Yahoo Web Search

This section explores a number of facets of systems leadership involved in sustaining change. While they are described sequentially, in reality the structure, culture and people components interact with each other concurrently, and all have a part in shaping the systems leadership process and outcomes.

An expert interviewee postulated that effective governance in a system is dynamic and requires calibration to that system’s needs at a set point in time. In all three case studies interviewees recognised the need for calibration of the governance structures and cited examples of where change and adaptation had occurred. In the ACEs and BP case stud...

In all three cases studies the key resources were people and their invested time, along with cash funding. Having a dedicated coordinator was seen as crucial. In the early phases, interviewees referred to the lack of money as a positive as it made people concentrate on what else they had. The most commonly identified compensatory resource was peopl...

The central importance of relationships was recognised in all case studies, with interviewees emphasising that good relationships are essential to effective systems leadership. Forming relationships How relationships were formed varied and was dependent on the personalities involved. Some interviewees felt forming relationships came naturally while...

A focus on curiosity and seeking to understand the system was identified as a behaviour that the interviewees prioritised. Open mind-set Interviewees described that being open-minded was essential to successful systems leadership. This open mind-set was described in several different ways. The art of listening As well as being open minded to differ...

The importance of resilience was spontaneously raised in all three cases studies. One interviewee noted “resilience is important in life generally, not just work” (B5) but it was identified as particularly important in systems leadership. The experiences shared fell into three categories: those that focus on what the individual does for themselves,...

A wide range of beneficial personal characteristics were identified. One interviewee felt this was because different parts of systems need different things. With respect to common traits, an ability to be calm under pressure, being personable, the ability to persevere, a lack of personal ego and the ability to enjoy the intellectual challenges were...

The motivating impact of aligning personal and professional values came across as important throughout the interviews. It was striking how vocal interviewees were about their passionate belief in their work and the weight they placed on serving their population.

Interviewees were explicitly asked about how they felt power was distributed within the system. In all three cases studies a number of different dynamics co-existed. The polarities of command and control versus distributed leadership styles were observed along with more hybrid styles. In the Novichok scenario the command and control structures were...