Linda Holbeche PhD/media/Employers/Documents/Cam… · innovation – Tribal vs united by shared purpose ... • Shared purpose, values‐driven, patient care at the heart of

Linda Holbeche PhD

Outline

• Why?• What?• How?

WHY?• NHS ‐ dearly loved political punchbag• Patient care scandals ‐ reputation, ethics, whistleblowing ...

• Staff survey results – chicken or egg?• False dilemmas?

– Improve patient care vs keep costs down– Follow procedures/observe hierarchy vs initiative and innovation

– Tribal vs united by shared purpose

© Linda Holbeche 2015


A sustainably high performing organisation is...

• United by shared purpose• Adaptable and change – ready• Enabling of innovation and knowledge – rich• Boundary‐less• Stimulating to individuals, enabling higher levels of performance

• A great place to work• Values‐based

Linda Holbeche

‘High performing organisations

Leaders who provide direction, coach and develop team capability –not command and control

• Flat & lean structures• Strong cross‐organisational collaboration• Lateral teams are effective at driving performance

and decision making

• Whole process focus with clear customer value• Skills and knowledge to deliver customer value –

without day to day management control• Clear responsibilities and decision making• Held accountable for results• Leverages knowledge and resources across units

Clear accountabilities for business units, functions, teams and individuals

Mechanisms to learn and improve performance over time

• Share learning, experiment & test, benchmark and apply performance improvement methods

• Active involvement and participation• Share in business success• Know how their work contributes to business

success• Coordinate effectively with other business units

Organisational members who understand and are involved in the success of the business

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2

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© L. Holbeche 2014, after C. Worley

A patient‐centric culture...

• Shared purpose, values‐driven, patient care at the heart of everything

• Adaptability/flexibility/speed of response• Patient‐centric high standards and continuous

improvement• The ‘right’ level of engaged performance from a skilled,

motivated, energised and committed workforce• Teamwork, clear roles, responsibilities and accountabilities• Leadership at all levels: proactivity/initiative/innovation• Effective communications, collective intelligence, shared

review and learning• Efficiency and effectiveness


Making a difference on values“(Managers/leaders) must leverage the power of shared values and aspirations while loosening the straightjacket of rules and strictures”(Hamel, 2009)

• Leadership development – shift mindsets and skillsets

• Challenge unethical practice• Coach managers and leaders in how to engage people in developing shared purpose and how to support teams

• Help managers and teams build from what works and stimulate further improvement (e.g. using Appreciative inquiry).

• Act as role model.


Making a difference through teamwork

• Facilitate team and inter‐team development• Involve patients/end‐users in (steering) team development

• Help teams to improve workplace climate/resolve conflicts

• Work with teams /managers to address morale issues• Help teams and managers to experiment/ pilot new ways of working and give people the opportunity to exercise new skills

• Encourage regular workload reviews and adequate resources and support systems

• Spread learning from the best (positive deviance/virus)


Making a difference: communication• Coach executives and managers in how to communicate

for improvement. Executives must be visible – keep them focused on communication, especially two‐way.

• Create energy around organisation’s mission and values• Balance current reality and optimism – provide longer‐

term perspective, give people confidence about the future.

• Use all possible modes but mainly face‐to‐face – team ‘huddles’, rapid cascades, Q&As as well as social platforms.

• Involve staff reps/unions as much as possible in addressing key issues.


Gaining entry (top down)?

• Push at open doors; build good clients and referees• Use ‘organisational’ language, not OD jargon; show strategic understanding of NHS/ organisation

• Co‐diagnose with clients (including staff) what needs to be done. Gather meaningful ‘data’. Hold up a mirror to senior management. Avoid analysis paralysis. Identify key problems/potential major opportunities

• Involve staff in problem‐solving and solution generation. Support teams with implementation/work process improvement

• Review impact/progress/ learning with clients, staff and patients


Stimulating cultural shifts (bottom up)

• Encourage engagement at all levels. Stay connected to the top

• Go where the energy is. Sense and respond• Co‐identify an inspiring and people‐centric reason for change

• Start with current realities in workflow (not future)• Observe, listen and learn quickly. Evolve a framework to stimulate and bound the degree of learning.

• Reinforce over time by personal experience (NOT by ‘force’ from senior management).

