The Strengths-Based Organization: How to boost inclusivity, wellbeing and performance

By Emily Hutchinson and Caroline Brown

"The world changes fast, but the core nature of people remains constant even in times of massive upheaval. Hutchinson and Brown describe the strengths-based approach as a ‘gold mine’. So too is this book, full of valuable insights, practical advice and powerful examples” Dr Jolyon Maddocks, author of Emotional Intelligence at Work

The challenge of how to work in a way that makes people feel included, well and able to perform at their best becomes ever more important, both for individuals and for organizations.

This approach is about working with business as usual and experimenting with small changes, which can result in big outcomes. Whether you work for yourself, a small company, or a large corporate organization, the strengths approach can be applied to everything you do.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Practical Inspiration Publishing
• Release date: Apr 19, 2021
• ISBN: 9781788601535

Emily Hutchinson

Emily Hutchinson is a Chartered Occupational Psychologist, an Associate Fellow of the British Psychological Society and a registered Practitioner Psychologist. In 2004, she was featured as one of Britain’s 10 leading Occupational Psychologists by the Independent on Sunday. Since 2006 she has had her own business and works in long-term partnerships with a number of technical organzsations, providing thought leadership and practical interventions. She was one of the early adopters of the Positive Psychology and strengths approach and has been applying that approach with organizations for many years. She was shortlisted as Champion of the Year for Women in Nuclear 2019, for founding the Corporate Women’s Coaching Club (based on a strengths approach). Emily is an Associate Lecturer with the University of the West of England, and is working with Oxford Brookes University to support the development of an innovative and forward-looking undergraduate programme in the Business Psychology arena She is also Associate Editor (books) for The Psychologist, the monthly magazine for Psychologists. She has had several book reviews and articles published.

Book preview

Introduction : The important stuff at the start

Who this book is for

Are you a leader who is curious about people or seeking to improve the inclusivity, wellbeing or performance of your team or organization?

Whether you work for yourself, lead a small company or work in a large corporate organization, this book will help you to understand more about the psychology behind behaviour and give you practical ideas about how to make changes. This is about working with business as usual and experimenting with multiple small changes to result in big outcomes. The strengths approach can be applied across the entire way that you do business and engage with your people, and the beauty of it is that you can start small and experiment, to gently or rapidly nudge your organization towards inclusivity, wellbeing and performance.

You may already have a shelf full of books about leadership, culture and people, each one claiming to revolutionize the way you think about business and making promises of improving productivity, staff engagement, margins and growth. It can be difficult knowing who to believe. Of course, the reality is that you need to consider which nuggets are applicable in your own specific business environment.

This book sits alongside many philosophies put forward elsewhere and can be considered a tool for turning theory into action. The strengths approach is one of low-cost experimentation and can be combined with other change programmes you might be implementing.

What a strengths-based organization might look like

We really like this quote from Chris Ball, Atkins, as an aspiration:

Imagine a world where we all feel enabled to contribute and where each of us knows that our contribution is listened to and valued. A world where we are all motivated to give our best; where we all feel psychologically safe in our environment; and where our environment itself is designed to help us all be at our best. A world that recognizes the brilliant things that can be achieved through combining the diversity of our individual strengths. That’s a world that would feel good. A world we would all want to be part of.

This is not our world today, but it could be our future world. We all have the capacity to create that future; at home, in society and within our company. We can do this by making sure we are involved in the conversation, ensuring that each and every one of us has the curiosity to find out more, the care to listen and the courage to call out things that just aren’t right.

People within a truly strengths-based organization would probably share this aspiration and might describe their workplace along the following lines (this is our dream):

We feel really proud of working here and energized by what we do and how we do it. We are recognized for the difference that we each bring and are trusted to use our individual talents to fulfil our organization’s vision. We love the positivity here – that doesn’t mean that we’re not challenged and don’t make mistakes; in fact, it’s the opposite. Challenge is encouraged, different perspectives are aired, and we’re continuously improving and learning (and being brave in that, even when it feels uncomfortable).

We are all interested in our own and our colleagues’ strengths – how we can use what we love to do as much as possible. We bring strengths into most of our conversations, including day-to-day allocation of tasks, how we perform best as a team, appraisals, promotions, interviews, talent-stretching, performance management and even in redundancy processes. We use strengths-based approaches to try to ensure we’re all energized and enjoying what we do, and to support those who are struggling too.

It feels far more ‘human’ than other places we’ve worked. We know weaknesses matter only if they are holding us back from performing – and even then, we try to find ways around them, conscious not to waste valuable resources on trying to make people great at things that naturally drain their energy. That’s no good for wellbeing or business! This is not a soft option – how we feel will hugely impact our ability to be at our best and using our strengths results in confidence and success in our work.

