NE Leading Improvement for Health &
Well-Being Programme 2011
Beverly Alimo-Metcalfe CPsychol. FBPsS
Emeritus Professor of Leadership Studies, University of Leeds
Professor of Leadership, University of Bradford School of Management
Chief Executive, Real World Group
September 7th 2011
www.realworld-group.com
© Real World Group 2011
Leadership, culture, and transformation
The implications for senior managers
Content
 What form of leadership is needed in Public Services to
deal with the changes they are facing?
 What’s the research evidence of its validity?
 How do we combine this form of leadership with achieving
targets/goals, while being true to our values?
 How can we embed this in the culture of our organisation
and ensure sustainability?
 What are the implications for us as senior leaders?
Key people / organisational challenges
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Need to achieve more with less
Increase effectiveness
Sustain motivation
Maintain wellbeing
Cope with constant change
Continually adapt & innovate to maintain quality
A few words about…
Stress
 The bad news…
 The good news…
Leadership is changing direction…
 Visionary
 Charismatic
 Transformational
Engagement is key
‘Engagement is a positive attitude held by the
Individual towards the organisation and its vision &
values’
‘which affects the extent to which individuals put
discretionary effort into their work… for the
benefit of the organisation’
‘...which requires a two-way relationship
between employer and employee’
Based on: Robinson, D., Parryman, S. & Hayday, S. (2004). The Drivers of Employee
Engagement. Sussex: Institute for Employment Studies.
Engagement is good for people
 Wellbeing and health
(Maslach et al., 2001; Bakker et al., 2005)
 Reduced depressive symptoms, somatic
complaints and sleep disturbances
(Hallberg & Schaufeli, 2006)
 Higher self efficacy and commitment
(Salanova, Agut & Peiro, 2005; Schaufeli et al., 2002)
Engagement is good for organisations
 Customer satisfaction
(Corrigan et al., 2000; Harter et al., 2002)
 Retention/turnover
(CIPD, 2004; Gallup,2004; Watson Wyatt, 2005)
 Profitability
(Watson Wyatt, 2006; Sirota Survey Intelligence, 2005)
 Productivity
(Alimo-Metcalfe et al., 2009; Judge et al., 2001; Harter et al., Geyery,
1998)
 Safety
(Harter et al., 2002)
The Model of Engaging Transformational Leadership
TLQ™
Dimensions
LEADING
INDIVIDUALS
Showing Genuine
Concern
Being Accessible
Enabling
Encouraging
Questioning
LEADING THE
ORGANISATION
Supporting a
Developmental Culture
Inspiring Others
Focusing Team Effort
Being Decisive
ENGAGING
ETHICAL
PERSONAL
VALUES
QUALITIES &
VALUES
Being Honest
&
Consistent
Being Honest &
Acting with Integrity
Consistent
Acting with Integrity
MOVING
FORWARD
TOGETHER
Building Shared Vision
Networking
Resolving Complex
Problems
Facilitating Change
Sensitively
© Real World Group 2011
‘Engaging’ leadership principles
Leader as servant and partner
Leadership is a social process and is distributed
Leadership is about connecting people and ideas
- through a shared vision
- co-ownership
- co- design, and
- empowering partners in
implementation
The impact of engaging leadership on
staff in the public sector (n = 5,100)
Leadership, culture and change
Building capacity for sustainability
Embedding a culture of engaging
Leadership
 Leadership & Culture: the inextricable link
 The single most important responsibility of a
leader…
Schein, E.H. (2010). Organisational Culture & Leadership. London, Wiley
Does engaging leadership predict
productivity?
A longitudinal study…
1 year
Time 1
Leadership
Culture of
teams (n=46)
= how competent
Time 2
Productivity
Morale
x
Well-being
= how engaging
Controlled for contextual variables
Alimo-Metcalfe et al., (2007) ‘The impact of leadership factors in implementing change`. SDO, Project 22/2002.
The Culture of High Performing Teams
 Clear roles, responsibilities, and goals
 All felt involved in developing the vision
 All contributed to determining how to achieve the
vision
 High degree of autonomy & self-efficacy – feeling
empowered; trusted to take decisions
 People felt actively supported in their development
 People experienced high levels of social support
 Time was made to discuss problems & issues, despite
the busy schedule
 High use of face-to-face communication
Source: Alimo-Metcalfe et al., (2008). ‘The impact of engaging leadership on performance, attitudes to work
and well-being at work: a longitudinal study’. The Journal of Health Organization & Management, 22, 6, 586-598.
Lessons from high-performing teams…

Engaged key stakeholders from the outset

Built a shared vision of a high quality service

Everyone involved in identifying clear outcomes – ‘stretch
goals’
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Practised distributed, non-hierarchical leadership
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‘Learning’ culture – innovative & adaptive; high RfC

Created a supportive, appreciative, psychologically ‘safe’
culture
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Shared ownership of challenges & successes
Source: Alimo-Metcalfe et al., (2007) ‘The impact of leadership factors in implementing change in complex
health and social care environments: Department of Health NHS SDO, Project 22/2002..
Implications for leading change

Change initiatives: Clarify the reasons and desired
outcomes, not the detailed instructions as to how it should
be achieved – be honest with non-negotiables
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Build a shared vision and engage all critical stakeholders
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Engage all in identifying how the change will be achieved
in a way that is consistent with the values
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Celebrate success; maximise learning; disseminate this
knowledge; value contributions
Organisations need…
 To foster a culture in which learning is maximised
 Leaders with exceptional relationship skills, to form
effective teams, managing diverse teams collaboratively;
build more effective genuine partnerships
 To recognise that leadership is a shared process
 To be comfortable with replacing rules and regulations
with common purpose, values and principles
Experiences of culture differ…
Summary of data
collected from the
‘Leadership Culture
& Change Inventory
(LCCi)’™
© Real World Group
Commitment to action
What am I going to do?
Some final reflections…
 How engaging am I?
 What can I do to support my colleagues and the rest of
the organisation to create a culture of engagement?
 What will I do differently today to be more effective?
 How will I know I am making an effective and
sustainable difference?
 Who will do this if we don’t?
Background reading:
Research Insight report for CIPD
Authors:
Alimo-Metcalfe, B. & AlbanMetcalfe, J. (2008)
Available free from
www.realworld-group.com
Other suggested readings

Alimo-Metcalfe, B. & Alban-Metcalfe, Juliette. (2011). 'Leadership in public and 3rd
sector organisations'. In J. Storey (ed.).(2nd edn) Leadership in Organisations:
Current Issues & Key Trends, . London: Routledge.

Alimo-Metcalfe, B., Alban-Metcalfe, J., Bradley, M., Mariathasan, J. & Samele, C.
(2008). ‘The impact of engaging leadership on performance, attitudes to work and wellbeing at work: a longitudinal study’. The Journal of Health Organization &
Management, 22, 6, 586-598.

Alimo-Metcalfe, B. & Bradley, M. (2009). ‘Darzi and leadership – it’s too important to
get wrong this time’. In Clinical Leadership Journal, 2, 1, 3-11.

Alimo-Metcalfe, B. & Bradley, M. (2008). ‘Cast in a new light’. People Management,
January 24th, 38-41.