Helan Bevan - Organizational energy: the fuel of high performance

Organisational energy:

the fuel of high performance

Helen Bevan

“Energy, not time or resources,

is the fuel of high performance”

Loehr J and Schwartz T, 2003

One of the most important leadership tasks in the era of

quality and cost improvement is to manage our own energies and

those of the people around us

What is “organisational energy”?

the “activation” of the organisation’s human forces

the “activation” of the organisation’s human forces

“The extent to which the leaders of an organisation or system are able to put

things in motion (change, core initiatives, innovations etc) that mobilise the

intellectual, emotional, and behavioural potential of the people in the system to

pursue its goals”

Bruch and Vogel (2011) Fully charged: how great leaders boost their organisation’s energy and ignite high performance

What happens to large scale change efforts in reality?

In order of frequency:1. the effort effectively “runs out of energy” and simply

fades away2. the change hits a plateau at some level and no longer

attracts new supporters3. the change becomes reasonably well established;

several levels across the system have changed to accommodate or support it in a sustainable way.

Source: Leading Large Scale Change: a practical guide (2011), NHS Institute

Source: Bernard Crump/Helen Bevan

Anatomy of change Physiology of change

Definition The shape and structure of the system; detailed analysis; how the components fit together.

The vitality and life-giving forces that enable the system to develop, grow and change.

Focus Processes and structures to deliver health and healthcare.

Energy/fuel for change.

Leadership activities

measurement and evidence

improving clinical systems

reducing waste and variation in healthcare processes

redesigning pathways

creating a higher purpose and deeper meaning for the change process

building commitment to change connecting with values creating hope and optimism about

the future calling to action

“You can’t impose anything on anyone and expect them

to be committed to it”Edgar Schein, Professor Emeritus

MIT Sloan School

Source: Helen Bevan

From

Compliance

States a minimum performance standard that everyone must achieve

Uses hierarchy, systems and standard procedures for co-ordination and control

Threat of penalties/ sanctions/ shame creates momentum for delivery

From the old world to the new worldTo

Commitment

States a collective goal that everyone can aspire to

Based on shared goals, values and sense of purpose for co-ordination and control

Commitment to a common purpose creates energy for delivery

Energy generators

Connection

How far someone sees and feels a connection between what matters to them and what matters to the organisation

Content

How far the actual role, job, task that someone does is enjoyable to them and challenges them

Context

How far the way that the organisation operates and the physical conditions within which someone works makes them feel supported

Climate

How far “the way we do things around here” encourages individuals and teams to give of their best Source: Stanton Marris

Energy generators

Connection

How far someone sees and feels a connection between what matters to them and what matters to the organisation

Content

How far the actual role, job, task that someone does is enjoyable to them and challenges them

Context

How far the way that the organisation operates and the physical conditions within which someone works makes them feel supported

Climate

How far “the way we do things around here” encourages individuals and teams to give of their best

Source: Stanton Marris

• Which of these four Cs generates the most energy for the healthcare workforce?

• Which C is the most energy sapping?

“The source of energy at work is not in control, it is in connection to purpose”

Don Berwick, 28th February 2012

“Large scale change is fuelled by the passion that comes from the fundamental belief that there is

something very different and better that is worth striving for”

Leading Large Scale Change (2011)

NHS Institute for Innovation and Improvement

“Money incentives do not create energy for change; the energy comes from connection to meaningful goals”

Ann-Charlott Norman, Talking about improvements: discursive patterns and their conditions for learning, March 2012

Discretionary effort

is contractual

is personal

Four sources of energy

Source: adapted from Steve Radcliffe

• Tendency to focus on intellectual energy– connecting intellect to intellect keeps us in our

comfort zone– it isn’t transformational

• We will achieve greater results if we link physical energy to emotional and spiritual energy

Conclusions about energies for quality and cost improvement in healthcare

“Society becomes more wholesome, more serene, and spiritually healthier, if it knows that its citizens have at the back of their consciousness the knowledge that not only themselves, but all their fellows, have access, when ill, to the best that medical skill can provide.” Aneurin Bevan, founder of the NHS

Who understood the importance of spiritual energy?

Leadership styles matter

Style Primary objective

Directive Immediate compliance

Visionary Providing long-term direction and vision for employees

Affiliative Creating harmony among employees and between the leader and employees

Participative Building commitment among employees and generating new ideas

Pacesetting Accomplishing tasks to high standards of excellence

Coaching Long-term professional development of employees

Leadership styles used:the dominance of pacesetting

“[as leaders]we hold ourselves accountable for the ways that we

manage our time and…our money. We must learn to hold ourselves at least equally accountable for how

we manage our energy: physically, emotionally, mentally and

spiritually”Loehr and Schwartz

High

Low

Low High

Quantum(how much is

there?)

