Over eight years, Niklas Tiger created a Solution Focus culture in Hi5, his technology company in Sweden. It helped him make Hi5 a successful company. 
In 2021 Hi5 merged with another company Advania, ten times its size. How could Niklas keep the Solution Focus culture alive and spread it more widely in Advania? He tells his story here.

Niklas Tiger - Taking Solution Focus Into A Larger Organisation

We are delighted to bring you audios from SOLWorld, with thanks to the SFiO Contributors who enabled SFiO to sponsor the recordings. 

Hosted by Veronika Jungwirth, join the panel of Jenny Clarke, Kati Hankovszky, Petra Müller-Demary, Daniel Meier and Peter Röhrig, with a spontaneous appearance by Paul Z Jackson, as they share stories of 20 years of SOLWorld. 

Peter ‘covers’ the Beatles, and recalls the friendliness of the community and absent friends; Jenny explains SOLWorld’s beginning in Bristol and the ‘friendly Brit’ sect; Kati shares SOLWorld secrets; Petra reveals the community house party aspects; Daniel fondly remembers the Moments, and Paul reveals cabaret murder… to name a few.

You can find the video in the InterAction Collection here: https://www.sfio.org/interaction/2023-1/stories-from-20-years-of-sol-world/

Stories From 20 Years Of SolWorld

In this talk, Rod Sherwin explores how to conduct “rigorous experiments” in both personal and organisational contexts, drawing on Rod’s background in computer science, business analysis, team leadership, and health and wellbeing. Emphasising a flexible, inquisitive “experimental mindset,” the speaker outlines key principles for designing effective experiments using Solution Focus (SF) methods.

Firstly, one must establish a clear hypothesis—anything from “If I do this, I hope this will happen” to more formal statements at the organisational level. Next, one identifies potential benefits, broadly defining expected positive outcomes. Determining the experiment’s duration—how long it should run before evaluation—ensures fairness in assessing any meaningful impact, rather than dismissing the results prematurely.

Rod distinguishes between leading indicators (early signals of progress) and lagging indicators (final measures of success). In organisations, these can range from objective metrics (e.g. budget figures, performance data) to more subjective measures (motivation, satisfaction). Further, amplifiers (enhancing helpful behaviours) and dampeners (reducing unwanted effects) highlight how best to encourage what works while minimising pitfalls.

Throughout the discussion, participants underscored the importance of ensuring teams or individuals have the capacity for change, noting that overburdened employees or overlapping initiatives may undermine any experiment. By using SF questions—such as scaling confidence or willingness—leaders can gauge a group’s readiness and adapt accordingly. Smaller, incremental steps (“nudges”) often prove more manageable and less risky than sweeping organisational overhauls.

The conversation also addresses whether additional elements, such as design content, should be considered. Rod explains that while these principles shape the boundaries, the specific content of each experiment depends heavily on context. SF techniques like “behave as if” or “future perfect” can further guide experimentation, prompting small, observable changes while remaining open to unexpected outcomes.

Ultimately, Rod emphasises that these principles are not rigid rules but rather a “shape” or framework allowing organisations to adapt experiments to their particular situation. The session concludes with plans to share annotated slides, including questions gathered from participants for more comprehensive exploration, ensuring that the insights gleaned during the presentation can be effectively applied in a range of real-world contexts.

Rod Sherwin is an Executive Coach, Mentor, Counsellor, Kinesiologist, and EFT Tapping Practitioner with an IT and organisational change management background. Quite a mix! For over twenty years, Rod has applied solution-focused practice across all these areas with an experimental mindset, helping to create respectful, lasting change with individuals, teams, leaders and students.

Conducting Experiments with the Solution Focus Approach

Scaling up SF and Agile Frameworks

Welcome to this enlightening exploration of the Solution Focus Support Group, a remarkable collaboration among Wendy Van den Bulck, Jan Marklund, Sandra Rosa-Collin, and Julia Kallenberg, affectionately known as the "four-leaf clover." They share their journey of mutual support, personal growth, and professional achievement, offering guidance on how you might establish your own SF Support Group.

Energised SF Support Group

Elvira Kalmar is a seasoned organizational development coach and facilitator who brings warmth, clarity, and curiosity to every encounter. Her work blends solution-focused coaching with a deep respect for the wisdom already present in teams. Rather than offering quick fixes, she invites leaders and organizations to pause, reflect, and create change from within. Elvira’s calm presence and skillful questions turn ordinary conversations into moments of insight.

At the heart of practice is the idea of "walking with clients". She believes transformation happens when we share the journey, not when we stand apart as experts. Through engaging dialogue, playful experimentation, and powerful reflection, she guides the participants to discover their own next steps. Her session feel less like lectures and more like shared explorations, where learning unfolds naturally.

By watching this session, you’ll gather practical ways to nurture leadership in your team, spark creativity in everyday conversations, and experience a coaching method that feels refreshingly human. You’ll hear how “best hope” dialogues can unlock hidden potential and watch a live demonstration of her approach in action. And just when you think you know where it’s going, Elvira offers a closing invitation that quietly shifts everything.

Scaling Coaching Tools to a Company Level

Glimmers are those little sparks of joy or calm we sometimes overlook — like the scent of a flower, the sound of rain, or a smile from someone we like. 
They’re the gentle opposite of triggers. Instead of weighing us down, they lighten us up. When we notice these moments, our bodies relax, our minds settle, and we feel more connected. 
In this lovely interview, Victoria explains glimmers to Annie and how we can generate them more often. 

Practicing Glimmers for Resilience and Wellbeing

Sandra Dietrich and Susanne Buchberger share how they co-created a “Solution Focused Survival Guide” to help people stay well and effective at work. Born from real everyday challenges, the guide gathers simple SF practices - like taking small steps, noticing resources, and celebrating progress - that make a difference. 

What mattered most was the co-creation itself: colleagues sharing ideas, exchanging tips, and experiencing the strength of collective wisdom. The result is less a finished book and more a living reminder to keep SF alive in daily working life.

Co-creation of an SF Survival Guide for Our Work Life

Soundcloud features our audio features on Solution Focus in organisations, from The InterAction Collection. We are an international community of Solution Focus practitioners who continue learning and developing the SF approach in organisations.

New tracks tagged #solutionfocus