Steps to become a solutions focused organization

What is solutions focused?

According to an article from Service In Industry HUB, Dr Cyril Hellier, Psychological Services Strategic Officer, defined it as:

“Solution focused practice assumes that change and development is always achieved by people drawing on their individual/collective resources.”

It is a method of approaching problem solving that starts with small steps and nipping problems in the bud. This involves not just you as the leader but requires participation from the whole team.

It is very important in every organization to cultivate a culture of teamwork and solutions focused team members. But how does a leader encourage the team members to speak up and share their ideas? Here are some simple steps on how you can motivate your staff to speak up and to not be afraid to share their ideas.

Encourage your employees to constantly look for solutions.

By providing your team with the right tools and platform, they begin to be more aligned to the culture that you want to cultivate and to the objectives and goals that you want to reach. As you continue to motivate them to think and share, this will become a constant practice for them and would eventually help your company see problems as they arises and solve them right away.

Stop ineffective methods of thinking.

As a team leader, you also need to watch out for unproductive and inefficient habits of your team members. As soon as you identify these habits, talk to your staff and help them by giving them alternative approaches where they can become more productive. As they become more efficient with their work, this will enable them to share best solutions that the organization can actually use.

Cultivate problem solving by constant conversations.

The best way to build relationships in any organization is constant and open communication. If you want your team members to speak up, then you as a leader should start. And by these conversation, cultivate in your team the habit of consistently thinking ahead and to be more focused on the solutions and results.

Ask quality questions.

If you start asking the right questions, your team members will not just answer whatever’s on top of their heads, they would really stop and think hard for the best answer. This can also motivate them to focus and be more creative in coming up with solutions.

By encouraging your team to participate and work together, you are also harnessing in them the ability to constantly think, speak up and share ideas. This will help your organization to have a clearer idea on problems, by having the right questions, you are also asking for the best answers, and by responding accordingly, you show respect and motivates them to do more and be better.