Collaborative Leadership: Leaders as boundary

spanners and co-ordinators

Judy McKimm19 November 2009

Some definitionsContext Theoretical perspectivesWhat sort of leaders might we want?

ChallengesWhere next?

Collaborative leadershipLeadership shown by a group that is

acting collaboratively to solve agreed upon issues

Uses supportive and inclusive methods to ensure that all people affected by a decision are part of the change process

Requires a new notion of power... the more power we share, the more power we have to use

www.collaborativeleadership.org

Partnership and collaborative working

Collaboration“a process of joint decision-making among

interdependent parties, involving joint ownership of decisions and collective responsibility for outcomes. The essence of collaboration involves working across boundaries, specifically professional and functional boundaries …. Collaboration is a process that is the means to achieving a set of valued outcomes … fostered by a set of supporting factors.”

(Liedtka and Whitten, 1998, p.186)

Partnership a state of relationships, at organisational, group,

professional or interprofessional level, to be achieved, maintained and reviewed….collaboration is an active process of partnership in action.

(Whittington, 2003a, p. 16)

Policy and service contextIf health professionals learn together,

and learn to collaborate as students, they are more likely to work together effectively in clinical or work-based teams (WHO, 2009, 1998)

Collaborative leadership needs to be embedded and emphasised in all leadership frameworks and communities of practice

Service and education need to be aligned in approach and opportunity

Why collaborate?Collaborative practice leads to

improved health outcomes:◦Improved patient care◦Improved access to and co-ordination of

health outcomes◦More appropriate use of resources◦Improved patient safety, reduced clinical

errors◦Decrease in complications, hospital stays,

cost of care◦Funding often geared to collaboration for

innovationWHO, 2007 & 2009

The nature of collaboration

Collaboration is a state of mind and not just a theoretical approach

Assumption that teams are the cornerstone of an integrated health and social care workforce

Effective teamworking improves health outcomes and the patient experience

Collaborative leadership is effective for complex situations

Leadership in public services

Models of leadership:CollaborativeTransformationalSituational Dispersed/DistributedServant leadershipValue led leadership

◦Leaders as connectors…..

Leadership that works….

Modelling the way – leading by example, consistent with leader’s stated values; celebrating ‘small wins’ that signify achievements; dismantling barriers to achievement of values

Inspiring a shared vision – developing a compelling vision of the future, enlisting the commitment of others

Challenging the process – being on the look-out for opportunities to improve the organisation and being prepared to experiment

Enabling others to act – promoting collaborative working; empowering others; building trust

Encouraging the heart – recognising individuals’ contributions; celebrating accomplishments

Bryman, 2007, based on Kouzes and Posner (2003)

Models for collaboration and partnership

Successful partnership leaders often model ‘Servant leadership’ (Greenleaf, 1977) - serving the organisation, profession or sector takes precedence over the urge to lead, the leader is authoritative rather than exercising positional power

Partnership working often imposed on systems in contractual and legalistic fashion.

Partnerships rarely achieve global ‘buy-in’ needed even when support for the partnership principle is strong

Collaborative working appears to occur from deep within systems when the conditions are favourable.

Collaboration is often not formalised and is an emergent process

Culture as emergence

Culture can be seen as exposed from within rather than imposed from outside

Culture is the emergent result of the continuing negotiations and conversations about values, meanings, proprieties

If you want to change cultures then you need to change the conversations and the stories…..

Effecting cultural changeClassic views see ‘culture’ as a

thing, as in a stateLewin’s ‘unfreeze – change –

freeze’ model (1946)Underpinned by the idea that

change agents can ‘make’ cultures change through processes such as strategic management or Organisational Development

Our Iceberg Is Melting John Kotter and Holger Rathgeber, 2005

This slide contained an image of colony of penguins on an iceberg with the caption “So, enough with the talk. Let’s do something”

(taken from: http://orclville.blogspot.com/2007/11/our-iceberg-is-melting.html) which requires copyright permission in order

to reproduce it.

Fullan, M. (2001) "Leading in a culture of change" San Francisco: Jossey-BassMichael Fullan, 2001

This slide contained a diagram “Figure 1.1. A Framework for Leadership” taken from

Michael Fullan (2001) which requires copyright permission in order to reproduce it.

