How professionals can lead networks in the NHS

Abstract

Purpose -The largest organisation in the western world, the UK National Health Service (NHS), might be best viewed as a network of interdependent organisations. However, the public has only recently begun to see it as a living network. Public reforms and financial crises have increased the need for professionals to innovate and improve their role. The overarching question is how this new clinical leadership can positively affect the functioning of the system and its performance. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to clarify how leaders can be most effective in managing health networks. Design/methodology/approach -A pragmatic approach was taken because of the topical and strategic importance of networks and leadership in the current climate, and hence a need for greater understanding of this largely unknown phenomenon. A focus group interview with Organisational Development experts from the Centre for Innovation and Health Management (CIHM) at Leeds University Business School was followed by three scoping reviews and high-level follow-up conversations with CIHM members, network leaders from the NHS and third sectors. Findings -Issues that have emerged include: how networks are designed; which factors enhance its likelihood of success and predicate its failure; discussions of illuminating effective leadership.Research limitations/implications -The Stories of Effective Leadership Networks were provided by the network founders, who may have sought to emphasise the benefits (as opposed to downside) of their network. An ideal scenario would have been the inclusion of patients and carers and perhaps administrative staff to reduce bias. Originality/value -Considering the limited evidence base from the literature about medical leadership for network management, the involvement of network leaders and the ability to draw-upon CIHMs knowledge and expertise has been fundamental for determining lessons that may enhance the leadership function of the UK's health system network.

Innovation and sustainability in a large-scale healthcare improvement collaborative - seven propositions for achieving system-wide innovation and sustainability

“…This is also congruent with the literature on networks where effective networks have a compelling organising purpose (Cunningham et al, 2011;Malby et al, 2013). This is reflected in responses from the present study where LIQH is seen as more than simply a fluidly organised model that can be used as-and-when:…”

“…However, we begin by examining the concepts and themes based on Table 1, which underpin the theoretical component of this study into sustainable healthcare systems. Large-scale collaborative and networks are emerging as a prevalent structure for greater integrated care, quality and learning (Ferlie et al, 2011(Ferlie et al, , 2012Malby et al, 2013;Berry, 2015). Furthermore, the previous scoping literature review, which was undertaken for the LIQH (Mervyn and Amoo, 2014) allowed us to adapt the themes to create five critical themes, which have leadership and strategy as their focus.…”

Tourism networks unravelled; a review of the literature on networks in tourism management studies

“…Secondly, there is a general belief that participating in a collaborative tourism network produces benefits for tourism firms (Novelli et al, 2006;Morrison, Lynch, & Johns, 2004).…”

“…The network graph (figure 1) shows that the business network cluster is less dense and features a large number of sparsely connected nodes and outliers. Two studies can be seen as the base of further work delving into business networks and the associated intra firm collaboration (Tinsley & Lynch, 2001;Morrison et al, 2004). Studies in the business network are likely to build upon the economic organization of tourism by private stakeholders as proposed by Tremblay (1998).…”

The Rise of Networks and Network Working

“…The lack of a 'system manager' means that there has been an increase in networks to enable shared learning and collaboration. (Malby et al 2013).…”