The client challenge

The client, an NHS Primary Care Trust, presented blackswan with two challenges:

1. Communications - how can 300 commissioning staff spread over 5 locations in County Durham be kept up to date on key issues and topics? This was a particular issue for staff as many felt they were missing out on information. The aim was to have an effective (or as effective as possible) system of keeping staff up to date and involved with what is going on in the organisation.
2. How can the client reduce the amount of meetings? It was recognised that people spend a significant amount of their time in meetings and that their very committed staff were spending too much time at work or working at home. The aim was to reduce the amount of excess hours staff work to improve their work/life balance.

The blackswan solution

blackswan worked with the client to create a workshop which created a ‘safe’ environment for the attendees to think creatively and differently. The teams were tasked to identify what each could do to improve communications and reduce the amount of time spent in meetings.

The workshop incorporated a series of proprietary systematic innovation tools.  These were introduced to help people think from a completely different way and challenge the thought processes, giving people the energy and impetus to do something different.

The Senior Managers on the workshop worked on the ‘Ideal Final Result’ to help identify what ‘good communication’ looks like. The workshop also equipped them with a set of systematic innovation tools which could be replicated back at the office.

The ‘on-your-feet’ approach to tasks and creative thinking ensured that ideas were bounced around and by working with each other, the participants ideas went from one extreme to another. By working through the communication and meetings issue and taking the problems to the extreme, the Senior Managers then worked backwards from the extreme ideas to get to a position where these ideas and recommendations could easily be implemented back at the office.

The client outcome

The results from conducting the workshops:

• Implemented a new set of “meeting rules” which have been signed off by the board and outline the roles and responsibilities of everyone attending internal meetings.
• People are thinking differently and using some of the tools in the workplace to think through solutions and options. Thinking to the ‘Ideal Final Result’ means that rather than taking small steps to improve things, you actually look beyond that and see what the other possibilities are.
• People within the organisation have a stronger understanding of their own individual style, what motivates them and how they approach work.