This article explores the leadership and culture shift needed for true collaboration and offers tips on getting there. While structural changes and integrated systems are important, lasting collaboration ultimately depends on a series of fundamental cultural shifts and it’s not just organisations that need to collaborate, involve communities too, to co-produce and deliver services. When working in this way services and neighbourhoods can become agents for change, supporting people closer to home – getting needs met in real terms, reducing the need for A&E attendances/unplanned admissions and supporting earlier hospital discharge.
The leadership and culture shift needed for true collaboration.
To build on a recent article featuring some of Mark Carneys ideas (on a global stage) and the idea of ‘doing with’ not ‘doing to’ requires a look at what needs to happen to realise effective collaboration across health and social care. While structural changes and integrated systems are important, lasting collaboration ultimately depends on a series of fundamental cultural shifts.
First, we need to establish what working together will look like – for instance who does what and how do we make decisions and then agree to collaborate to find the most effective ways of investing in health services for the population. It probably worth a conversation about what we understand collaboration to look like.
Then think about the ‘who’. It’s not just organisations that need to collaborate. Involve communities too, to co-produce and deliver their public services. Equal and reciprocal relationships between professionals, people using services, their families and neighbours need to be built and maintained. When co-producing in this way services and neighbourhoods can become agents for change, supporting people closer to home – getting real needs met in real terms, reducing the need for A&E attendances/unplanned admissions and supporting earlier hospital discharge.
Perhaps the most significant cultural shift is moving towards a population health approach, where all stakeholders focus on the needs of the population rather than the priorities of individual organisations.
This requires recognising that collaboration often involves compromise rather than negotiation. Partners may need to move beyond a traditional focus on organisational gain and adopt a broader perspective that considers the collective impact of decisions across the system.
Such a shift requires a genuine commitment to understanding and mitigating the unintended consequences of decisions for others. It also involves recognising and valuing initiatives that may not deliver immediate benefits to a particular organisation but contribute to wider system improvement. Over time, this approach strengthens trust, fosters reciprocity and creates the conditions for sustainable partnership working.
Historically, commissioners have negotiated with providers, and providers have negotiated with other stakeholders. The emerging landscape requires something different: leadership that actively creates and sustains environments where collaboration can flourish.
Shifting the culture of leadership is about looking at behaviours, engaging with people and moving towards a more relational style. Leaders must be able to adapt their communication styles, create inclusive conversations and inspire collective action around shared goals.
How to get started:
- Consider setting aside time to get to know people. Think creatively about how to reach out to other parts of the system and across the community, how to have meaningful meetings and how to build and maintain excellent working relationships.
- Think about your workplace culture. Then consider the culture of other stakeholders and partners and how they can co-exist whilst also creating a new, collaborative way of working. Imagine if all concerned could articulate the purpose and aims of the collaboration. Think about how to agree and socialise this vision.
- Look to your community to map community assets and try to find out who is doing what, what services are thriving and why and how can your services support further development.
PCC leadership development support provides facilitation and training to help develop your collaborative working. How do we do that?
Training – we run programmes and workshops providing ideas and theories to build knowledge and confidence to change cultures, work together, manage transition and lead with influence.
PCC provides action learning sets to bring groups together to talk through both general and topic specific issues and reach agreed outcomes. It’s a great way to learn collectively and we offer bespoke sessions to get collaboration working in your area.
Our leadership development offer includes programmes that provide a safe space for groups to share concerns and experience in a supportive environment. We run workshops looking at subjects like how to improve and influence workplace culture.
These programmes create valuable opportunities for reflection, challenge and shared problem-solving, helping participants build the skills and confidence needed to lead effectively in collaborative settings.
We also offer one to one coaching to look further into individual development and for instance areas such as culture, change and confidence. We can work with you to look at your role in realising the cultural shift.
At PCC, we recognise that culture change does not happen by chance. It requires deliberate investment in leadership development, relationship building and shared learning. We facilitate conversations that bring together stakeholders from across neighbourhoods, organisations and communities. By creating safe and productive spaces for dialogue, we help participants build relationships, develop shared priorities and learn from one another.
Contact helen.ellis@pcc.nhs.uk to find out more or book on one of our workshops.
Author Helen Ellis, head of development, PCC.