Power sharing

“Four principles of gaining by giving:

give people important work to dogive people discretion and

autonomygive visibility and recognitionbuild relationships with others”

(Kanter, 1982)

Collaboration and partnership working“Partnership is a formalised agreement

between individuals or organizations to work together within the bounds of the agreement

Collaboration is a philosophical and cultural commitment to the principles and practice of partnership working in the shared interest of better outcomes for the end-user and the whole community”

McKimm, Millard and Held, 2008

Medical leadershipThe doctor’s frequent role as head of the healthcare team and commander of considerable clinical resource requires that greater attention is paid to management and leadership skills regardless of specialism

John Tooke, Modernising Medical Careers Inquiry: Aspiring to excellence, 2008, p18

Medical Leadership Competencies Framework, 2008

http://www.institute.nhs.uk

Underpinning assumptions?Leader development An investment in human capital to

enhance intrapersonal competence for selected individuals

Leadership development An investment in social capital to

develop interpersonal networks and co-operation within organisations and other social systems

(Bolden, 2007, p6)

Uniprofessional learning

The command and control type of leader might respond to an event by:

                                                                                                

Command and control leaderwww.anecdote.com.au

Collaborative leadersAre resilient:

Demonstrate optimism, courage and adaptability that inspires others to be authentic.  Internally well grounded in a strong self knowledge and personal value system. 

Strategise:Facilitate conceptual, long range, holistic thinking in collaboration.  Collectively create an aligned and challenging vision.

Engage:Facilitate open communication that captures the passion and motivation of others.  Empower others to take clear and focused action.

Collaborate:Facilitate an inclusive, trusting environment that invites collaboration internally and externally while honouring global responsibilities.  Displays a “generosity of spirit”.

Create:Facilitate an action orientation that produces meaningful standards, synergistic outcomes that are iterative (repeatable and improved upon).  Brings the shared vision into reality

www.1-focus.com

Participatory or collaborative leader www.anecdote.com.au

Leadership and followership

No-one leads all the time Followers are very rarely passive,

especially professionals. Kelley (1992) suggests four roles:Passive followershipActive followership‘Little l’ leadership (leading in small

ways, at all levels) ‘Big L’ leadership

Partnership and collaboration: leadership qualities“Collaborative leaders are personally

mature. They have a solid enough sense of self that they do not fear loss of control”

(Turning Point Program, 2003)

A leader must have “integrity and humility. It is about removing barriers between individuals, teams, functions and other organisations to work towards the achievement of a joint vision”

(Beverly Alimo-Metcalf, 2003)

Networking and meshworking

Social networksIndividuals &

organisations tied by interdependency - values, visions, ideas, financial exchange, friendship, dislike, conflict or trade

MeshworksLoose coupled people

and systems, relying on forming relationships required through ‘interactions’

A new workforce? ‘Tempered radicals’ - willing to act on different

external agendas and take risks, yet work successfully within organisations

(Meyerson, 2004) Broker, mediator and negotiator - increasingly

being recognised, recruited and trained for these specific cross-boundary roles

(Hartle et al, 2008; Tennyson and Wilde, 2000)Boundary spanners - believe in collaboration,

demonstrate an ability to obtain and distribute information strategically, see problems in new ways, craft solutions and develop and support the skills of others

(Bradshaw, 1999)

Leaders for integrated servicesThree types of role: operational (gets

things done), co-ordinator and policy maker and strategist (thinking)

“The co-ordination roles fit between the operational and policy ones. They are about working with others, collaborating, networking, gaining trust and respect, and building effective relationships. Clearly these characteristics underpin effective integrated working”

(Hartle et al, 2008, p40)

Education for professional practice

How do we train and educate for collaborative practice and leadership?

WHO endorses research findings that interprofessional education (IPE) leads to collaborative practice (WHO, 2009)

IPE is where learners ‘learn from, with and about one another’ (Barr, 2006)

Collaborative research

Moves towards collaborative research endeavours – cross-disciplinary, departmental, organisational teams, dispersed groups, international links

Grants and funding often geared towards collaboration and partnership working

Highlights some of the wider issues around individualist and collectivist approaches

Are our universities structured, led and managed to capitalise on these shifts?

Challenges Collaboration often occurs within very

complex systemsMuch of the work occurs in the gaps and

‘spaces between’ organisations, professions, departments

New forms of working are required – boundary spanners, co-ordinating, networking, meshworking, communities of practice

How do we develop shared values between organisations, professions, subject disciplines?

Structural and societal obstacles to collaboration

Are these skills always recognised and rewarded?

Are these new forms of leadership accepted?