Leaders share a clear vision of what we aim to achieve. Each individual is asked how they would love to contribute to deliver that vision. If there are tasks that nobody in the team enjoys doing, we think about whether there are people from elsewhere in the business who love to do them. Or, if people still have to do things that they don’t enjoy, we encourage them to approach the tasks in the best way for them and to ensure they are only a small part of their job.

We are brilliant at noticing feelings and performance. We pick up quickly when colleagues are struggling or becoming stressed or disengaged. We are used to talking about what makes people feel good, and what doesn’t, and this makes it easier to have the conversations. The strengths language really helps, it can be used to support changes and improvements, whether of roles, of the organizational context or to explain individual choices.

There is a genuine appreciation of our differences with recognition of the value that each of us adds to the business. The focus on individuals means that inclusivity is a natural by-product – people are in the organization because they can contribute, and it would be foolish not to encourage that. The emphasis is less on what people can do, and more on what they love to do. We aim to build a sustainable cycle of personal and organizational growth, by focusing on feeding energy, not depleting it.

In order to keep the focus, a good question that is asked regularly is: ‘As a truly strengths-based organization, how should we do this, and what can we build upon that we already do well?’

However, in reality…

As authors and practitioners, we know that although theory is a great place to start, it is often difficult to apply in reality. Real business is about managing conflicting demands and contexts and there are constant challenges and changes to adapt to. We can’t always find the people we need or behave in the way we’d like to and we all make mistakes.

Perhaps there will never be a truly strengths-based organization of any considerable size. However, by dreaming big, we can realize most of the benefits of a strengths-based approach within business. This book contains practical ways of intervening, experimenting and lighting positive fires, many of which will take hold, some of which will just smoulder – and that’s OK. Sometimes the real payback is a bit further down the line.

We’re not promoting perfection. We all work within the realities of business, of managing day-to-day demands. What we can do is keep trying, experimenting and tweaking. By doing that, we can start to make a real difference to inclusivity, wellbeing and performance.

Why we have written this book

We’ve written this book for a few reasons. First, because we believe in the power of the strengths approach to create healthier work environments where there is benefit for both individuals and organizations. Second, we’ve been using the strengths approach actively with organizations since 2012 and haven’t found a book that quite captures what we know works. We want to share the approach so that others can learn and experiment within their organizations in ways that work for them. Third, we’re often approached by people who want to try strengths-based approaches but don’t know where to start. So we felt that there was a gap for a ‘how to’ that describes some of the insights and great examples of what is key to successful implementation.

The world changes fast; VUCA (volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous) has been a widely used descriptive term for many years, and the impact of a pandemic serves to highlight that acutely. People’s lives, and the business world, have been thrown up in the air, but the core nature of people remains a constant even in times of massive upheaval. The challenge of how to work in a way that makes people feel included, well and able to perform at their best becomes ever more important, both for individuals and for organizations.

It all starts with purpose: How to approach this book

Whatever changes you are seeking, a strengths-based approach can bring a fresh way of thinking and understanding of yourself, your colleagues and your challenges. The approaches and experiences we share throughout this book can be picked up by individuals, team leaders, business heads and change agents in organizations of any size.

While theory is helpful in designing and developing interventions, it is the application and nudge effects of continually experimenting wherever an opportunity presents itself that results in long-term gains, both for individuals and, collectively, for teams, departments and organizations.

Our approach is all about application – interventions to impact outcomes that matter for individuals and organizations. So, a good place to start is by seeking clarity of what needs to change and what a good outcome looks like. Otherwise, how do you know that you are making any difference, or that the investment is worth it?

Start by asking some simple, purposeful questions (of yourself, your team and your leader), such as:

•What do you want to achieve?

•Why this, and why now?

•How will you know that this has been successful – what will success look like?

•What will be different for you and your organization when you are successful?

Before you continue, take some time to consider your answers to these questions. What is it that you personally would like to achieve? Keep this in mind as you read. If you know what you are looking for, you are more likely to find it.

Recognize, realize, reality and rewards

We’ve divided this book into four parts. Part I covers how to recognize strengths – what they are, what they’re not, building an understanding of why they matter and how they affect behaviour. This sets out the background and core principles that are needed for successful application. Although it can be tempting to skip this part, understanding the strengths-based approach enables flexibility and sustainability in the way that it is applied. Its simplicity can be deceptive.

