Coming up with great ideas for new and innovative solutions that can improve health and care services is a great place to start the innovation process. However, it is not always easy to know where to begin, how to go about generating ideas, and if you will be supported by your organisation.
The culture of the organisation can be described as ‘the way we do things’ and it is the values and beliefs system that drives behaviour. So, a culture that values innovation will display behaviours that enable and support; it is a culture in which people are open to new ideas, products and services.
It is possible to influence culture in organisations through effective leadership and carefully designed interventions in order to create and support a culture that is open to innovation. To achieve this it is useful to know your starting point, develop leaders, engage staff and reward and incentivise people for adopting the behaviours that you want to see.
This resource will support you if you:
- Would like to know what innovations are already out there
- Want to learn how to generate new ideas
- Are ready to explore if the culture in your organisation is open to new and innovative ideas
We hope that you find it useful and would welcome any feedback or suggestions for improvement that you have (feedback form?)
Where to find ideas for new innovative products and ways of doing things
Health Innovation North West Coast – have an Innovation Exchange, a source of tested innovations
http://www.innovationagencynwc.nhs.uk/innovationsupport/innovation-exchange
The Kings Fund - supports and commissions research and analysis from top thinkers in the country to improve health care and to promote understanding of the health and care system.
http://www.kingsfund.org.uk/topics/technology-and-data/map-case-studies
http://www.kingsfund.org.uk/publications/articles/eight-technologies-will-change-health-and-care
Social Platforms for ideas exchange – a source of innovative ideas for implementers and inventors to find and share
The Academy of NHS Fabulous Stuff http://www.fabnhsstuff.net/
The Edge - http://theedge.nhsiq.nhs.uk/
Learning how to generate new ideas
Have you wondered where do good ideas come from? Steve Johnson explains in this Ted Talk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0af00UcTO-c
The NHS Institute for Innovation and Improvement offer guides and tools for coming up with new solutions and perspectives http://www.institute.nhs.uk/quality_and_service_improvement_tools/quality_and_service_improvement_tools/creativity_tools_-_an_overview.html
Thinking differently guide provides and tools for frontline leaders and team to rethink care delivery http://www.institute.nhs.uk/building_capability/new_model_for_transforming_the_nhs/thinking_differently_guide.html
Edward De Bono’s six hats method for creative thinking http://www.institute.nhs.uk/quality_and_service_improvement_tools/quality_and_service_improvement_tools/creativity_tools_-_6_thinking_hats.html
Appreciative Inquiry is an approach to focussing on positives to enable ideas and self determined change, find out more in this YouTube video.
Storyboarding is a quick way to get a sense of projects and what needs to be done, and it can help generate new thinking. http://systems.hscic.gov.uk/scr/benefits/storyboards
Process Mapping can provide you with a tool to view the process and systems so that you can identify where you need innovative thinking. http://www.institute.nhs.uk/quality_and_service_improvement_tools/quality_and_service_improvement_tools/process_mapping_-_an_overview.html
Creating an innovative culture
NHS England’s practical guide to strengthen innovation at board level throughout the NHS https://www.england.nhs.uk/ourwork/innovation/innovation-compass/
Michael West and his team at Aston OD, in partnership with the Kings Fund, developed an organisational development tool to assess the culture – a good place to start with culture change http://www.astonod.com/team-tools/culture-assessment-tool/
The North West Leadership Academy develop leaders in membership organisations in the North West http://www.nwacademy.nhs.uk/resources
The NHS Leadership Academy offer core national programmes for leadership development http://www.leadershipacademy.nhs.uk/
NHS Employers support an expert resource providing access and ‘how to’ do organisational development resources http://www.nhsemployers.org/campaigns/organisational-development/about-do-od
Leadership and management skills development: benefits of investment https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/leadership-and-management-skills-development-benefits-of-investment
Want to find out more?
There are some educational offers to find out more about innovation, the following are some of the providers in our network who offer related courses:
Lancaster University http://www.lancaster.ac.uk/fhm/cetad/courses/
