in Mexico. Sofie describes very well what is different when practitioners take Solution Focus into the political and social change field and such a controversial theme as justice; justice as it is officially distributed and also what people think justice is.

“Three beautiful SF conversations”

Alex Steele on the piano and Dom on the saxophone take us through an entrancing journey. A journey where you can truly stretch your SF beliefs as never before, as they work with what is there and fully accept the offerings of others to move forward.

How can SF shape self-organisation?

Tomas Horak, Christophe Bourgon Introduced by John Brooker On reading ‘Reinventing Organisations’, by Frederik Laloux, (available on Amazon), it struck me how ‘reinvented’ organisations could use Solution Focus to help achieve each breakthrough that Laloux describes: Self-management (or ‘self-organisation’ in this session) Wholeness Evolutionary purpose By coincidence, after I read the book, Tomas Horak contacted myself and my colleague Annie Bordeleau to ask how SFiO might enable an experiment on establishing self-organising teams.

Applying a solution-focused approach in counselling

Sirkkaliisa Heimonen & John Brooker Introduced by John Brooker Lessons for Organisations Practitioners use Solution Focus in different disciplines, including (but not limited to therapy, counselling, individual coaching, team coaching, organisational and supra organisational development. This article serves as a reminder that these disciplines often overlap and that it is important to keep cross-pollinating knowledge between them. Sirkkaliisa Heimonen and her colleagues have been researching the impact on individuals with mild cognitive impairment and early-onset dementia while at work.

“Solution Focus Briefly Illustrated”

Lilian Ing & Simon Lee Reviewed by Lilian Ing This little gem of a book comes from Asia. Simon Lee, the author, is a well-seasoned trainer, coach and SF practitioner, who has put together a book to introduce people in organisations - leaders, managers and coaches - to the ‘solution focused’ way. This book provides practical suggestions of how leaders can apply SF techniques to coaching their team members.

Two teams merged into one

Jesper Hankovszky Christiansen Introduced by Annie Bordeleau Clients asked Jesper H Christiansen to merge two teams that were in deep conflict with each other. The management had concluded that due to the team’s overlapping activities, it was essential they work together, once and for all. The management had tried this in the past, without success. The teams had many negative experiences, and there were hurt feelings and mutual mistrust.

SF in the Ukraine

Victoria Spashchenko & Carey Glass Introduced by Carey Glass In Peter de Jong and Insoo Kim Berg’s Interviewing for Solutions, we read the story of Rosie: Cheryl: “What do you suppose you would notice tomorrow morning that would be different - that would tell you, wow, things are really better!” Rosie: [smiling] “That’s easy. I would have won the lottery - $3 million.” Cheryl: “That would be great, wouldn’t it?

Youth 2 Youth

Tara Gretton Introduced by Tara Gretton Terre des Hommes Switzerland is a development aid agency. The organisation supports the economic, political and social self-determination of people in developing countries. It works with local partner organisations in ten countries in Africa and Latin America and primarily supports young people. Where possible, they work together with local partner organisations. The focal points of the work are: Prevention of violence Education and income Health.

The Brain and the Impact of Solution Focus Questions

Dr. Rachel Gillibrand & Dr. Adam S. Froerer & Mia Lunde Introduced by Paut Kromkamp As enthusiasts of the solution-focused approach, therapy or otherwise, we know it works. Our clients often tell us it works. But do we understand how it works; really understand? We know quite a bit about what works; we constantly look for that adage, ‘When something works, do more of it.’ And we know quite a bit about with whom it works; that is, with almost anyone and in virtually any situation - though people unfamiliar with Solution Focus (SF) often find that hard to grasp.

The Brain and the Impact of Solution Focus Questions

Dr. Rachel Gillibrand & Dr. Adam S. Froerer & Mia Lunde Introduced by Paut Kromkamp As enthusiasts of the solution-focused approach, therapy or otherwise, we know it works. Our clients often tell us it works. But do we understand how it works; really understand? We know quite a bit about what works; we constantly look for that adage, ‘When something works, do more of it.’ And we know quite a bit about with whom it works; that is, with almost anyone and in virtually any situation - though people unfamiliar with Solution Focus (SF) often find that hard to grasp.

