Before you identify and implement your action plan, you need to consider the organisational levers that can help you to drive change.
Identify your organisation’s key levers such as culture or leadership, and for each one, indicate how or why it is important and what it needs to look like to achieve your objectives.
This will start to tell you where to focus resources for maximum impact. Try to restrict your activity to the areas that are most relevant to your project and where you have real influence. At this stage, you may also want to consider the key internal groups or networks, for example diversity forums, that can help you to bring about change.
Additional support
If you need help on this, you might want to speak to other NHS organisations that have been through this process. You can talk to one of NHS Employers Equality and Diversity Partners. See our partners page for details of a trust near you. They will be more than happy to talk to you and guide you through this stage.
Identifying organisation levers
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Leadership |
The style and nature of leadership provided by the executive team and managers. |
Who are the leaders in your organisation? They are not always the most senior people.
What is the leadership style of your organisation? Democratic, autocratic or pluralistic? |
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Management practices and styles |
How the leaders work with those that are carrying out their strategy. |
How does the organisation bring about change? Are staff at all levels involved in this? |
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Strategic intent |
What the leaders believe is the central purpose of the organisation - its function. |
Is the strategic intent of the organisation clear and understood by everyone? Is there a clear mission / values statement? |
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Business processes and structures |
Arrangements for workflows, functions and people. |
Is the organisation properly and logically structured? Does the structure help or hinder the way work is organised and people communicate / interact? |
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Systems, policies and procedures |
The organisation’s policies and how they are implemented. |
Are there accessible, clear and easily understood policies and a mechanism for changing them if required? |
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Culture |
‘The way we do things around here’
The collective impressions and expectations of staff and how these affect their relationships with each other, managers and internal customers. |
Is there a clear and understood culture within the organisation? Does your staff survey give you any clues about the culture and how it is viewed by staff?
Are your staff survey results analysed and reviewed rigorously and systematically by gender / ethnicity / disability etc? |
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People |
The number, skills and experience of the staff who deliver the organisation’s services.
The individual needs, values and motivations of team members. |
Do you regularly and routinely monitor and analyse the profile of your workforce? Do you monitor the same for your suppliers / providers of services?
Do you routinely monitor and analyse turnover, training and promotional rates? Is this data disaggregated by gender / ethnicity and disability etc?
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Services |
The health services that your organisation deliver. |
Do you regularly and routinely monitor the profile of your service users / patients? Is this data disaggregated by gender / ethnicity / disability etc? |
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Promotion |
How the organisation promotes itself and its services to its partners, customers and local community. |
What media and other communication vehicles do you use to promote your services? Are you reaching all of your communities through these channels? |