The document discusses innovative approaches to leadership and systemic change within health and social sectors, emphasizing experimentation, risk-taking, and learning from failure. It outlines strategies for facilitating rapid change and creativity, including the use of lab concepts to prototype and evaluate ideas efficiently. The importance of effective communication and resource management to support change initiatives is highlighted, along with the necessity for alignment between innovation and organizational strategy.

1. Paul Taylor (aka @paulbromford)
Innovation Coach
@BromfordLab/@bromford
Using Lab based
approaches to
achieve Leadership
and System change

2. What is a Lab? The Skunk Works story

3. How could the health and social sectors
apply this?
Provide a place to experiment with change
Encourage risk taking (even risk seeking) behaviours
Acceptance and learning from failure
Commitment to vision beyond rhetoric
Connecting people from diverse networks
Radical transparency and openness
Problem framing before problem solving

4. the world of bromford
we are here
We have deliberately
positioned ourself at the
outside edge
There’s some science to
it as well - it’s a lot
easier to change 20% of
your organisation by 80%
than bring about 20% of
change on the 80%

5. From big step
change to marginal
gains
Less pilots more
tests

6. Problem
definition
12 weeks max
Coaching
Think 10x bigger
prototype
Test
Evaluate
Fail?
Prepare exit
resource for
scale

7. A typical Lab concept could take less than 12 weeks to be mainstreamed
We have realism about the complications of large scale system change. Our very first
concept is only now entering the final stages of mainstream implementation - over two
years later

8. The big public sector transformation challenge:
The need for innovation and
change is at an all time
high
The capacity for innovation
and change is at an all
time low

9. How do you get the busy leader on board?
Match ideas to
strategy
Coaching - little but
often
Take the hard work
out of it
Support and build on
ideas
De-risk it: take the
“Governance Monkey”
off their backs
Assemble resources -
frugally and with
minimum viability
Test concept and gain
evidence
Share their success:
blog it tweet it
Build business case
Do the boring bits
for them

10. How do you
create
capacity for
radical
creativity?
WE CALL THIS
SQUAD
WORKING

11. Think big but start small
Avoid solutions in search of a problem
Every problem is an opportunity
Don’t keep talking about it - try it!
A quick fail beats a slow steady death
Innovation is about impact not ideas
Go to the centre of the network
Fast failure is good risk management
Be ruthless pulling the plug
Lab Lessons

12. Paul Taylor (aka @paulbromford)
Innovation Coach
@BromfordLab/@bromford
Question Time
Follow up contact
lab@bromford.co.uk