Empowering People for Successful Change?

Susanne Burgstaller Introduced by Alan Lyons Susanne has 30 years of experience in change consulting; however, she believes her last 20 years were the most productive ones, as she was using the Solution-Focused approach. Luckily for us, Susanne’s new mission is to teach what she has learned about making change impactful and fast. So sit back and prepare to propel through a well-honed and accessible array of tools and ideas to help empower people for successful change.

“The Masterclass”

A welcome sign on an easel in the entryway near the door reads, Welcome to Masterclass, with Class of Masters below that in smaller print

Empowering People for Successful Change

elvira-kalmer Introduced by Annette Gray Elvira Kalmar presents an inspiring Case Study session on how, as an Organisational Development consultant, she worked in a Solution Focus way with her client Invitech to bring about an agile transformation fast and with incredible lightness. Elvira engaged me as she described her approach (or lack of process as she explained), allowing the client to be the expert in their world, helping them define what agile transformation would look like and co-creating the steps along the way.

SF Parenting

Ayse Adil & Joe Lettieri Introduced by Jenny Clarke Who better to bear witness to the value of SF than the client? In this video, we hear a powerful testimony from four clients of Family Based Solutions (FBS), an organisation based in Enfield, London, who works collaboratively with families using the solution focused approach. They share what their journey with FBS has meant to them, their families, and their wider communities.

“The Next Generation of SF Practice”

Carey Glass Reviewed by Carey Glass The Next Generation of Solution Focused Practice is Mark McKergow’s magnum opus. Since discovering SF’s world-changing paradigm shift in practice and thought, Mark has maintained his steadfast determination, insatiable curiosity and exceptional single-minded focus to explore and unearth understandings of what makes SF so powerful and how that happens so uniquely. His new book brings the fruits of this exploration into print. You can feel the years of thought in its pages.

“Solution focus coaching in sport”

Julia Kalenberg is a Swiss based coach and trainer who predominately works in organisations. Less known about Julia, however is that she also has a long track record as a coach of many succesful professional or semi professional sailors. And that is precisely the focus of this interview: How she uses Solution Focus in sports coaching.

Make sure everyone has a Post-it

Eniko Tegyi & Jenny Clarke Photo by Jason Goodman on Unsplash Introduced by Jenny Clarke The value of the platform Enikö Tegyi has long experience working with teams. In this article, she shares her know-how, answering that often asked question, “What if some people don’t seem to join in?” Here she gives us a lovely example of how to fully engage and involve everyone in a meeting or project, eliciting Best Hopes to give the work a firm platform.

“SF24 - SF in Sports with Morgan Lewis”

Morgan Lewis Introduced by Annie Bordeleau In this talk, Morgan Lewis shares his SF journey to support young athletes in finding their confidence and connecting to their excellence. Using solution focus questions when coaching the athletes, he engages in a quest to gather evidence of competence, to nurture their self-confidence and self-belief. Watching this video prompted me to think more deeply about how I engage with my team.

Parent-Teacher Bonding in a Singapore School

In Singapore, some parents have such high expectations of their children’s education that they often unfairly place the responsibility on teachers for their children’s well-being at school. In this parent-teacher bonding workshop, the goal is to help facilitate a bond between parents and teachers so that they work together collaboratively to foster a nurturing environment for their children at home and school.

How Solution Focus underpins Village in the City

Mark McKergow & John Brooker Introduced by John Brooker Do you, like me, long for more of a community feel in your local area? Like Mark McKergow, I spent much time travelling before COVID came along and, when home, created connections locally as best I could, e.g. as a dad meeting parents at the school gates, as Chair of my local scouts. Sadly that connection ended when no longer involved in school or Scouts.

Parkour and SF Collaboration

Wendy Van den Bulck, Cédric Broux & John Brooker Introduced by John Teager Deliberately or otherwise, we all use them all of the time. So how do metaphors open minds and enrich perspective? How do they enhance, amplify and explore a core message by subtly taking a perhaps occasionally closed mind on a wonderful involuntary journey of emerging ideas? Well, allow yourself just an hour of well-earned quiet time to watch this video, and you’ll be amazed at how powerful and thought provoking the use of metaphor can be.

