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About the book

Here is a list of the chapters, the foreign editions currently available, and some comments people have made about the book.

The Solutions Focus: Making Coaching & Change SIMPLE

Nicholas Brealey Publishing, London, 2007

ISBN13:  9781904838067
ISBN10:  1904838065

Contents:
Preface to the Second Edition
1. Small Changes – and a Big Idea
2. Staying SIMPLE
3. Solutions not problems
4. Inbetween: the action is in the interaction
5. Make use of what's there
6. Possibilities – past, present, future
7. Language
8. Every case is different
9. The Complete Toolkit
10. Coaching Solutions
11. Managers Coach Their People to Solutions
12. Team Solutions
13. Organisational Solutions
14. The solutions artist and the solutions scientist
15. How we reached here

Acknowledgement
References
Bibliography

 

The Solutions Focus – Foreign Editions

Dutch edition

Oplossingsgericht denken
ISBN 9058710432
Publisher:  Thema
Buy it at http://www.managementboek.nl/management/boekeninfo.html? CODE=9058369671220432

Korean edition ISBN 8990994136, published 2004 by JISANG Publishing Company
Chinese edition (simplified characters) ISBN 9867969774, Published by Business Weekly as number 36 in their Business Point series - more information at www.businessweekly.com.tw
Editions coming soon in Japanese, Chinese (traditional characters), Thai and Bulgarian.  

Comments

“All good coaches focus on potential, affirmation and solutions.  This book is a must.  It is simple, easy to read and filled with illustrative examples.”  Sir John Whitmore, author of Coaching For Performance

“More than 15 years ago, I picked up a copy of Getting to Yes by Roger Fisher and William Ury and was immediately excited by their ideas and the thought of applying these concepts in the field.

I felt the same attraction and enthusiasm while reading The Solutions Focus last month. The logic and ethics of the approach are refreshing and, unfortunately all too rare in the corporate world where I do most of my work.  It makes so much sense to identify and work with what works.” 

“I have used the Solutions process with a team who were suffering from low morale and feeling that they had little power to solve their problems.  I spent 3 hours using your process and it worked like magic.   By the end of the process they felt in control, energetic and enthusiastic about tackling their issues.  When the Chief Executive and Finance Director went recently to review their progress his words were.   "There has been a remarkable turnaround with the Stratford Team.  They are all working together as a team and are achieving results."   Praise indeed!”

“I’ve just finished your book, The Solutions Focus, and found it the clearest and most well written of the numerous solution-focused books I’ve read.”

"I had been planning on writing a book on Solution-Oriented Management – you have saved me the trouble."

"A focus on solution construction is the core of great coaching. This is a beautifully-crafted, elegantly-simple approach to applying the power of solutions to organisations – a must-read for coaches and consultants looking for truly effective tools.”

"I have purchased 20 copies of your book and have made it "required" reading for my Quality and Customer Focused Team. It is amazing how viewing the issue from a "positive" solutions focus makes a difference."

“I've been reading your Solutions Focus book and I've really enjoyed it and found it extremely useful.  I think both Paul Jackson and yourself have done an excellent job.  I know that my copy will probably become well worn as I read and refer to it many times and show it to other people too!  (there's no way I'm lending it to anyone though :-).  I'm a Executive coach and team facilitator and have already recommended it to over a dozen people!

 I like because it's easy to read, pragmatic, well laid out, and elegantly simple.  The approach is nicely uncomplicated, the SIMPLE structure and mnemonic helps to think positively about the problem. I also loved the diagram that visually takes you through the steps that will get you to go from the problem to the future perfect.” 

The Solutions Focus provides a fascinating look at a system that can help people and organizations find answers to the most complex questions. Using numerous enlightening stories and examples from those who have used this type of system to solve some of the most complex problems people and businesses face, the authors have tapped into a plan that can make problem resolution a simpler process for anyone. The organizational process they describe seems to be the guiding principle behind the formatting of the book itself too, because its contents are well-designed and thoughtfully focus on clear language, smart thinking, well-refined ideas, and constant summarization of the key facts that can help readers make use of its carefully conceived strategies.

“This book is both culture changing and life changing.  The thinking that Mark and Paul present is in their own words 'SIMPLE'. And it is what they claim it to be but it is also profound.  If we can learn to adopt this solutions focussed way of approaching everyday situations we will transform our work and our lives in elegant and powerful ways.  The book is packed with thought provoking case studies.  I love it.“

"This book is uplifting, practical and a must for any one who wishes to look forward with a sense of energy and possibility.  It skilfully builds on existing theories and practice to provide a framework for action which offers real hope for discovering solutions instead of endless analysis of problems.”

“I can think of no better introduction to solution-focused principles may be applied in organizations. This book is written for managers and others who grapple with the practical and often complex problems of life in organizations.  Paul Z Jackson and Mark McKergow have written a very readable book that draws upon their own practical experiences in turning complex problems into simple solutions that work.  The book is filled with clear and useful examples of solution-building in business and industry, including examples of how solutions are built in solution-focused coaching and in teams.  This is the sort of book that managers and administrators will keep close at hand, regularly consulting it in dealing with the many challenges that face them.    I recommend The Solutions Focus to anyone who is interested in fostering positive organizational change.”

“Paul Jackson and Mark McKergow effectively captured a sweet new way to solve problems in complex systems of human interaction. Their clearly articulated and easily practiced Solutions Focus will assist individuals within the chaos of business organizations to pare problems down to size. Even the most recalcitrant difficulties will be moved from "platform" to "future perfect." This entertaining newcomer to the business professional's library makes interesting reading for anyone who fancies being part of the solution instead of part of the problem. Because the ideas contained in it are so immediately transferable to everyday issues (both small and large), the book becomes it own natural reinforcer, encouraging the reader to greater know-how and success with each chapter.”

"Before I saw this eminently useful and inspiring book for solution focused work in organisational contexts I´d not have believed that there are sometimes even easier approaches than those already developed by the Milwaukee practitioners.

Although "simple" doesn´t mean "easy", Jackson and McKergow manage to provide a usable approach for everybody doing practical work in and with organisations. And they don´t lose the subtlety of the solution-focused approach, but enrich it with a fundus of new didactical and methodological tools.

This book is a pleasure to read, full of useful research and results."

"I look for a book to in some way help improve my personal performance. The great thing with the Solution Focus is that every time I picked it up it caused me to momentarily stop and think about how I operate and in particular how I could take a more solution focused approach in my work.  Great value from a small book."

"The Solutions Focus introduces a concept that is both elegant and powerful in its simplicity.  For too long, business has wasted time focusing on the blocks to progress rather than finding the routes to success - the Solutions Focus gives you the opportunity to find the routes to success.  Don't be fooled, this process is Simple but it is far from simplistic!"

"Refreshing to see a new way to approaching problem solving which doesn't necessarily rely on understanding what the problem is"

front cover
 
 

 © The Solutions Focus, 2007.