The power of a good checklist

Yes - we all 'hate' checklists and all that infuriating 'box-ticking' that goes along with it... But are we in danger of overlooking the power and usefulness of a good checklist that has been well researched? 

Listening to the radio yesterday morning (BBC Radio 4) I heard a piece about how the airline industry & the World Health Organisation have been working with the NHS to deploy the 'Surgical Safety Checklist'. The main principle of this seems to be about team work and making sure that, at the start of an operation, everyone knows what they are doing. 

To quote a well known meerkat - "simples!" 

There are the other stories about these developments here, here and here. And there is more information about the whole approach to create "The Productive Operating Theatre" on the NHS Institute for Innovation and Improvement here. 

But back to checklists... how many other services could be improved for want of a good checklist? Whenever I talk about 'knowledge management' (which is often over complicated beyond belief) I talk about the value of a simple checklist as being the embodiment of practical knowledge. 

What checklists do you work with... and what new ones would help?

Original blog: http://jonharveyassociates.blogspot.com/

10,000... 300... one blog of small & creative ideas!

Just a note to say that my 'small creative ideas' blog has now had 10K page loads since I set it up 10 months ago. The purpose of the blog is support, celebrate and disseminate the small and creative ideas that are making a difference in local government - and elsewhere in the public and third sectors.

Please visit and take a look if you have not already done so. There are more than 300 innovations there to save money, improve service or just make work better.

And if you have an idea to share - please let me know. Thank you.

http://smallcreativeideas.blogspot.com/

(And I have given it a facelift too - prompted by some feedback I got from one visitor)

Jon

jon@jonharveyassociates.co.uk 

Help wanted: Community safety / cohesion

Hallo

I am trying to track down Associations of people involved with either (or both) community safety and community cohesion. Is there (say) an Association of Community Safety Managers / Practitioners ? Or similar for Community Cohesion?

(I am doing some work with the Department for Children, Schools and Families and I want to contact people from these associations to be involved in some intervention design work.) 

Many thanks!

Jon

jon@jonharveyassociates.co.uk

+44 (0) 7771 537535

+44 (0) 1280 822585

www.jonharveyassociates.co.uk

When would you say 'no' to authority?

The Milgram experiments are famous for demonstrating how people will, under the right circumstances, carry out violent acts due to authority. (Details here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milgram_experiment)

But what of the people who refused to go along with the elaborate experimental charade. I have just been pointed towards this site (thank you 'the psychologist' January 2010) which has a first hand description by someone of why they refused to administer more pain to the 'subject'... 

(rest is on my blog: http://jonharveyassociates.blogspot.com/2009/12/when-would-you-say-no-to-authority.html)

... so when would you say no?

Leadership in three words...

Recently I posted this challenge on my blog: 

Which three words sum up the kind of leadership we need for 2010?

So far I have had 19 replies from a wide range of people. Please add your comments there or here (or both!)...

http://jonharveyassociates.blogspot.com/2009/12/leadership-in-three-words.html

 



Collaboration - lessons from the police service

http://jonharveyassociates.blogspot.com/2009/12/police-collaboration-creating.html

The recent White Paper (Protecting the Public: Supporting the Police to Succeed December 2009) “demands more urgent and radical action to squeeze out unnecessary costs, raise productivity and ensure that we continue to focus on front line delivery.” The White Paper goes on to set out a “wide ranging programme to ...strengthen commitment to collaboration between forces and voluntary mergers where appropriate.” The Home Secretary, in his foreword states that this programme “has to be a priority for us all”.

This is fighting talk and perhaps might be summed up wryly as ‘tough on bureaucracy & duplication and tough on the causes of bureaucracy & duplication’. The police service has been here before. Since the Autumn of 2006 (after police force mergers fell by the wayside), there has been significant pressure on police forces and authorities to make improvements in both efficiency and effectiveness via collaboration....

...This article has argued that successful collaboration is founded upon believing & trusting in its value, broadcasting successes, investing in capability development, using only the best aspects of ‘regimentalism’, analysing the costs & benefits in the round, developing collaboration in ways that create enthusiasm & commitment, evaluating the best collaborative combinations and clear, positive leadership.

(Full article on my blog)

Jon

(formerly Director of Organisation Development - Collaboration for the six police services of the Eastern region)

Has anyone got a paper or digital copy of the 'Myth of the Hero Innovator' article?

I appear to have lost mine - and I am very keen to get hold of another copy - it is just such a useful and indeed seminal article. The full reference is:

Georgiades, NH, & Phillimore, L. (1975) “The Myth of the Hero Innovator and Alternative Strategies for Organisational Change”,

(in Kiernan, C.C & Woodford, F.P (eds) “Behaviour Modification with the Severely Retarded” Associated Scientific Publishers Amsterdam. 1975)

Any help much appreciated. 

Thanks and seasonal greetings to all

Jon