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Resolve & Flourish Resolve & Flourish is the transitional ministry of Steve Coupland. As a trained transitional pastor,

So we've diverged wide, and clustered our ideas into groups that we've named or labeled. What do we do now?➡️ Dot Voting...
17/09/2026

So we've diverged wide, and clustered our ideas into groups that we've named or labeled. What do we do now?

➡️ Dot Voting
What is it?

Dot voting is a democratic exercise where each person gets a certain number of dots (or stickers) they can use to vote on what they think are the most important ideas.

Here's how it works:
-give everyone the same number of dots or stickers, with each one representing a single vote in favour of an idea
-encourage people to start assigning their dots to the cluster(s) they are most in favour of
-it is likely that some clusters will get significantly more votes than others
-throughout the process, engage in conversation about both which ideas are more supported, and why this is the case

🌟 some dot voting processes use a two tiered approach, introducing a second kind of sticker (like a star) to express a weightier kind of vote
-it is sometimes helpful to differentiate between ideas we want to see and ideas we need to see
-some clusters might have fewer overall dots but more stars, which can lead to a conversation for the few who voted for it, about why it is so important

The big picture goal is to move from diverging to converging on the idea(s) that the group will move forward with. Dot voting does exactly that, but it also surfaces as a conversation that can help unify the team along the way!

A scarcity or needs-based approach focuses on what is missing, lacking, or broken, whereas an asset-based or appreciativ...
14/09/2026

A scarcity or needs-based approach focuses on what is missing, lacking, or broken, whereas an asset-based or appreciative approach places the initial focus on the assets and gifts of a group or organization, seeking to build upon them.

The dreams, talents, joys, and particular strengths of individuals and of a team are worth paying attention to, for they often possess the pathway forward to thriving.

“If we want to help people in a way that does no harm to them and their capacities in their communities, then the best place to start is with what is strong within them and within their communities, and not with what’s wrong.” -Cormac Russell

🙅‍♂️Needs Based Approach
-begins with a needs assessment
-problems oriented
-help comes from the outside
-change is done to people
-paradigm of clients and consumers

🙋🏼‍♀️Asset Based Approach
-begins with the gifts and assets of people already present
-help comes from the people within
-change is done by people
-paradigm of producers and contributors

"Etymologically, to flourish means “to blossom,” to grow and bloom in mature, fruitful, beautiful ways. To thrive, etymo...
13/09/2026

"Etymologically, to flourish means “to blossom,” to grow and bloom in mature, fruitful, beautiful ways. To thrive, etymologically, means “to seize,” to grasp and capture the fullness of life, to live life well to the fullest. All living organisms naturally strive to live, grow, and bloom, to robustly achieve the fullness of their natural capacities. All living organisms work against death, disease, and weakness. The physical functioning of our human bodies works this way. Other natural human capacities are the same. The life of persons is by nature oriented toward learning, becoming, developing, growing, expanding, and maturing." -Christian Smith, To Flourish or Destruct

Let's talk about a helpful step to take after diverging: idea clustering.Clustering ideas is a visual or structured brai...
10/09/2026

Let's talk about a helpful step to take after diverging: idea clustering.

Clustering ideas is a visual or structured brainstorming strategy used to organize and connect information. It helps reveal hidden patterns, group related concepts, and structure large amounts of information into actionable themes.

After diverging widely, we have a spread of ideas.

We begin by grouping similar ideas together.

This process is best done by the group, discussing why ideas are clustered together. (Resist the urge to do this for the group, or to let one leader singularly take charge to do it on their own)

We can then consider what other new ideas these bring to mind. We can also spend some time considering what we’re missing.

We might give each cluster a name or label, summarizing the collection of ideas.

Now we can move to dot voting, ranking, or prioritizing (which we will spotlight in future posts. Stay tuned!)

There are times when moving quickly is beneficial, and there are also moments when it’s important to slow down and invit...
09/09/2026

There are times when moving quickly is beneficial, and there are also moments when it’s important to slow down and invite others into meaningful collaboration.

For those big ideas or monumental decisions, we need more stakeholders at the table, bringing their experiences and their voices into a collaborative process of dreaming, diverging, discerning and deciding. We need bigger tables for big ideas.

When we slow down and make space at the table for others...

we create opportunity for a wider range of experiences;
we open ourselves up for greater collaboration;
the problems before us are more easily navigated;
we move from ‘buy-in’ to full ownership across the organization.

