The Changing NHS

Last week I ran a workshop on managing change for a group of about 60 Mental Health clinicians and carers who are working in teams, throughout Scotland, as part of the Scottish Goverment's Leading Change programme in Mental Health. 

I covered the usual stuff:

i) models of change;

ii) communicating in ways to help change happen;

ii) recognising and dealing with ‘resistance to change etc.

For me the most interesting part was the last 45 minutes when we explored what might be the key attributes of successful change agents. Obviously, to some extent this is contextual but after 20 mins or so of brainstorming we had a long list of attributes including:

1. Is open to data
2. Stays enthusiastic and motivated
3. Does not let minor setbacks halt progress
4. Knows the business ‘inside –out’
5. Facilitates change rather than forces it
6. Seek outs and accepts valid criticism of their ideas
7. Communicates in ways that help others to “buy into” the change
8. Stands against status quo and takes risks when necessary
9. Copes with ambiguity well
10. Can negotiate new goals
11. Can deal effectively with the politics and influence the broader view.

I then asked the group to focus down and explore the attributes that seemed most intriguing to them. This led to 3 really interesting questions about the change agent being raised and explored in the final plenary session. The questions raised by participants included:

1. To what extent does a successful change agent need to:

a. believe in the changes being sought?

b. be an advocate for the changes being sought?

c. emotionally commit to the changes being pursued?

2. What ought change agents be accountable and responsible for:

a. getting results?

b. leading the change process? and/or

c. designing and operating an effective change process?

3. Is a change agent likely to be more effective if:

a. they personally find it very easy to adapt and make changes in their own life? or

b. they struggle with making changes,  like many of the people they are 'acting upon'?  

What do you think about these questions? Any insights greatly appreciated!  

Also, are there other important attributes that people ought to consider when seeking to identify good change agents in their organisation that aren't listed in this post?

nhs

change agents