Part II considers how to realize the benefits of the strengths approach, i.e., how to turn the theory of strengths into something that can help business. Strengths only really come to life through application – understanding the principles will enable you to apply a strengths-based approach in any area of business (whether business as usual, or when faced with unexpected changes).

In Part III we share the reality of applying strengths. We do this by considering the stages of the talent lifecycle (giving examples which address inclusivity, wellbeing and performance at each stage) and the various challenges that our clients have faced. We illustrate how we have applied the strengths approach to help address those challenges.

Part IV covers the rewards of building a strengths-based organization – how strengths boost inclusivity, wellbeing and performance. Here we also include an evidence base for each area. It is a challenge to collect data and evidence around interventions related to people; however, we are firm believers of trying, even if the data isn’t perfectly robust. Rather than just take our word for it, we provide some independent evidence for the value of a strengths-based organization.

To simplify the reading experience throughout this book, rather than referring to which of us (as co-authors) is describing an experience, we use the collective term ‘we’.

We hope you enjoy it! Please get in touch with us via https://applypsychology.co.uk if you have any questions or would like any help applying this in your organization. We are always interested in stories of how you’ve built strengths-based organizations and the impact that is having.

Part I is about how you recognize strengths in yourself and others – what they are (and what they’re not). We provide you with the background of why they matter and how they affect emotions, behaviour and performance. We then cover how to identify and appreciate strengths, both in your organization and in individuals.

Understanding the foundations of this approach will help you to recognize where it is already happening naturally and how to apply it in a flexible way. Although we go on to give you guidance and specific examples of how to apply a strengths-based approach in practice, there will be many other opportunities and variations in how this approach can be applied to produce positive impact. So, knowing enough to start experimenting with both curiosity and courage is the key to success.

1 What strengths are (and what they’re not)

This chapter defines what strengths are, how it feels to be using your strengths, the difference between strengths and personality, and between strengths and competency-based approaches. We also emphasize that this is about reality and performance – it is not a soft option or a way of avoiding weaknesses.

The terms ‘strengths’ and ‘weaknesses’ have been used freely in education, organizations and society for many years. However, the definitions we use differ in meaning to those in general use (subtly, but in a very important way) and so we want to be clear about the specific definitions that we use in relation to the strengths-based approach.

Our practical definitions are as follows:

A strength is something that, when applied, makes you feel energized and leads to sustainable, good performance.

A weakness is something that, when applied, makes you feel drained and does not lead to sustainable, good performance.

These definitions are closely aligned to those of Cappfinity. They are repeated in Appendix A along with some other terms (such as realized and unrealized strengths) that we use frequently throughout the book.

Your strengths are the natural abilities that you are motivated to use. They are the combination of your characteristics, experience and skills coming together to be applied in an activity which makes you feel your true self and at your best.

When you are using your strengths effectively you will perform well, and you will feel energized and alive. They will be the activities that you most enjoy, the things that you will do first on your to-do list. We are not just talking about what you can do here, but what you love to do – it’s about connecting with the feelings that are generated when you are behaving in a certain way.

In contrast, if you are having to use a weakness area, it will be something that drains your energy. You may be able to perform reasonably well for a limited period of time (you may be competent), but it will leave you feeling tired and flat. Or it may be that you can achieve the outcome you want, but it will take you twice as long as for someone whose strength it is. Using weaknesses does not lead to sustainable, healthy performance.

How to know if you’re using your strengths

Clues that you are applying your strengths:

•What do you feel compelled to do? What do you find yourself volunteering for, because you just can’t help yourself? It may not be something easy, and you may feel trepidation as soon as your hand is up, but you still feel the compulsion to jump in.

•When do you get lost in an activity? When do you lose the concept of time passing, and just feel absorbed in what you are doing? This is sometimes referred to as being ‘in flow’. ¹

•When do you feel a buzz of energy after an activity, a feeling of having been your best self, your strongest self? So much so that you just want to do it all again?

When you are talking about your strengths, there will be visible signs. You will be more animated, sparkly-eyed. You may change your tone of voice, speak a bit louder, gesticulate more. You may speak faster, smile more and laugh more, be more descriptive, adding colour and emotion. For some people this is very obvious – they have a wider emotional range; for others it is more subtle, and you have to look more closely.

Even within yourself, you may need to tune in to check whether you enjoy something. If you are competent or highly capable at something but the energizing element (feeling) is missing, then it is not a strength.

Chapter 3 contains more guidance on how to identify strengths, including details of online questionnaires which can help. In Appendix B, we have also included Cappfinity’s Strengths Profile dictionary – the 60 potential strengths that are drawn upon in that