Developing strategy, structure & cultureCare
Two healthcare organisations dedicated to supporting vulnerable elderly people faced a common challenge: how can we deliver high-quality treatment for our clients in a rapidly changing healthcare environment?
The organisations were seeking ways to work together more closely, for example by deploying practitioners across both organisations. However, before this collaboration could be put into practice, a shared vision was needed. What do we mean by “good treatment”? What guiding principles and shared values can practitioners from both organisations uphold together?
Our Approach
To develop this vision within a short timeframe, we chose an accelerated, participatory approach, bringing together a mixed group of colleagues from both organisations to lay the foundations for a shared vision.
The assignment, initiated and supported by the management teams of both organisations, was: “Develop a treatment vision that meets the needs of the clients and care workers of today and tomorrow.” We designed the process as a series of four intensive days over a two-month period, with time in between to reflect, gather insights, and refine ideas.
A group of around 10 to 12 people – including practitioners, carers, and quality advisors – met several times in a “pressure cooker” setting to tackle questions such as:
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How do our working methods differ, and where do they align?
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What are we proud of in our treatment practice?
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What will the future demand of us as professionals?
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What principles underpin good treatment?
We worked according to the principles of Appreciative Inquiry: exploring what already works well, what generates energy, and how these strengths can be developed further. Our working methods included:
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Talent exploration at the start: identifying who brings what strengths to the group.
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Working with personas representing future care recipients (for example, someone with dementia or somatic complaints, living at home or in a care facility).
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Sketching future scenarios to explore possible developments.
We also engaged colleagues from outside the working group through informal “coffee breaks” at the end of each meeting. These provided an opportunity to share progress, invite input, and answer questions. This approach created a broadly supported process with a strong sense of ownership.
Impact
By the end of the process, we had developed a widely supported treatment vision – not an abstract document, but one rooted in practical stories. It speaks to the pride of professionals and provides clear direction for collaboration between the two organisations. Some of the recurring guiding principles include:
- A supportive environment focused on the client’s well-being
- Treatment as a relational practice
- Collaboration as a prerequisite for future-proof care
The vision provides a foundation for deploying practitioners to and from other locations in the future, as well as for inspiring colleagues more broadly. But the process delivered even more: by exploring these questions together, participants gained deeper insights into themselves, each other, and their organisations – and forged valuable connections in the process.
Lessons learned by the organisation and by us from this process included:
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The pressure cooker works: the intensive setting ensured focus, pace, and depth. The group developed strong bonds in a short space of time.
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Images complement words: visual methods and a narrative approach created a vision that resonates with people, sticks in the mind, and is expressed in language that reflects daily practice.
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Trust and commissioning: the involvement of the management team provided a solid foundation, offering direction and clarity about the assignment.
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The process around the process: just as important as the working days themselves was everything before and after: deciding who to involve and when, establishing clear communication lines, and determining how to act on the results.