The document summarizes a webinar on sustaining networks that will be presented by Liz Maddocks-Brown, Prof. Becky Malby, and Rob Cockburn. The webinar will cover how to make the best use of network membership, generate shared knowledge and impact, and sustain networks into the future. It provides biographies of the three presenters and outlines the learning objectives and topics that will be covered in the webinar.

1. 11th December 15.00 – 16.00
Sustaining Your Network.
Leading Networks and Collaborations for
Sustainable Change and Improvement

2. Who is presenting the webinar
today?
Liz Maddocks-Brown has over 30 years experience in the public and
commercial sector, as a senior manager specialising in business management,
organisational change, innovation and improvement learning and
development. Over the last 25 years, her career in the NHS has focused on
leading major organisational change at national, regional and local level, both in
provider and commissioning organisations. Working in the Sustainable
Improvement Team, NHS England, her current portfolio consists of faculty and
network development, accelerated large and small scale event facilitation, OD
consulting, capability building design and delivery, leadership and board
development, executive coaching and action learning for senior leaders.
Prof. Becky Malby has a track record in systems innovation, organisational
change and leadership development, both in the UK and internationally, in
leading networks. Her experience is an unusual combination of leader,
manager, researcher, change agent and entrepreneur. She is known to be an
energetic and enthusiastic leader of change and a forward thinker. Becky has a
track record in organisational and leadership development in the public sector,
working primarily with the NHS and with local authorities in the UK and Europe.

3. Rob Cockburn is an experienced manager, innovator and leader of change and
improvement. Before joining the NHS his range of positions included working
with the European Commission and Scottish Office to develop information
networks across the rural sector; leading the development of one of the first
social enterprises in Scotland and developing a network of training hubs. In the
NHS as well as a number of improvement programmes he led the development
of the National Communication Skills programme for cancer and the
development of a network of highly skilled facilitators, delivering training to
some 17,000 staff over 5 years. As one of the lead coaches for London
Leadership Academy he has worked with senior staff across the sector.
Of course, none of these webinars would happen without our business support team, Rachel Gray
and Claire Potts who will work frantically in the background, setting everything up, running polls and
the other interactive elements of the session and also collate everything after for posting onto the
S4N site

4. Support the delivery of
the
Five Year Forward View
Support the wider NHS
system to make
transformational
improvement
The Sustainable Improvement Team key priorities:

5. Lead, champion and support the
effective use of networks to drive
improvement and transformational
change
Provide access to tools, diagnostics,
resources and expertise to strengthen,
improve and sustain network impact
Support network leaders to
confidently lead their networks, in a
complex and ever changing and
challenging environment
Sustainable Improvement our Network specialism
and focus

6. In Partnership with………

7. Professor Becky Malby
Sustaining Your Network

8. Learning Objectives
By the end of this webinar you will be know:
• How to make the best of your membership,
• How to generate shared knowledge and impact,
and
• How to sustain your network into the future.

9. The Context for Networks

10. Transitions and Challenges
From To
Individual Population
Increase Access Reduce Demand
Consumers Partners
Hunch Evidence based decision-
making
Top Down Self-managed teams
Hierarchies Networks
Expert Learning

11. What are you curious about
today?
Respond in
the chat box

12. How work gets done:
Organising

13. • Deterministic
• Tame
• Standardised/replicable
Hierarchy
• Cooperative structures
• Peers – reciprocity/exchange
• Innovative/creative
• Knowledge function core
Network
• Complex/Wicked
• Adaptive collective responses
• Intended and unintended consequences
• Temporary – issue based
Adaptive

15. Networks
• Clarifying shared purpose (what can
we only do together that we can’t do on
our own)
• Equal peer relationships based on
generosity and reciprocity
• Requests and offers (not necessarily
on the same issue)
• Actively seeking diversity
• Clear rules of engagement
(membership)
• Peer working and review
• Member resourcefulness and mutual
trust
• Trying things out iteratively
Useful For:
• Generating creative and
innovative solutions
• Rapid learning and
development
• Amplifying the
effectiveness of
individual members

16. How work gets done in
Networks

18. The distinctiveness of networks
lies in:
• Their ability to be innovative and creative and their
reliance on diversity
• The distribution of power and leadership across
members
• Reciprocity and exchange as the defining relationship
between members based on mutual interest around a
common purpose
• Fluctuations in their member engagement and impact
• Their adaptability to survive and thrive
• The centrality of the knowledge function

19. Networks Work & Are Sustained When:
• There is clear shared purpose and identity
• They are creative and innovative
• They meet member needs
• They are supported by adapted leadership
• They have strong relationships and ties
• They generate helpful outputs

20. Networks Fail Because Of:
• Failure to reach common understanding across members
on purpose and direction
• Institutionalisation
• Mistakes in initial design
• Over-management cementing relationships and structures
that need to be dynamic and evolving
• Over expectation of network member’s willingness or
ability to collaborate which damages creativity of the parts
• Predicating some members over others
• Constraining network member’s independence
• Not recognising when leadership needs to change / rotate
• Lack of impact in terms of network member’s purpose.

