As pressures on organizations to adapt and solve problems creatively increase, employee creativity will become an increasingly important concern. The pressures on businesses and government organizations to adapt to new technologies and external threats require resourcefulness and creativity....

The various pressures that managers are under to accept ready‐made solutions to problems that they face are identified. However, if the causes of the problems are not carefully diagnosed in the first instance it can be a matter of luck whether the solutions work or are actually...

Action learning is about individual and organizational learning, but also about the problem‐solving process, which involves both hard and soft inputs. Problems should be distinguished from “puzzles” and criteria for identifying real problems are described. Mapping problems in terms of task...

Solutions coaching is a powerful, highly pragmatic and emotionally intelligent method of coaching individuals and teams. Its guiding principle is simple – find what works and do more of it. The SIMPLE model side‐steps the search for the causes of problems and heads straight for the solution....

Solutions coaching is a powerful, highly pragmatic and emotionally intelligent method of coaching individuals and teams. Its guiding principle is simple – find what works and do more of it. The SIMPLE model sidesteps the search for the causes of problems and heads straight for the solution. Of...

This paper introduces a new approach to diagnosing issues, be they individual, departmental, or for the whole group of companies. It gives a very basic outline about constellations and focuses on their practical uses. Some key themes are highlighted that underpin the approach. The author shows...

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to provide guidance for individuals who are learning to help others make significant changes in their lives. Design/methodology/approach – The paper is based on the author's own work and observations of how people change. Findings – It was found that...

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore the differential effects of problem‐focused and solution‐focused coaching questions by means of a literature overview and results of an exploratory pilot study. Design/methodology/approach – In a problem‐focused coaching session 39...

Purpose – This paper aims to help people in organizations understand why so much of the talk and effort focused on innovation fails to generate real results. Design/methodology/approach – The paper describes the origins of the Synectics® approach to creative problem solving based upon...

Introduces the Communication Diamond Model, which features the following key skill areas found in communication between people at work: enquiry, diagnosis, summarizing, proposing, directing, and informing. Describes the measures designed to assess these skills: the Communication and...