“The positive core of organizational life is one of the greatest and largely unrecognized resources in the field of cha...
08/09/2026

“The positive core of organizational life is one of the greatest and largely unrecognized resources in the field of change management...Human systems grow in the direction of what they persistently ask questions about, and this propensity is strongest and most sustainable when the means and ends of inquiry are positively correlated. The single most important action a group can take to liberate the human spirit and consciously construct a better future is to make the positive core the common and explicit property of all.” -David Cooperrider and Diana Whitney, Appreciative Inquiry: A Positive Revolution in Change

We Put People at the Centre.Organizational change is rarely just about a new strategy, structure, or process. The most m...
05/09/2026

We Put People at the Centre.

Organizational change is rarely just about a new strategy, structure, or process. The most meaningful change asks people to see differently, work differently, and sometimes become different together.

At Resolve & Flourish Consulting, we approach transformation through an appreciative lens, weaving together appreciative inquiry with curiosity, empathy, and a deep belief in the people within an organization. We don’t begin with a one-size-fits-all solution; we begin by listening, understanding your unique context, and discovering the strengths, possibilities, and people that can help move you forward.

This conversational and relational approach is offered in person in Sarnia and Lambton County, Chatham-Kent, and London and Middlesex County, or virtually with you and your team.

Great solutions rarely come from the first idea. They emerge when we give ourselves permission to diverge before we conv...
04/09/2026

Great solutions rarely come from the first idea. They emerge when we give ourselves permission to diverge before we converge.

Diverging means widening the lens:
→ Asking better questions
→ Challenging assumptions
→ Inviting different perspectives
→ Exploring possibilities
→ Getting curious about what could be

It can feel messy. Unfocused. Even inefficient. But that messiness is often where creativity lives, on the margins of our collective genius.

Then comes convergence.
We step back and ask:
What are we seeing?
What patterns are emerging?
What matters most?
What trade-offs are we willing to make?
Where is there enough shared energy to move forward?

The goal isn't to find the perfect idea. It's to create enough space for the right voices, possibilities, and insights to surface—and then thoughtfully discern which path has the greatest potential.

This is why humans belong at the centre of complex change. We don't just need better answers; we need conversations that bring out the best in us.

Diverge widely. Converge thoughtfully. Move forward together.

Rhythms of work and rest in ordinary time, let alone in times of change. Here's a Sabbath blessing by Pete Greig that I ...
01/02/2026

Rhythms of work and rest in ordinary time, let alone in times of change. Here's a Sabbath blessing by Pete Greig that I encountered through the morning prayers of

---

May this day bring Sabbath rest to my heart and my home.

May God’s image in me be restored, and my imagination in God be re-storied.

May the gravity of material things be lightened, and the relativity of time slow down.

May I know grace to embrace my own finite smallness in the arms of God’s infinite greatness.

May God’s Word feed me and His Spirit lead me into the week and into the life to come.

The natural world and its seasonality reminds us that we move through our own seasons of the soul. Change is inevitable,...
30/01/2026

The natural world and its seasonality reminds us that we move through our own seasons of the soul. Change is inevitable, an unstoppable current surrounding us. When we embrace change, it can offer such vibrant vitality to our lives.

What season of the soul are you currently in?

Autumn comes to us with the gift of letting go, of pruning and purging and the declutterring of our inner lives. Autumn seasons of the soul might include taking stock of who we are and what we stand for, deconstructing or shedding old belief systems that no longer fit, or emptying our hands so that we are ready for what the next season of our life will offer.

Winter comes to us offering gifts of fresh clarity through death of the old, dormancy, waiting, pausing, or an ending that will soon invite us into a new beginning. Winter seasons of the soul might include waiting for the next job or major life decision, or staying in listening prayer until a word of clarity illuminates the path ahead.

Spring comes to us with cadences of growth and newness but always with the backdrop of the messy and the unpredictable. For springs seasons of the soul, they might look like a new baby, a new job, a new community, or striving to begin a new habit or rhythm. It's clumsy and you're doing your best to settle into the new around you.

Finally, summer comes to us as the sweet spot of flourishing and abundance. Relationships are widening. Community is good. There is generativity and growth in abundance. The fruit is on the trees. And as much as we want to stay perpetually in summer, we know that change is inevitable and autumn is around the corner.

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