Collective objectives to build collaboration

The NHS is looking to build greater collaboration across organisations, across professions and across systems.

The reasons behind this seem obvious, bringing people together people to deliver better value and the best outcomes given the resources available.

There is often a focus on reducing wasted time, energy and resources. Reducing repeated tests/questions and preventing patients from bounced around a system, making things more efficient.

However, there are also far greater possibilities when individuals and teams operate together, collectively.

PCC produced, ‘Collaborate – the future of service provision’, which highlighted that the power of a collective purpose is central to maximising the potential benefits of greater collaboration.

Why?

According to ‘A Theory of Goal Setting and Task Performance’ (Judge & Latham, 1991) one of the key effects of effective goals can be increased motivation. This is particularly true when the goals are specific, difficult (but not impossible) and the individual feels committed.

This approach applies to individuals but can also apply to teams.

A collaboration across different organisations can be viewed as a collective of teams as opposed to just another new organisation. If these teams are operating with a single collective purpose or goal, that everyone values, it can lead to greater motivation especially if all those involved are committed to the goal and they can identify how their role contributes to the success.

The key part of this is that goals are valued by all concerned. The goals need to be co-produced and meaningful, so it engages people’s intrinsic motivation.

This is why key performance indicators or targets that are determined by others are not powerful motivators and often are quite the reverse. They often result in managing to a level rather than driving engagement and innovation. We require leaders who are brave enough to shift their thinking and engage with people to put these valued, co-produced collective goals at the heart of the collaboration. Building a collaboration that is more than the sum of the parts.

Visit Collaborate – the future of service provision, to find out more. This work followed a study on the management of patient safety and quality in provider collaboratives, for which PCC was commissioned by NHS England – Midlands specialised commissioning team. For more information contact enquiries@pcc-cic.org.uk.