Practicing Organization Development, 5th Edition

CHAPTER FIFTEENSOAR to Success: Building Strategic Capacity to Create High-Performing Teams

Jacqueline M. Stavros and Patrica Malone

Strategic capacity is essential for teams within organizations to achieve their vision, mission, purpose, and goal. It bridges the gap between an organization’s current performance and its potential. Malone (2010, 8) describes it as a “deeply embedded ability that enables an organization to adapt and thrive in dynamic environments.” Malone’s research builds on Stavros’ (1998) dissertation on capacity building from which the SOAR framework emerged, emphasizing strategic capacity and its development.

The SOAR framework—an acronym for Strengths, Opportunities, Aspirations, and Results—supports and accelerates strategic capacity development by fostering collaboration, shared understanding, innovation, and a commitment to action (Stavros and Hinrichs 2021). This generative approach to strategic planning aligns with Appreciative Inquiry principles and enhances an organization’s ability to effectively navigate complex and changing environments. Through SOAR, organization members can harness their inherent strengths and opportunities to achieve aspirational goals and produce meaningful and measurable results, ensuring sustainability and growth (Godwin and Stavros 2021; Stavros et al. 2003).

Building strategic capacity is crucial in today’s fast-paced environment, where organizations must continuously adapt their capabilities (strengths) to changing market ...