NE Leading Improvement for Health & Well-Being Programme 2011
Beverly Alimo-Metcalfe CPsychol. FBPsSEmeritus Professor of Leadership Studies, University of LeedsProfessor of Leadership, University of Bradford School of ManagementChief Executive, Real World Group
September 7th 2011
© Real World Group 2011www.realworld-group.com
Content
What form of leadership is needed in Public Services to deal with the changes they are facing?
What’s the research evidence of its validity?
How do we combine this form of leadership with achieving targets/goals, while being true to our values?
How can we embed this in the culture of our organisation and ensure sustainability?
What are the implications for us as senior leaders?
Key people / organisational challenges
Need to achieve more with less Increase effectiveness Sustain motivation Maintain wellbeing Cope with constant change Continually adapt & innovate to maintain quality
Engagement is key
‘Engagement is a positive attitude held by theIndividual towards the organisation and its vision &values’
‘which affects the extent to which individuals putdiscretionary effort into their work… for the benefit of the organisation’
‘...which requires a two-way relationship between employer and employee’
Based on: Robinson, D., Parryman, S. & Hayday, S. (2004). The Drivers of Employee Engagement. Sussex: Institute for Employment Studies.
Engagement is good for people
Wellbeing and health (Maslach et al., 2001; Bakker et al., 2005)
Reduced depressive symptoms, somatic complaints and sleep disturbances(Hallberg & Schaufeli, 2006)
Higher self efficacy and commitment(Salanova, Agut & Peiro, 2005; Schaufeli et al., 2002)
Engagement is good for organisations
Customer satisfaction (Corrigan et al., 2000; Harter et al., 2002)
Retention/turnover(CIPD, 2004; Gallup,2004; Watson Wyatt, 2005)
Profitability (Watson Wyatt, 2006; Sirota Survey Intelligence, 2005)
Productivity (Alimo-Metcalfe et al., 2009; Judge et al., 2001; Harter et al., Geyery, 1998)
Safety (Harter et al., 2002)
The Model of Engaging Transformational Leadership
ENGAGING ETHICAL VALUES
Being Honest & Consistent
Acting with Integrity
TLQ™ Dimensions
LEADING INDIVIDUALS
PERSONAL QUALITIES &
VALUES
Being Honest & Consistent
Acting with Integrity
Showing Genuine Concern
Being Accessible
Enabling
Encouraging Questioning
LEADING THE ORGANISATION
Supporting a Developmental Culture
Inspiring Others
Focusing Team Effort
Being Decisive
MOVING FORWARD TOGETHER
Building Shared Vision
Networking
Resolving Complex Problems
Facilitating Change Sensitively
© Real World Group 2011
‘Engaging’ leadership principles
Leader as servant and partner
Leadership is a social process and is distributed
Leadership is about connecting people and ideas - through a shared vision - co-ownership - co- design, and - empowering partners in implementation
Embedding a culture of engaging Leadership
Leadership & Culture: the inextricable link
The single most important responsibility of a
leader…
Schein, E.H. (2010). Organisational Culture & Leadership. London, Wiley
Does engaging leadership predict productivity?
Controlled for contextual variables
Alimo-Metcalfe et al., (2007) ‘The impact of leadership factors in implementing change`. SDO, Project 22/2002.
1 yearTime 1
Leadership Culture of teams (n=46)
Time 2
Productivity
Morale
Well-being= how competent
= how engaging
x
A longitudinal study…
The Culture of High Performing Teams
Clear roles, responsibilities, and goals All felt involved in developing the vision All contributed to determining how to achieve the
vision High degree of autonomy & self-efficacy – feeling
empowered; trusted to take decisions
People felt actively supported in their development
People experienced high levels of social support
Time was made to discuss problems & issues, despite the busy schedule
High use of face-to-face communication
Source: Alimo-Metcalfe et al., (2008). ‘The impact of engaging leadership on performance, attitudes to work and well-being at work: a longitudinal study’. The Journal of Health Organization & Management, 22, 6, 586-598.
Lessons from high-performing teams…
Engaged key stakeholders from the outset
Built a shared vision of a high quality service
Everyone involved in identifying clear outcomes – ‘stretch goals’
Practised distributed, non-hierarchical leadership
‘Learning’ culture – innovative & adaptive; high RfC
Created a supportive, appreciative, psychologically ‘safe’ culture
Shared ownership of challenges & successes
Source: Alimo-Metcalfe et al., (2007) ‘The impact of leadership factors in implementing change in complex health and social care environments: Department of Health NHS SDO, Project 22/2002..
Implications for leading change
Change initiatives: Clarify the reasons and desired outcomes, not the detailed instructions as to how it should be achieved – be honest with non-negotiables
Build a shared vision and engage all critical stakeholders
Engage all in identifying how the change will be achieved in a way that is consistent with the values
Celebrate success; maximise learning; disseminate this knowledge; value contributions
Organisations need…
To foster a culture in which learning is maximised
Leaders with exceptional relationship skills, to form effective teams, managing diverse teams collaboratively; build more effective genuine partnerships
To recognise that leadership is a shared process
To be comfortable with replacing rules and regulations with common purpose, values and principles
Experiences of culture differ…
Summary of data collected from the ‘Leadership Culture & Change Inventory (LCCi)’™
© Real World Group
Some final reflections…
How engaging am I?
What can I do to support my colleagues and the rest of the organisation to create a culture of engagement?
What will I do differently today to be more effective?
How will I know I am making an effective and sustainable difference?
Who will do this if we don’t?
Background reading:Research Insight report for CIPD
Authors:
Alimo-Metcalfe, B. & Alban-Metcalfe, J. (2008)
Available free from www.realworld-group.com
Other suggested readings
Alimo-Metcalfe, B. & Alban-Metcalfe, Juliette. (2011). 'Leadership in public and 3 rd sector organisations'. In J. Storey (ed.).(2nd edn) Leadership in Organisations: Current Issues & Key Trends, . London: Routledge.
Alimo-Metcalfe, B., Alban-Metcalfe, J., Bradley, M., Mariathasan, J. & Samele, C. (2008). ‘The impact of engaging leadership on performance, attitudes to work and well-being at work: a longitudinal study’. The Journal of Health Organization & Management, 22, 6, 586-598.
Alimo-Metcalfe, B. & Bradley, M. (2009). ‘Darzi and leadership – it’s too important to get wrong this time’. In Clinical Leadership Journal, 2, 1, 3-11.
Alimo-Metcalfe, B. & Bradley, M. (2008). ‘Cast in a new light’. People Management, January 24th, 38-41.