21. Sustainability Depends on
• Progress on Purpose
• Members Engaged
• Securing Impact – on the key functions
• Resources
Networks are time-limited

22. Any questions so far
?

23. Making the Most of
Membership for
Sustainability

24. Member’s Roles
• Networks are their members.
• The core organizing principle of reciprocity
based on a relational culture of trust, respect,
openness, sharing, as peers defines how
networks organise and creates the focus for all
participation.
• Members determine Governance (decision-
making), Leadership, Purpose, Direction,
Communication, Knowledge generation and
sharing.

25. Securing Shared Purpose Answers...
• Fundamentally, why does the network exist?
• For whose benefit are all our efforts being made?
• What, in our eyes, is the end that we are working to rather than a
means?
• What is the worthwhile cause to which we are all contributing?
• At the end of the day, what is the real point of all our activities?
• Who are we really working for?
• What is of highest value for us?
• What is our higher purpose?
Andrew Constable
2017

27. Diagnostics

28. Overview of Tools

30. How do your network members connect with each other?
The network’s members connect through a variety of means, both
face-to-face and virtually. Its sub-groups meet face-to-face on a
quarterly basis, and also have online forums that they can use to
link in with each other, as well as email when necessary.
Members are also supported centrally through the following
means:
• Lunchtime webinars • A monthly e-bulletin for anybody who is
interested • Large events once a year • A Quality Improvement
awards event with Northern networks • A monthly call with the
national team that aims to share tools, learning and practices.

31. Networks do at least one of the
following with and for their members:
• Amplify the work of individual members.
• Generate greater visibility for work done by the members.
• Generate new knowledge.
• Shape the context (policy-level, donor-level) in which the
network functions.
• Deliver services/ outputs to others as a ‘network offer’ and
can deliver services/ resources between members as a
‘support’ offer (e.g. back-office roles) where there are
economies of scale.
Malby B., Anderson-Wallace M. (2016) Networks in
Healthcare. Managing complex relationships. Emerald

33. Colleen Young, The Mayo Clinic
Connect Network
shared these great tips on community
management for online membership :-
• Get people talking
• Initiate ice-breaker conversations
• Ensure every new post gets a response
• Improve response velocity
• Ask questions
• Connect members
• Demonstrate value

34. As peers
network members govern their peers (self-
governance) and their own behaviour in relation
to:
(a) The impact of the network
(b) The network rules of equality, reciprocity and
participation.

35. Building Capacity
 Articulating the extent to which the agreed values, priorities
and activities of the network coincide with the existing
values, priorities and activities of participating organisations
and individuals.
 Supporting participants to find ways to build networked
learning into their daily professional lives, rather than seeing
it as an add-on or as more work.
 Whilst some of the motivation to participate comes from
something new, participants and organisations need to be
able to build on what they already know and can do already.
Andrew Constable

36. Building Capacity Qs
 What opportunities will you create for participants to build
coherence and connectedness between network activity and
their ongoing commitments? How does the network add value
for them? For their organisation?
 How will the network be open about its aims and values? How
will you know whether others share them? How will you
celebrate and build on diversity?
 How can you mobilise the network to support organisations and
individuals through turbulent times?
 What opportunities will you create for participants to connect
their experience to the ‘big picture’ (e.g. policy, the future of their
profession, moral purpose)?

37. The Diagnostics
help you understand
members
perceptions and
experience

38. Any questions so far
?

39. Generating Shared
Knowledge & Impact

40. Networks measure:
1. Impact related to the
network’s purpose
2. Member perception and
relationships in terms of
meeting member needs
3. How effectively they use
their resources
4. Generating Learning
The PARTNER programme at the Center for
Collaborative Governance, University of
Colorado

41. LEVEL 5: The network is acknowledged by members and stakeholders alike for its impact. Members
are proud of their accomplishments together, and tell stories of measurable impact and innovation. The
network reviews the impact is it having in order to understand and repeat its successes. Specific
external stakeholders and influencers are targeted with impact stories.
LEVEL 4: The network tracks, captures and shares success stories, with evidence of benefits and
impact. These stories are celebrated and communicated to an external stakeholders and audiences.
Stakeholders understand the impact the network is having, and actively promote this.
LEVEL 3: The network members have a shared understanding of the value they add. Some senior
stakeholders visibly acknowledge this. Examples exist which clearly demonstrate clear impact, for
example, on patient outcomes.
LEVEL 2: Some members can point to examples of value and impact, but nobody has the big picture.
Some success stories may be captured, but in an ad-hoc manner. Senior stakeholders are aware of the
impact, but lack passion to really promote this.
LEVEL 1: Impact is not really discussed. Members are comfortable just to ‘belong to the club’. Nobody
takes responsibility for capturing and sharing successes or prompting the “Are we making a difference?”
conversation.
Impact & Value

