Leadership Development
We have an extensive practical and academic understanding of leadership and leadership development. Our work includes helping chairs, chief executives, executive teams and boards to determine their leadership priorities; and designing and commissioning bespoke leadership programmes for NHS regions and organsiations.
Our work has included creating the first national leadership framework for the English NHS, which comprises a number of accredited leadership development consortia for use by NHS regions in their local contexts.
Our approach takes into account our primary research on the leadership role of chief executives with its focus on individual and team development, the creation of alliances and partnerships and the sharing of decisions and power.
We have devised and commissioned a director-level leadership development programme for NHS West Midlands. The programme, which commenced in January 2007 and is still running and is now on its eighth cohort.
The West Midlands programme has been externally evaluated, which we commissioned on behalf of NHS West Midlands. The evaluation was undertaken by a consortium led by the University of Warwick.
Our development work includes where appropriate the use of our case study Rivergate Health System, which encompasses fictitious NHS organisations facing operational, strategic, political and collaborative challenges for organisational and health system development. The case study,which is updated regularly to reflect changing national NHS policy and political context, provides excellent personal development through team analysis and role playing.
We also commissioned research on the leadership style of strategic health authorities in the English NHS. Four models of leadership and engagement emerged as a result of this research, which provides useful learning for chief executives of all healthcare organisations.
Neil has also published on leadership and related topics. An extract from his book, Leadership in Healthcare, as well as some of his articles can be accessed throughout this site.
Our approach takes into account our primary research on the leadership role of chief executives with its focus on individual and team development, the creation of alliances and partnerships and the sharing of decisions and power.