Building thriving teams in a time of change

The challenge

We were commissioned by NHS South East London to work with one of their largest directorates.  With more than 100 colleagues across 12 teams, the directorate wanted to work together effectively to deliver the best possible health and care for people in south east London as they transitioned to a new way of working.

The aim was to create an environment where everyone could thrive and do their best work as a high performing team of teams.

We know that effective change needs to be owned by those who it affects. So the process of creating and delivering the development programme needed to radically change the relationships between staff so they felt empowered to drive change.

Our approach

To achieve our goal, Kaleidoscope and the directorate built a partnership that put the directorate’s people at its very heart. Together, we delivered a development programme using Kaleidoscope’s evidence-based high performing teams methodology that was shaped by and for the directorate’s staff.

The process was rolled out in five stages over 12 months, as outlined below.

1. Distributing leadership – we started by recruiting a representative Development Leadership Group of 10 colleagues from across different teams. The group lead the design and delivery of the programme, ensuring it was informed by insights from colleagues across the directorate. We provided weekly coaching, support and skills transfer to ensure its success.
2. Listening – we supported the Development Leadership Group to tailor and deliver a high performing teams survey across the directorate. The survey provided evidence for the wider directorate to agree on their development priorities.
3. Sense making – we brought the whole directorate together for an away day to explore the diagnostic survey results. We explored the stories beneath the data, and identified which of the characteristics of high performing teams we would focus on for maximum impact.
4. Designing and delivering – we supported the Development Leadership Group to co-design and deliver interventions that would support their development priorities. These ranged from specific sessions, such as taking part in courageous conversations, through to instilling new ways of working through a directorate-wide mentoring programme. We also coached the Development Leadership Group to lead activities on empowerment, skills development, continuity and sustainability.
5. Evaluating – we enabled the Development Leadership Group to monitor progress and implement improvements in real time. And at the end of the programme, we brought the whole directorate back together to explore their progress and set development priorities for the next period.

The results

The evaluation showed that the outcome of this work was a much more well-rounded team. It increased performance against the characteristics of high performing teams across the directorate, with an increase of 13% across the different characteristics of high performing teams. Confidence in the purpose and strategy of the directorate particularly improved and there was greater clarity and structure across the board.

We know and appreciate each other and our different skills and perspectives so much more than we did before, and we have a culture that is geared to supporting us all to do our best work.

Members commented on the important role the programme had played in preparing them for the transition to the new integrated care system and exploring how their role in the system could change.

When we started we weren’t sure what the transition would mean and if we would be ready. Now we can bring confidence, an appreciation of our diverse skills and abilities as a directorate and an ambition for what we can add to the system

The Development Leadership Group continues to play a key role in leading the continued development of the directorate, having developed resilient, sustainable and joyful ways of working during the programme.

I was completely bowled over by Kaleidoscope – the team went way beyond my expectations. They brought a real sense of enthusiasm, enjoyment and can-do to the work. They provided just the right balance of support and learning, while also giving us the tools with which to test things and develop ourselves. It was a fantastic experience and has left us in a much better place as a directorate, with the ability to contribute effectively to our integrated care system.

Sarah Cottingham, Executive Director of Planning, South East London Integrated Care System