Asset-based Workforce Development

A people powered approach to sustainable societal transformation

Developed By

Cormac Russell, Katie Kelly & Brendan Martin

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What is it?

Asset-based Workforce Development is a new approach to whole-system transformational change across organisations and institutions.

ABWD creates an enabling organisation that is fully equipped and structured to work in tandem with communities. It embraces and nurtures community power and works alongside to understand and support the realisation of local people's hopes and dreams.

This approach maximises the impact and productivity of the most precious resource - your people - and enables every individual to reach their full potential.

ABWD is a relational and empowering approach that engages the whole workforce in co-producing a vision and values and embedding these at every level.

The approach reduces bureaucracy and red tape, flattens hierarchies, and moves away from a permission culture towards collective responsibility and ownership, collaboration, and value-based leadership as the new norm.

ABWD provides the conditions for innovation and smarter working and draws on the collective knowledge and insights of the workforce by deeply listening and responding to better ways of planning and delivering to serve local communities.

What is it based on?

ABWD draws on and synergises the bodies of knowledge and practice developed by its three founders over more than a century of combined strategic and operational experience:

- Cormac's expertise in the theory and practice of Asset-Based Community Development, as taught around the world through his social enterprise Nurture Development.

- Katie's learning over 30 years in public service that embedding community power at the heart of transformational approaches enables institutional professionals to work more creatively and be happier and more productive.

- Brendan's practical understanding of how to combine professional autonomy and responsibility, drawing on Public World's experience in 70+ countries and years of partnership with Buurtzorg.

What are the benefits?

- Reduce organisational spending by maximising and repositioning existing resources.
- Reduce demand and address complex issues by working in enabling, person-centred, and relational ways.
- Improve employee retention, satisfaction, and wellbeing and reduce absence.
- Inform workforce planning by understanding skills and talents and address skills/recruitment gaps through career change and retaining/reskilling.
- Better serve and understand communities and improve relationships key stakeholders.
- Discover, connect, and better mobilise the assets of your workforce and the communities they serve.

What does it offer?

Every aspect of the ABWD approach is designed to deliver a long-term sustainable change within systems and organisations. The approach builds the internal capacity needed and momentum to introduce and hardwire new ways of working.
Key deliverables include:
• A comprehensive range of seminars, retreats, training, and masterclasses to facilitate the approach. 
• OD Techniques establish a network of transformers and changemakers within the organisation and connect the system to itself to ensure buy-in and investment.
• Innovative whole-system employee engagement practices and organisational reflection
• Defining and embedding a positive working culture and shared values and beliefs.
• Learning and development resources to facilitate designing and implementing self-managed/empowered teams on a service, place, and multidisciplinary basis.
• Comprehensive learning and resources around ABCD and Community Power.
• Embedding coaching approaches at all levels towards a fully empowered workforce.

The Three Founders

Cormac Russell

Cormac is a social explorer, author, dynamic speaker, and trainer in Asset-Based Community Development with nearly 30 years of experience. His work has had a demonstrable impact in 38 countries.
His most recent books are The Connected Community- Discovering the Health, Wealth, and Power of Neighborhoods (Coauthor John McKnight); Berrett-Koehler Publishers, 2022, and Rekindling Democracy – A Professional’s Guide to Working in Citizen Space; Cascade Books, 2020.

Katie Kelly

Katie is the chair of New Local, an independent think tank and network of public sector bodies with a mission to transform public services and unlock community power. As Deputy Chief Executive with East Ayrshire Council she developed and led the nationally acclaimed Vibrant Communities approach.

Brendan Martin

Brendan is a social entrepreneur and founder of Public World who has studied and practised the development of relational public services worldwide and introduced and developed the concepts and methodologies of self-organised team work in partnership with Buurtzorg.