42. Which Level Is Your Network?
LEVEL 5: The network is acknowledged by members and stakeholders alike for its impact. Members
are proud of their accomplishments together, and tell stories of measurable impact and innovation. The
network reviews the impact is it having in order to understand and repeat its successes. Specific
external stakeholders and influencers are targeted with impact stories.
LEVEL 4: The network tracks, captures and shares success stories, with evidence of benefits and
impact. These stories are celebrated and communicated to an external stakeholders and audiences.
Stakeholders understand the impact the network is having, and actively promote this.
LEVEL 3: The network members have a shared understanding of the value they add. Some senior
stakeholders visibly acknowledge this. Examples exist which clearly demonstrate clear impact, for
example, on patient outcomes.
LEVEL 2: Some members can point to examples of value and impact, but nobody has the big picture.
Some success stories may be captured, but in an ad-hoc manner. Senior stakeholders are aware of the
impact, but lack passion to really promote this.
LEVEL 1: Impact is not really discussed. Members are comfortable just to ‘belong to the club’. Nobody
takes responsibility for capturing and sharing successes or prompting the “Are we making a difference?”
conversation.

43. Any questions so far
?

44. Sustaining Your Network
into the Future

45. Planning for Sustainability
 Plan early for sustainability
 Thinking ahead.
 Building reach and ownership.
 Creating extensive, purposeful and interdependent
collaboration.
 Interdependent working and learning arrangements.
 Generate Feedback loops

46. Future Focused Finance
Network

47. LEVEL 5: The network is not reliant on a specific individual to maintain momentum.
Multiple channels (e.g. voice, data, email, webcast) are used innovatively.
Dialogue is rich and varied, incorporating personal exchanges and business focus.
There is an agreed strategy for growth, funding and recruitment of new members.
LEVEL 4: Newcomers rapidly feel welcome and involved and bring new energy to
the group. Dialogue is stimulating and there is a sense of dynamism and interest.
Fresh thinking is regularly brought into the network through external input.
Sources of funding and support are understood.
LEVEL 3: Membership grows organically at expected levels.
Funding and support are discussed. Members talk about the future of the network
and are ambitious for growth.
LEVEL 2: The network is viable, but membership is static. No plans to recruit new
members or pursue additional sources of funding.
Opportunities to merge with overlapping communities are not discussed.
Dialogue is predictable and not varied.
LEVEL 1: The network is ticking-over on the basis of goodwill but competition for
members’ time leads to periods of drought.
It’s all about survival rather than sustainability.

48. Which Level Is Your Network?
LEVEL 5: The network is not reliant on a specific individual to maintain momentum.
Multiple channels (e.g. voice, data, email, webcast) are used innovatively.
Dialogue is rich and varied, incorporating personal exchanges and business focus.
There is an agreed strategy for growth, funding and recruitment of new members.
LEVEL 4: Newcomers rapidly feel welcome and involved and bring new energy to
the group. Dialogue is stimulating and there is a sense of dynamism and interest.
Fresh thinking is regularly brought into the network through external input.
Sources of funding and support are understood.
LEVEL 3: Membership grows organically at expected levels.
Funding and support are discussed. Members talk about the future of the network
and are ambitious for growth.
LEVEL 2: The network is viable, but membership is static. No plans to recruit new
members or pursue additional sources of funding.
Opportunities to merge with overlapping communities are not discussed.
Dialogue is predictable and not varied.
LEVEL 1: The network is ticking-over on the basis of goodwill but competition for
members’ time leads to periods of drought.
It’s all about survival rather than sustainability.

49. Any Questions
?To access the slides form today, please visit:
https://www.slideshare.net/secret/ugzAjvAyRGhfxf

50. Actions
• Register on www.source4networks.org.uk
• Join the community and the Q&A session
https://www.source4networks.org.uk/my-s4n-
community/questions-answers
• If you are a network leader, once registered use diagnostics
Please complete the Exit Survey to help us improve future webinars
For participants in the Virtual Academy of Large Scale Change, please
ensure you answer the questions which contribute towards your CPD

51. R.Malby@lsbu.ac.uk
l.maddocks-brown@nhs.net
Rob.cockburn@nhs.net
www.source4networks.org.uk
ThankYou
@Source4Networks
#S4N