Evaluation of a interdisciplinary leadership development programme in the British NHS, which brings together medical and non-medical professionals. Presentation held at EAWOP conference, May 2011, Maastricht.

1. The Value of Perspective-Taking
in Medical Professionals
Regina Eckert, Heather Champion,
Brianna Barker Caza & Emily Hoole
Center for Creative Leadership
2011 Center for Creative Leadership. All rights reserved.

2. Leadership and the Health Service
Health professionals work in a complex and unpredictable environment. Their
tasks are interdependent, workload is intense, responsibility is high
• Hospitals are fertile ground for conflicts (Cox, 2001; Strauss, 1978)
• Nursing managers spend as much as 20% of their time dealing with
conflict (McElhaney 1996)
• NHS policy since 2000 endorsed leadership development for clinical
professions (Hewison & Griffiths, 2004, Willcocks, 2005)
• A lot of leadership development (NHS Leadership Centre etc.)…
….That needs to be evaluated!
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3. The “Lead or Be Led” Programme
• Regional NHS leadership development programme for junior managers
and health professionals from a variety of backgrounds
• Usually the first leadership programme that participants experience in
their time working within the NHS
• 2-day training including personality assessment, lectures, a team-based
role play, reflection and feedback sessions
• Run 20 times a year, attendance is competitive and sponsored by
participants’ organization; registration sponsored by line managers
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4. Programme objectives
After the programme, participants should be better able to:
- Understand the complexities of the NHS system
- Understand their personal impact on patient care and how to increase it
- Create collaborations across functions
- Identify their strengths and ways how they can best contribute in a team
- Recognize politics and their role in the organization
- Develop effective teams
- Build and maintain professional relationships
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5. Programme Contents
Pre-programme: Reading materials
Programme:
• Personality differences within teams (MBTI)
• Lecturette on effective teamwork: The Why, What and How
• Lecturettes on NHS structures and the commissioning process
• Team-based experiential exercises
• The NHS leadership model: Discussion and application
• Simulation of an NHS health authority: how to successfully “run” a PCT
• Presentation to real PCT board members
• Expert feedback, facilitator feedback, peer feedback
Post-programme (voluntary): Taking the MBTI; coaching; review with line manager;
shadowing a senior exec
Facilitators: HR staff, Medical Director, Training Institute (not CCL )
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6. Evaluation process & method
• Following Kirkpatrick (1996) model of evaluation at the levels of
– Reaction/ satisfaction
– Learning
– Behavior
– Organizational impact
• Multiple methods and samples:
– Focus groups of LOBL alumni (n=16)
– End-of-programme (EOP) evaluation (n=24)
– Impact study with alumni from the last 3 years (n=239/676 = 35%)
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7. Satisfaction
5-point scale
• Satisfaction with the training programme:
– 100% great/very great;
– Average 4.54
• Satisfaction with overall customer service:
– Average 4.75
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8. Learning Objectives Evaluation (EOP)
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9. Behavioural Impact (Impact Survey)
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10. Behavioural Impact (Impact Survey)
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11. Behavioural Impact - comments
• “Not sitting around waiting for others to sort out my service problems”
• “Valuing contributions from people who previously I thought shy and
retiring.”
• “Better understanding of primary/secondary care interface - has changed
my interaction with GPs”
• “Thinking about how I get my message across and trying to see things
from the opposite point of view.”
• “I have introduced myself to my line manager (I had no idea who they
were before the course).”
• “I look at the structures and decisions influencing change in the NHS to
achieve realistic goals.”
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12. Organizational Impact
Main impact categories from open comments analysis:
- Higher commitment to the organization
- Better collaboration
- Stronger leadership
- Improved cost-awareness and cost-effectiveness
- Increased quality of care
But: 46% of respondents did report no organizational impact
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13. Organizational Impact
• “Better innovation and service provision because of a better
understanding and communication with commissioners”
• “Better collaboration between my service and other AHPs”
• “Small financial savings - due to awareness of business model”
• “I have been able to influence my organisation to embrace positive
changes quicker with the skills that i have learnt.”
• “I have implemented a few improvements to the department that has
helped my colleagues perform their job in a safer and better way.”
• “Nil direct but I am involved in service improvement projects now.”
• “None although I would like to effect change, it is very difficult to do so”
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14. “As a trainee, one's involvement in NHS
management is de facto limited by the fact of
rotating to different posts and the emphasis
on clinical training.
Thus the message to become involved in
management is limited to a great extent to
being, at the moment, just a message.
I see Lead or be Led as a foundation stone for
ongoing development, most of which will take
place after I complete specialist training.
To use another metaphor, it is a seed which
may eventually yield an oak, but only after
years and years of steady growth. Precisely
because of this however, that seed needs
planting early, which Lead or be Led does.”
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15. Implications
Clear individual level impact:
• Increased self-awareness
• Willingness and ability to take different perspectives
• Increased collaboration with other departments and professions
Some organizational level impact:
• Enhanced leadership (awards)
• Cost-savings through perspective taking
• Effective conflict management
• Reduced gap between managers and medicals
 Organizational-level impact depends on broad implementation of this
programme; follow-up & support mechanisms should be strengthened
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16. Thank you!
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