Chapters

Chapter of the Lowlands

De Chapter of the Lowlands verenigt alle Nederlandstalige SFiO Contributors.

We komen 2 keer per jaar samen, om beurten in Vlaanderen en Nederland. Er is ruimte voor netwerking, intervisie én we laten ons stimuleren door een interessante spreker. We wisselen af tussen een theoretische bijdrage, een praktische toepassing van SF en inspiratie uit een ander domein.

Chapter SFIO China

欢迎参加“组织中的焦点解决(SFiO)”中国社群的活动!走出心理咨询和治疗室之外,焦点解决还可以在普通人的工作、生活各方面发挥作用,培育并滋养个体、团队、企事业单位及各类组织、社区乃至整个社会的健康运行、和谐与美好。焦点解决与东方智慧有着天然的联结。我们希望在这里汇聚全中国的焦点解决实践者,彼此交流、共同分享、相互支持、互相赋能。我们希望SFiO中国社群:1)成为连结东西方焦点解决实践交流的桥梁;2)搭建在在中国本土组织中实践SF的有用资源库;3)从理论、技术、人才等各方面支持实践者在组织中应用SF的尝试;4)凝聚实践者,彼此支持与赋能,大道不孤,天下一家。

Chapter SFIO Italia

l “chapter” italiano della SFIO nasce con l’intento di condividere e divulgare l’Approccio focalizzato alle soluzioni nelle organizzazioni. Durante gli incontri che organizziamo diamo spazio a scambio di pratiche, intervisione, contaminazioni da altri approcci, condivisione di articoli e libri, networking.

SFiO Chapitre Français

Les réunions par le Chapiter français SFiO sont destinées à l’échange de pratiques, à l’intervision, au partage d’articles et de livres, au réseautage. La structure et le déroulement de ces réunions incarnent elles-mêmes les principes Solution Focus.

SFiO Chapter Romania

Ideea de a pune bazele unui chapter Solution Focus in Organizations a apărut în cadrul conferinței SOL World CEE 2018. Ca și organizatori ai acestei conferințe și ca și practicieni solution focus, ne-a plăcut mult să lucrăm împreună și am dorit să continuăm să o facem, să ne dezvoltăm și să oferim valoare comunității.

SFiO Chapter UK

The UK SFiO Chapter holds three meetings each year in London and/or in Leeds. We currently focus our meetings around a workshop of around 1.5 to 2 hours in length with some great speakers.

SFiO deutschsprachige Chapter

Herzlich Willkommen bei der deutschsprachigen Sektion (Chapter) von SFiO. Seit 2011 bieten wir einen Raum für persönliche Begegnungen und den Erfahrungsaustausch auf Deutsch.

SFiO Downunder

The SFiO Downunder Chapter was launched in 2020 and offers great opportunities to connect to SF practioners in Australia and New Zealand!

SFiO Global Online Chapter

The Global Online Chapters are a great occasion to connect to SF practioners from all around the world. We host 1-2 online zoom meetings every month, featuring case studies, applications and the now traditional online Fika (coffee break).

SFiO Malaysia

To all SF Practitioners in Malaysia and Asia: Welcome to SFiO Malaysia. Here is where we share and engage with others to create new possibilities as we learn together.

SFiO Suomi Finland

Welcome aboard to our group of solution focused organisation developers. In SFiO Suomi Finland we have live meetings few times a year and a active Facebook group. Connect, share and learn together.

Find a Reviewed Practitioner

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Alan Kay

SFiO Reviewed Practitioner
InterAction Contributor
SFiO Contributor

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Annette Gray

SFiO Reviewed Practitioner
InterAction Contributor
Chapter Head
SFiO Contributor

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Brian Jennings

SFiO Reviewed Practitioner
SFiO Contributor

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Carey Glass

SFiO Reviewed Practitioner
Editor of Interaction
SFIO Contributor

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Fiona Turner

SFiO Reviewed Practitioner
SFiO Contributor