Abstract:

Leading research teams in higher education today is complex. Projects are increasingly international, teams are culturally diverse, and collaboration often depends as much on communication and relational skills as on technical expertise. However, most training for researchers and academic leaders focuses narrowly on disciplinary knowledge, leaving a gap in the skills needed to manage people, power dynamics, and team conflicts.

Emerging research suggests that solution-focused practices can enhance learner engagement, self-efficacy, collaboration, and goal attainment by encouraging individuals to identify strengths, envision preferred futures, and implement small, incremental steps toward improvement. The Solution-Focused Approach (SFA), developed by Insoo Kim Berg and Steve de Shazer, focuses on strengths and shifts the conversation from problems to actionable solutions. Nevertheless, despite growing interest, its systematic integration into higher education pedagogy, research training, and academic leadership remains limited.

This paper argues that adopting a solution-focused mindset in education and research can support more constructive problem framing, foster collaborative inquiry, and empower students and researchers to navigate complex challenges. Building on insights from the SOLSTICE project (SOLution-oriented management Strategies for International Cooperation in Higher Education), the paper presents a curriculum designed to help researchers and leaders navigate complex team dynamics and foster collaboration.

The framework is grounded in the findings of a comprehensive synthesis of literature spanning several disciplines, including education, management, and healthcare. It integrates four theoretical perspectives: social constructionism, narrative approaches, poststructuralist perspectives on power, and the solution-focused approach itself. The curriculum adopts a scaffolding model that guides participants through four stages: cultural awareness, self-reflective and leadership practices, interpersonal and communication skills, and sustainability and experimentation practices. It is built upon the premise that effective education leadership requires a deep understanding of how knowledge is created, how narratives shape perceptions, how solutions can be cultivated, and how power dynamics influence team interactions. By embracing these four interconnected perspectives, the curriculum seeks to empower leaders to create synergistic research environments where diverse perspectives are valued, conflicts are resolved constructively, and innovation flourishes.

Through action-based learning, including simulations, case studies, and reflective exercises, educators and researchers are equipped with practical solution-focused tools such as questioning techniques, goal-setting practices, and reflective exercises that can be applied in real research settings. Such training can help embed solution-focused thinking into research supervision, conflict management, and team leadership. It can strengthen the capacity of educational institutions to address complex problems through constructive and resource-oriented dialogue.

This paper presents the SOLSTICE framework and curriculum and demonstrates how theory can be operationalised into practical tools that build resilient, collaborative, and innovative research teams. It offers a roadmap for embedding solution-focused leadership into higher education and R&D environments.

Keywords:

Solution Focused Approach, Actionable Solutions, Framework, Curriculum.