Working to your strengths

Purpose – Sets out ways in which a pharmaceutical company embedded a strengths-based approach to the assessment and development of field-based staff during a period of structural and cultural change. Provides an overview of how strengths-based methods were implemented and embedded. Design/methodology/approach – Describes how collaboration with a people-management consultancy introduced strengths through recruitment and development to the company. Findings – Relates the positive perception of the assessment and development program by candidates and assessors. Practical implications – Provides advice for how other organizations could introduce strengths-based solutions into similar culture change, team and personal-development projects. Originality/value – Points out that the pharmaceutical company – Boehringer Ingelheim – is one of the first UK-based organizations to take a strengths-based approach to aid culture change.