Go Beyond - Parts 1 & 2

Book by Elvira Kalmár and review by Marika Tammeaid

The theme of Elvira Kalmár’s book is compelling: we are all work (r)evolutionists—if we choose to be. It is not worth waiting for change to happen; it is better to start making it happen.

It is a pleasure to discover a new Solution-Focused colleague through a newly published book. Elvira Kalmár clearly has extensive experience in coaching within the corporate and business worlds across various development challenges.

It is always a delight to find a book where the Solution-Focused approach is applied to contexts broader than individual or team perspectives. SF is a perfect approach for enabling change in larger systems, and this book serves as a solid handbook for that journey.

How to build a bridge between SF and business management?

The first part of the book focuses on building a bridge from the world of business management to SF. Kalmár explains convincingly how both the tradition of Taylorism and present-day digitalisation can lead us to forget that organisations are, above all, about people. The book addresses managers, HR professionals and changemakers, encouraging them to refocus on people. Kalmár provides SF background thinking, tools, exercises and case stories.

Key tools such as HR Strategic Positioning, Feedforward and the SF Empathy Map are explained in various contexts. Viewing people as capable, and honouring the knowledge and experience already present, are central themes throughout the book. The concept of making agreements and re-contracting is highlighted as a pivotal change-making tool. Kalmár defines the SF transformational journeys of companies as consisting of Contracting, Strategic Design and Detailed Design.

The book introduces a complexity perspective on living systems—such as companies—by referencing two international management consultants. Several maturity models are also presented early in the book. As an SF practitioner, I would have welcomed some adaptation of standard business administration models and theories - defining development from outward position - to better reflect SF thinking. However, it may be that Kalmár knows her audience well and deliberately refers to frameworks they are more familiar with.

Strategic organisational design with SF

The book is at its strongest when presenting exercises and transformation paths that align company activities with purpose and shift beliefs about what is possible. Personally, I particularly appreciated Kalmár’s ideas on managing parallel realities within organisations—how not to be distracted by the legal sphere and instead maintain an ecosystem-based perspective. The way change processes are visualised as long-term Preferred Futures is also compelling. I am sure all SF practitioners will appreciate Kalmár’s clear and detailed examples of designing corporate change and transformation journeys. The book includes examples of workshop structures with suggested timetables, phrasing to help people manage their work more in terms of roles rather than positions, and guidance on expanding agile development to the organisational and OKR (Objectives and Key Results) levels. In addition to being useful for internal or external organisational developers, this book can also serve as a guide for SF practitioners looking to develop their own businesses.

Tools for changing working life

Kalmár beautifully notes: “Everyone is a senior in something and a junior in something else.” In the same spirit, this book offers guidance and fresh ideas for those new to SF, beginning practitioners, and seasoned professionals alike. As a leadership developer, I always pay attention to the view of leadership portrayed in books. This book’s perspective seems to stem from a hierarchical world, reflecting formal and structured planning processes — which is indeed the reality in many large organisations. Nevertheless, the book contains many sparks pointing towards a more contemporary world of self-organisation and ecosystemic approaches. If used merely as tools, Kalmár’s models may not lead to evolutionary thinking and practice. However, when combined with a pure SF mindset, this book could inspire meaningful action towards evolving businesses and improving the quality of working life. From the perspective of developing SF practice, I also find it valuable to explore thought journeys like this—on how long-term developments can unfold in an SF way. I deeply respect Elvira Kalmár’s ambitious and foundational work on this path.

In conclusion

Go Beyond – Solution-Focused Pocket Mentor for Work Evolutionists, with its rich content and beautiful layout, is both a pleasant and practical read. Kalmár’s three principles can guide you through any change process:

1. Start with the end in mind
2. Build on what already exists
3. Remember, the future is now

Watch Elvira's session at SOLWorld 2025

Watch Elvira’s session with SF practitioners at SOLWorld, as she shares her ideas on scaling coaching tools to a company level.

• Watch or listen here: Go Beyond – Parts 1 & 2: Solution-Focused Pocket Mentor for Work Evolutionists