Empowering Teams through a Cultural Re-Design and Innovation Skills Uplift
Queensland Health
The procurement and systems team at Queensland Health felt a disconnection between their work and the patient experience. Their function centred around purchasing equipment, providing funding and monitoring system performance.
Internal priorities were typically around quality, cost, and timeliness of delivery. How could they embrace the changing face of healthcare and become more creative, innovative and patient-centric, while continuing to meet the functional demands of the Division?
INNOVATION • CULTURE
THE OPPORTUNITY
How might we bridge the gap between the procurement and systems team’s functions and the patient experience, enabling the team to evolve with the changing dynamics of healthcare, while maintaining the integrity of essential operational priorities?
Our approach
This program combined capability uplift in Design Thinking for a team of innovation ambassadors with a cultural transformation program for the entire department. Over 6 months, we trained and empowered the team of ambassadors in the human-centred mindsets, toolsets and skills of Design Thinking. We instilled confidence in the team to share their new skills with others in the wider department, applying them to projects and developing greater patient-centricity in their ways of working. Teams worked through internal and external challenges applying their new skills to better empathise with their users, understand the moments that matter and then generate, develop and test solutions to their problems.
Simultaneously we delivered a series of Idea Jams to develop the department’s Purpose, Vision and Values. By understanding and believing in their ‘Why?’ the team could collaborate with common understanding and put the needs of Queenslanders ahead of functional requirements.
The Results —
The department shifted to more collaborative, creative and transparent ways of working. They created cross-functional project teams to progress ideas, put visual boards up around the office so that these projects could be seen, commented on and improved by others, and applied Design Thinking tools to create an employee experience with less silos, greater engagement and better communication. All with a central purpose of providing high-value to patients.
Culture Transformation
The team is more purpose-led, engaged, connected, customer-centric and collaborative than ever before.
Mindset Shift
They’ve shifted their mindset from provider to influencer.
Human-Centred Design
They are using a range of human-centred design tools to keep patients’ needs front of mind and are also using these tools to develop a better employee experience.
Strategic Planning
They’ve developed a strategy for their ongoing development, led by their purpose and vision for consistent patient-centricity.
Award-Winning Campaign
Neu21 was awarded a silver medal at the LearnX Awards for this program and a Finalist nomination for Best Talent Development Program at the AITD Awards.