Direction(how focused is it?)

Stanton Marris Energy Index™

Dimensions of organisational energy

INTENSITY: extent to which the organisation has activated its emotional, intellectual and behavioural potential

QUALITY: extent to which the energy is focused on, and aligned with, organisational goals and shared purpose

Source: Bruch and Vogel

Negative PositiveQuality ( how aligned?)

The energy matrix


Inte

nsit

y (

how

mu

ch

?)

The complacency trap

Highly energetic and successful teams and organisations become complacent or inert or lose their ability to change and re-energise

Lulled by their success, they stop questioning the status quo and lose their alertness, passion and readiness to go to the limits and instead get overly satisfied, lazy or arrogant


Escaping the complacency

trap

• Identify and define a threat to the organisation

AND/OR• Identify and define an opportunity for the organisation• Create a common sense of urgency• Strengthen collective confidence that the organisation

can deal with the threat or rise to meet the opportunity• Strengthen collective confidence in the ability to meet

the threat/opportunity

Focus on threat or opportunity?


The corrosion trap

The underlying energy gets eaten away by negative competition between divisions or units or different parts of the system, and by internal rivalries and corrosive relationships within senior leadership teams This means that peoples’ discretionary effort, emotions, intellectual capabilities and vast reserves of human potential, don’t get directed to ignite and sustain the change effort


Escaping the corrosion trap

Energetic refocusing• Phase one: phase down negativity

– Name the “elephant in the room”– Destructive brainstorming– Identify and support “toxic handlers”

• Phase two: build a strong organisational identity– Refocus joint goals– Create collective commitment– Build and rebuild pride


The acceleration trap

Too many activities are initiated, localised projects are not sufficiently connected to corporate goals, people don’t feel conviction about, or meaning in, the change process and are left exhausted and highly stressed by change And the likely result? Underachievement of goals and difficulty in sustaining any changes made in the longer term


Escaping the acceleration trap

• Detect acceleration– Overloading (too much to do)– Multiloading (too many activities)– Perpetual loading (monotonous, continuous work)

• Stop the action– Ask teams what we can stop doing (“reverse innovation”)– Initiate “spring cleaning”– Create new systems for prioritising and managing projects– Take time-outs– Slow down to speed up– Build feedback systems


SUSTAINING ENERGY for the long haul

• Proactively manage energy– Assess and benchmark energy– Set goals around leveraging the energy– Role model within your own team– Show that you value the overall organisational purpose

above your own agenda

• Mobilise around distinctive challenges and opportunities• Forcefully cut corrosion• Decelerate energy when needed• Build energised leaders Source: Bruch and Vogel

There has never been a time in the history of healthcare when this

perspective has been more pertinent

“Leadership is not about making clever decisions and doing bigger

deals. It is about helping release the positive energy that exists naturally

within people”Henry Mintzberg

The change model

Engage and mobilise

for change at scale

Align the change

process with changes

in the drivers of system behaviour

Design for the spread

of innovation

Build Leadership

skills for transformati

on

Utilise an evidence based quality improvement methodology

Harness the power of measurement and transparency of information as drivers for change

Underpin change efforts by an effective programme / performance management approach

Connect the change process to a higher purpose

If we want people to take action, we have to connect with their emotions through

values

actionaction

valuesvalues

emotionemotion

Source: Marshall Ganz

The BevansName Dates Place of birth Occupation

Stephen BEVAN 1794- 1850 Bristol, England

Edwin Verry BEVAN

1832-1879 Bristol, England

Edwin Verry BEVAN


Ernest Verry BEVAN


Mervyn Ernest BEVAN

1929 - Bristol, England

Helen Joyce BEVAN

1960- Bristol, England


Stephen BEVAN 1794- 1850 Bristol, England Sailmaker

Edwin Verry BEVAN

1832-1879 Bristol, England Shipper

Edwin Verry BEVAN

1862-1926 Bristol, England Ship’s captain

Ernest Verry BEVAN

1904-1981 Bristol, England Ship’s engineer

Mervyn Ernest BEVAN

1929 - Bristol, England Sailmaker

Helen Joyce BEVAN

1960- Bristol, England

“You don’t need an engine when you have wind in your sails”

Paul Bate


Stephen BEVAN 1794- 1850 Bristol, England Sailmaker

Edwin Verry BEVAN

1832-1879 Bristol, England Shipper

Edwin Verry BEVAN

1862-1926 Bristol, England Ship’s captain

Ernest Verry BEVAN

1904-1981 Bristol, England Ship’s engineer

Mervyn Ernest BEVAN

1929 - Bristol, England Sailmaker

Helen Joyce BEVAN

1960- Bristol, England Sailmaker

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