A busy university department discovers how a shared strengths-based approach can unite colleagues, boost morale, and improve collaboration.
How the Faculty Administration team turned individual insights into a collective culture shift.
In Manchester Metropolitan University’s Faculty Administration Department, Senior Manager for Planning, Development & Delivery, Mel Peters, was looking for new ways to strengthen collaboration, boost morale, and support wellbeing in a busy, high-stakes environment.
She first encountered Strengthify at a Strengthify Live workshop, which introduced her to the practical value of a strengths-based approach for leadership and teamwork. Recognising the potential benefits for her department, she joined the Management Development Programme (MDP) to deepen her leadership skills and explore how to embed this approach with her team.
From Individual Insight to Team Transformation
What began as a single manager’s development experience soon became a department-wide shift. Mel applied what she had learned to create opportunities for her colleagues to access the same tools and insights.
Over time, this evolved into a layered development journey:
- Strengthify Live Workshop – Initial introduction to the CliftonStrengths model and its applications for leadership.
- Management Development Programme – Building management confidence, feedback skills, and strengths-based leadership strategies.
- Manager Participation – Other leaders in the department attending Discovery Workshops and the MDP to create shared understanding.
- Team Discovery Workshop – A dedicated session for the Faculty Administration team, facilitated by Tom, to explore strengths, blind spots, and preferred working styles together.
This structured approach meant that strengths-based thinking became more than a concept — it became part of the way the team works and communicates.
Feedback Highlights
Team members described the approach as engaging, insightful, and directly relevant to their day-to-day roles:
“Really interesting to see the team’s strengths… a useful tool for career development opportunities.” – Monica Arnold
“Helped me identify my teammates’ interests and strengths to optimise outcomes.” – Prannay Tripathi
“Eye-opening!” – Rhianwen Williams
Mel’s own reflections highlight the shift:
“Engaging and thought-provoking. I now have a greater appreciation for individual experience, and how we can capitalise on colleagues’ strengths as part of a supportive team culture.” – Mel Peters
Outcomes and Impact
Since adopting the strengths-based approach, the Faculty Administration team has reported:
- Increased confidence among managers in leadership and performance conversations.
- A common language for collaboration, used across the team.
- Better understanding of how to align strengths with roles to improve engagement and productivity.
- Early signs of reduced interpersonal friction and stronger cross-functional working.
MDP impact stats for participating managers:
- 100% Strongly Agreed or Agreed they felt more confident in their management skills.
- 100% Strongly Agreed or Agreed they were better equipped to explore strengths in their team.
- 100% Strongly Agreed or Agreed they felt more confident approaching performance conversations.
- 100% rated the programme as Extremely or Very valuable.
What’s Next?
Mel and her fellow managers are now advocating for strengths-based development across other teams in the university, sharing learnings and exploring opportunities for more cross-team workshops. The aim is to embed this approach into everyday conversations about performance, collaboration, and career development.
Want to Find Out More?
If your team is looking to improve collaboration, resilience, and engagement, get in touch to explore how Strengthify’s team workshops and leadership programmes can make a lasting impact.