North East Leading Improvement and Health and Well-being

Leading whole Systems:learning from Total Place and partnership working

Robin Douglas

Sept 2010

The conversation, the challenges: Most public partnerships focus on process not

outcomes – many consume more value than they add.

It is impossible to really understand outcomes without user/citizen perspectives on their needs – this is difficult

People achieve outcomes, services don’t

System thinking and action is distorted by organisational pressures

Total Place supports whole system thinking and action – But real change is required

Some problems are so complex that you have to be highly intelligent and well informed just to be undecided about them.

Laurence J. Peter

A conventional model oforganisational leadership

Designing the appropriate organisation Deploying resources Negotiate relationships Creating a framework within which others

can shape change Building capacity Achieving outputs/outcomes

A systems focus: Separating problems from dilemmas

Learning about the real purpose

Recognising mind traps

Challenging assumptions

Understanding other’s agendas

Working beyond the boundaries of the organisation – the system not the role

The real business of leadership:

….from the illusion of control to the reality of influence.

Leadership in systems

Is relational not positional – negotiated not imposed

About effective process achieving outcomes not personality

Moving from individual qualities to the process of creating leadership space

Using ‘leaderful’ situations which encourage leadership behaviour in others

Focused on aligning and engaging the efforts of others to achieve outcomes

Three mind sets for Leadership

The Metaphor is: The Focus is:

1. ‘Newtonian’ Clock/mechanical Planning, systems & outcomes

2. ‘Darwinian’ Evolutionary/ Learning, organic growth, ecological

scenario choices

3. ‘Post-Modern’ Heroes in chaos Political, opportunist,

rule breaking, short life systems

Why have a partnership?

There are 3 ways to get things done:

Independently…go it alone

Co-ordinated…we need to talk

Co-operation…we need to work together

Are all your partnerships really necessary?

Partnerships are contested space

• Outcomes need to be negotiated

• Power and legitimacy is unequal and often unacknowledged

• Each individual/organisation brings their own assumptions about ways of working

• With limited agreed rules of engagement

• …and there is plenty of history

A Partnership is an experimental space

It offers the possibility of breakthrough:

“By exploring the differences between diverse perspectives and experiences, partnerships can

locate obstacles based on partial vision, limitedgoals or fixed thinking”

“If organisations and individuals emerge from partnerships unchanged – the partnership has failed.”

Leadership in partnerships

Helping to negotiate the outcomes, purpose and ‘rules of engagement’ for all the partners

Creating an environment where relationships can succeed

Enabling a strategic approach, not just a plan

Encouraging learning, developing space to experiment, room for creativity..

Brokering relationships between different belief systems

Using creative tension – drawing strength from difference –negotiating solutions – conflict resolution

Creating trust – mutual accountability –enough to risk committing resources

Key features that enable closer working:

Are the outcomes clear and accepted? What is the partnership for?

A recognition of task dependency. Do we need you?

Building cultural understanding and acceptance. Do we understand one another?

Building consensus about ends and means. Do we agree what we are to achieve?

and…

Building upon mutual awareness. Do we understand what forces and drivers act upon us?

Using our experience of collaboration, resource exchange. What have we learned?

Is there a shared recognition of our ‘place’?

Active partnerships: an effective process needs

Active commitment and energy from key people of influence

Clear and constructive leadership

Shared purpose, values and priorities

Shared information and flexible systems

Effective communications

Recognition of the tensions between the partnership and the component organisations

An explicit and accepted position on resources

Orientation to shared learning and experimentation

Building a positive focus on history between partners

Acknowledgement and celebration of achievements

Three key dimensions of authority in partnerships

‘Positional’Based on Role & OrganisationalPosition

Given

‘Wisdom’Based on the Belief & Trust of Others

Earned‘Knowledge’

Based on Personal CapacityExperience & Understanding

Acquired

Some details about Total Place

‘ We need to be more radical in the way we join up departments, authorities, agencies and sectors, to offer services that are built around client needs; we need to devolve power to devise new solutions closer to the frontline; we need to be better at influencing citizens to change their lifestyles and so reduce the pressure on public services’

Sir Michael Bichard 6th May 2009

The Guardian

And now:

‘Local authorities must not wait for central government legislation before implementing Total Place...maintain the momentum to convince the new government this can not be let go’

Lord Michael Bichard

21st May 2010

Total Place Review

Principles, process and partnership working:

Working and thinking together is learning – people don’t start from the same place

Think and act with systems, not just organisations Working and building partnerships is messy and

uncertain Purpose and outcomes should lead process - not vice

versa The process needs to be –

Convergent and divergent Open and led Planned and emergent

People in partnerships:

Listen to real people – it’s about their experiences and voices

It’s about your people and places, not just organisations From the language of formal Partnerships to

professional friendships and joined up leadership The Pilots provided people to help, challenge, shape

and enable the processes locally It costs in terms of time, energy, commitment and

influence – but for many, it has been worth it to develop real and effective partnerships, with improved outcomes and some efficiencies

Learning from Total Place

Expectations for speedy progress from the centre can create tensions in local relationships

Talking to people/citizens is crucial…’emotional buy-in’ and a real focus on outcomes

The count is interesting, but has no answers in itself… the big numbers can be distracting

Pilots are at many different places… lots of history, some using previous work well, others starting afresh, some bogged down

and…

Real improvements in collaboration are possible… local innovation and new relationships are still emerging

It is clear that many services can and should be radically changed… working through the lens of Total Place with a focus on outcomes can challenge assumptions

Many players haven’t understood the potential & the need for radical change… particularly senior managers, politicians and Whitehall

‘you can’t start from here’… you can’t legislate for trust…it has to be earned

In summary: The pilots were all different but...

All found potential and significant efficiencies Built on customer/citizen insights to achieve

improvements and savings Emphasize the need for long-term commitment Signal areas where invest-to-save will be needed Need strong and active links with central

government Call for real cultural and behavioural change

throughout local systems Will require new ways to work in and between

organisations

The 13 pilots were:

Leicestershire/Leicester City Birmingham Durham Kent Coventry/Solihull/Warwickshire Lewisham Croydon South Tyneside/Gateshead/Sunderland Dorset/Bournemouth/Poole Greater Manchester Region and Warrington Blackburn Luton/Central Bedfordshire Worcestershire………….plus a number of ‘shadow’

projects

For more details, see

Total Place: a practitioners guide to doing thing differently

Total place website and communities of practice:

www.communities.idea.gov.uk www.localleadership.gov.uk

Discussion

Using your experience, what needs to be done to make leadership at the whole system level work?

we will now explore actions and ideas to make your partnership working more effective

Two processes to explore your experience of leadership in partnership:

1. A time-controlled analysis

Groups of 6 people form An issue holder is identified 10 mins for them to describe issue (no

interruptions) 10 mins group questions to help

understanding 10 mins to discuss group’s reactions (no

interruptions from issue holder) 10 mins open discussion to identify

learning.

2. A co-consulting process

Groups split into 3s Identify issue-holder, interviewer and

observer Interviewer asks questions to help issue-

holder describe their concerns for 10 mins Use active listening to focus on issue

holder’s answers Observer listens and offers feedback to

interviewer on their questioning Switch roles if time. Groups reflect on learning about

partnership/systems leadership

Plenary feedback

What are we learning about leadership in partnership/systems?

What does this mean for us as leaders in health improvement?