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


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

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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

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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

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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

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Content

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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

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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?

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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

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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

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planning

© St Luke’s Innovative Resources and Kevin Vallence

whatworks ?Strengths of an Organisation

28Domains

112Indicators

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TheCards

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Environment• Weunderstandthatouractionshave

environmentalconsequences

• Ourorganisationtakesits

environmentalresponsibilitiesseriously

• Weassessourenvironmentalimpact

• Weplaninordertoreduceour

environmentalimpact

Diversity• Whatwedoislegal

• Werespectanddiscussdifferences

inworkpractices

• Weunderstandpeople’srights

• Wecelebrateculturaldiversity

diversity

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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



change



Finances• Wemakeresponsiblefinancial

decisions

• Weunderstandourbudget

• Wemanagefinancialrisks

• Whatwedoiscost-effective

community


Strengths of an Organisationwhatworks ?

environment



finances


Strengths of an Organisationwhatworks

?

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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



leadership



resources

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fairness


Strengths of an Organisationwhatworks ? planning



trust

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communication



disputes



5

TheCards

roles



wellbeing



management

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values



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health and Safety

job satisfaction



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



good practice

TheCards

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privacy



customers



celebration



memory

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creativity



evaluation



learning



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

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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.


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?

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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?


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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?

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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?


13

UsingtheCardsforSpecificPurposes

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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?

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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?


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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?


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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?


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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?


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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.


OtherTeam-buildingResources

AboutStLuke’sandInnovativeResources

AbouttheDevelopmentTeam

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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.

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21


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.

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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.


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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?


whatworks ?

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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’.


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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

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whatworks ?


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.

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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


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


Documents

What Works