• Scale and accelerate the change virally. Share stories –‘work out loud’ – make stories visible.


Also how you view your role – pair of hands/expert/process partner?

Making a difference: theory and practice

• Keep learning, adding enough relevant content and process to advance knowledge, effectiveness and confidence e.g. organisation design methodologies, business process understanding

• Expose self and others to thinking and practice from elsewhere – broker knowledge/skill/practice connections

• Apply and coach others in process skills – help people to help themselves

• Be willing to experiment, learn from what works/doesn’t• Bring hope/energy/practicality/inspiration – ignite fires.


Vision

Focus

Relationships

Power &Influence

Performance

Self‐knowledge

Communication


High

Low

I II

IVIII

- crisis management‐ pressing deadlines‐ urgent problem‐solving

‐many e‐mails‐ phone calls‐ keeping others happy‐ some meetings‐ delegatable jobs

‐ planning & goal‐setting‐monitoring & reviewing‐ training & coaching‐ self‐development‐ Job Reviews & 1‐2‐1’s‐ relationships‐ rest & recreation

‐ trivial but easy tasks‐ some mail & phone calls‐ time‐wasting distractions‐most internet surfing

constant crises, daily fire‐fighting, stress, burnout

irresponsibility, achieve little, nil career prospects!

short‐term focus, goals & plans neglected, feel out‐of‐control, poor relationships

vision, balance, control, fewer crises, strong, respectful relationships

High LowUrgency

Importance


Manage your time and energy wisely

HR/OD continuum: strategic influenceLow High

IrrelevantWork -Undermined• Admin centred• Seen as

lacking expertise

• Lacks credibility

• No involvement with the business

• Clerical function

HR/OD works hardbut not smart

Short-term intervention butlacks long-term impact

High impactLong-term influence

• Technically competent

• At beck and call of clients

• Fire-fighting• Blockages in

work flow occur• Hard workers:

lacks influence

• Pass-through contribution

• Fails to change the internal workings of the organisation

• “Politician” role: says the right things

• Avoids details and keeps things at a broad level

• Tool-kit approach• Lacking in expertise

• Strategic/diagnostic role• Enabling role• Acts as coach to the

rest of the organisation• Devises processes to

meet business needs• Problem solver• Perceived as experts• Negotiates with the

business• Board HR/OD Director• Evaluates own

performance• Leadership qualities/role

modelsLaurence Handy / Ashridge


On reflection

• Where could OD bring the greatest organisation benefit to your organisation?

• What are your greatest strengths / possible areas for development as an OD practitioner?

• What are your current priorities and are these the ‘right’ ones? (Time management matrix). If not, how can you achieve a better mix?


Further reading• Cheung‐Judge, M‐Y and Holbeche, L.S. (2011 and 2015): Organization Development: A

practitioner’s guide for OD and HR, Kogan Page• CIPD (2009, 2012, 2014): The Employee Outlook, CIPD• Erickson, T. J. (2010). The Leaders We Need Now. Harvard Business Review, 88(5), 62‐66 • Francis, H., Holbeche, L.S. and Reddington, M. (2011): People and Organisational Development: a

new agenda for organisational effectiveness, CIPD• Holbeche, L.S. (June 2015): Organizational Agility, Kogan Page• Holbeche, L.S. (2009): HR Leadership, Butterworth‐Heinemann• Holbeche, L.S. and Matthews, G. (2012): Engaged; unleashing the potential of your organisation

through employee engagement, Jossey Bass• Holbeche, L.S. (2012): ‘Changing Times in UK Universities’ Universities HR Association • MacLeod, D. and Clarke, N. (2009): Engaging for success, BIS, • McCann, J., Selsky, J. and Lee, J.(2009): Building Agility, Resilience

and Performance in Turbulent Environments, www.hrps.org/resource Volume 32,Issue 3• Meister, J. C., & Willyerd, K . (2010). The 2020 Workplace: How innovative companies attract,

develop and keep tomorrow’s employees today, Leadership Excellence, 27(7), 5. • Ress, A. (2012): The power of intrinsic motivation and its application to employee engagement,

Croner Strategic Briefing, December• Ryan, J. R. (2010): Keeping Employees Happy in a Post‐Recession World, CCL• Towers Watson (2012): Global Workforce Study
