System thinking System Leadership Behaviours

Deborah Davis

Managing Director

NHS North West Leadership Academy

A shift to integrated care systems and regional ways of working – a need for system thinking…….

What outcomes are we seeking through our work with systems?

• Change mindsets – from competition to collaboration

• Change behaviours – pace to relational

• Build relationships – facilitate connections and collaborations in real time in real work

• Supporting and developing leaders to support systems now and in the future

• Unleash transformation, creativity and the potential of our workforce

• Develop a cohort of system ready health and care leaders

Different areas of focus

• Increased span of influence - housing, social care, VSC, primary, mental health

• Growing expectation that citizens shape local plans and personalisation agenda

• Re-emergence of place-based thinking

• Requirement for expertise in large-scale change and scaling innovation

• Increased emphasis on sharing resources and financial risk

• Need to deepen systems leadership- bringing the next two tiers of management along on the journey

• Issues even more wicked than before - estates planning, out- of-hospital, workforce, prevention, winter pressures and more…….

System Leadership is based on a systems thinking approach

Systems Leadership is collaborative leadership

• In a specific place (bounded by geography)

• To deliver a shared aim or purpose

• Where power is distributed (not positional)

• Built on shared information

• To address wicked problems

• In which no single individual has ‘the answer’

• And is the responsibility of leaders at all levels

A Systems Leadership approach is:

• Facilitative

• Inclusive

• Coaching

• Participatory

• Engaging

• Challenging

• Accountable

• Courageous

• Experimental

• Risk aware (not risk averse)

• Visionary

• Trusted & trusting

• Connected

• Adaptable

• Self-aware

• Results-focused

Systems Leadership Development is concerned with…

• Helping leaders to develop a systems thinking approach & supporting leaders to let go of habits of linear thinking

In order that…

• Leaders can build trusting relationships, focused on shared purpose, with stakeholders across boundaries

So that…

• Communities thrive and healthier outcomes are delivered for people

So within this context what are the behaviours and skills

required for system leaders across the public sector?

How?

• Cross-sector stakeholder event: 60 colleagues from NHS, local authority, fire, police, housing, 3rd sector

• Working out loud: Harnessing the Wisdom of the Crowd via crowd-sourcing platform – 700+ responses

• Refining and reviewing: Interviews with leaders from the North West system

• Application and testing: System Leadership Behaviours v1…

What?

JPEG of overall image will be inserted here (the one from the backpage of the SL brochure…

What?

Step 1: Explore the cards

Step 2: Conversation space

Step 3: Feedback

Over to you… #NWFoL

@nhsnwla