Comment

20.03.19

Staying curious with the Shadow Board Programme

Source: NHE March/April 2019

Kirstie Stott, director of The Inspiring Leaders Network, discusses organisational and system curiosity alongside the work of the Shadow Board Programme.

As an executive coach, I always stay curious. When I’m facilitating teams I always ask them to stay curious, but what I don’t do as often is ask organisations to stay curious.

Having said that, organisations that do stay curious and seek challenge and cognitive thought diversity are often the ones which thrive. I see this so frequently within the Shadow Board Programme my own organisation (The Inspiring Leaders Network) works with healthcare organisations and systems on.

We often talk about how we need to hear the voices of staff doing the job, working on the ground; to acknowledge these and to embrace them to prevent senior group think, which can be especially common on boards where there is a lack of diversity in its broadest sense.

The beauty of the Shadow Board Programme is that it enables organisations to really hear at the senior most level a different way of thinking to what are often complex issues. It connects the board to people whom will have come from different backgrounds. And not just gender, ethnicity, or the usual way we think about diversity, but the sociodemographic diversity and views we form through our upbringing and experiences of the world we live in.

One of the problems organisations have is that by the time they are really engaging their people on significant issues affecting the organisation, the organisation is often already well on the road to change – meaning that staff have limited impact, or sense they are not being listened to at all. As we know, this can lead to people feeling undervalued and unable to contribute.

One of the areas of feedback we often hear is that the programme works in real time, with participants working on real issues facings boards today rather than abstract or made up issues. It enables participants to use real board papers in real time, enabling the board to get a much broader range of views on strategic, complex, and critical issues. It enables NEDs and chairs to fuse together the conversations at the Shadow Board with those at the trust board and to facilitate a feedback loop of challenge, solution, development, and learning.

This will be ever more important in the context of systems working and leadership: the need for diverse cognitive thinking to facilitate a more collaborative approach to integrated working, and to step back from traditional ‘organisational leadership’ thinking to truly start with the system first, organisation second. It also helps participants to deepen their understanding on why this occurs, and what some of the constraints current organisational leaders face are. This was evidenced when working recently with a group of system leaders in a Shadow Board Programme, where there was a paper discussing the allocation of some additional transformation funding.

The views from Shadow Board participants had a real impact in ensuring funding was allocated in a way that made the biggest difference to patients rather than organisations. This was welcomed by the executives and demonstrated the benefits of investing in the future system leaders, developing a diverse pipeline of ‘ready-to-go’ leaders who understand and are already contributing to making the long-term plan a reality.

Enabling contribution and curiosity, both in individuals and organisations, needs to take priority for the future. As Brene Brown says in her Daring Greatly Leadership Manifesto: “We want to show up, we want to learn and we want to inspire. We are hardwired for connection, curiosity, and engagement. We crave purpose and we have a deep desire to create and contribute. We want to take risks, embrace our vulnerabilities, and be courageous.”

It feels so intuitive, right and important that we ensure organisations, and the systems they are part of, get this right. Think of the difference we could make to patients and to staff! Curious organisations are truly transformative. The coach in me wants to leave you asking yourself: do I support my people to do this?

 

Enjoying NHE? Subscribe here to receive our weekly news updates or click here to receive a copy of the magazine!

Comments

There are no comments. Why not be the first?

Add your comment

national health executive tv

more videos >

latest healthcare news

NHS England commits £30m to join up HR and staff rostering systems

09/09/2020NHS England commits £30m to join up HR and staff rostering systems

As NHS England looks to support new ways of working, it has launched a £30m contract tender for HR and staff rostering systems, seeking sup... more >
Gender equality in NHS leadership requires further progress

09/09/2020Gender equality in NHS leadership requires further progress

New research carried out by the University of Exeter, on behalf of NHS Confederation, has shown that more progress is still needed to achieve gen... more >
NHS Trust set for big savings in shift to digital patient letters

09/09/2020NHS Trust set for big savings in shift to digital patient letters

Up and down the country, NHS trusts are finding new and innovative ways to leverage the power of digital technologies. In Bradford, paper appoint... more >

the scalpel's daily blog

Covid-19 can signal a new deal with the public on health

28/08/2020Covid-19 can signal a new deal with the public on health

Danny Mortimer, Chief Executive, NHS Employers & Deputy Chief Executive, NHS Confederation The common enemy of coronavirus united the public side by side with the NHS in a way that many had not seen in their lifetimes and for others evoked war-time memories. It was an image of defiance personified by the unforgettable NHS fundraising efforts of Captain Sir Tom Moore, resonating in the supportive applause during the we... more >
read more blog posts from 'the scalpel' >

interviews

Matt Hancock says GP recruitment is on the rise to support ‘bedrock of the NHS’

24/10/2019Matt Hancock says GP recruitment is on the rise to support ‘bedrock of the NHS’

Today, speaking at the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) annual conference, Matt Hancock highlighted what he believes to be the three... more >
NHS dreams come true for Teesside domestic

17/09/2019NHS dreams come true for Teesside domestic

Over 20 years ago, a Teesside hospital cleaner put down her mop and took steps towards her midwifery dreams. Lisa Payne has been delivering ... more >
How can winter pressures be dealt with? Introduce a National Social Care Service, RCP president suggests

24/10/2018How can winter pressures be dealt with? Introduce a National Social Care Service, RCP president suggests

A dedicated national social care service could be a potential solution to surging demand burdening acute health providers over the winter months,... more >
RCP president on new Liverpool college building: ‘This will be a hub for clinicians in the north’

24/10/2018RCP president on new Liverpool college building: ‘This will be a hub for clinicians in the north’

The president of the Royal College of Physicians (RCP) has told NHE that the college’s new headquarters based in Liverpool will become a hu... more >

last word

Haseeb Ahmad: ‘We all have a role to play in getting innovations quicker’

Haseeb Ahmad: ‘We all have a role to play in getting innovations quicker’

Haseeb Ahmad, president of the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI), sits down with National Health Executive as part of our Last Word Q&A series. Would you talk us th... more > more last word articles >

editor's comment

26/06/2020Adapting and Innovating

Matt Roberts, National Health Executive Editorial Lead. NHE May/June 2020 Edition We’ve been through so much as a health sector and a society in recent months with coronavirus and nothing can take away from the loss and difficulties that we’ve faced but it vital we also don’t disregard the amazing efforts we’v... read more >

health service focus

‘We are the NHS’: NHS England publish newest People Plan

30/07/2020‘We are the NHS’: NHS England publish newest People Plan

NHS England has published its People Plan for... more >
How NHS Property Services adapted to a new way of working

01/07/2020How NHS Property Services adapted to a new way of working

From May/June 2020 edition Trish Stephen... more >