Creating Capable Teams: AO (North) Northamptonshire A Case Study Steve Morgan ~ Practice Based Evidence & Sue Jugon ~ AO (North) Team Leader Steve Morgan ~ www.practicebasedevidence.com
Shifting the focus of attention Develop practice not more research! The research we know… the message we know… the practice we offer less attention Developing teams should be a process not an event You can teach very little, but you can coach a lot… put training & practice development together and good things just may happen Steve Morgan ~ www.practicebasedevidence.com
Steve Morgan ~ www.practicebasedevidence.com A Strengths Approach Call it what you will… call it recovery… call it person-centred planning… call it personalisation Whatever you call it, in practice we should essentially focus on seeking, identifying, clarifying and working with strengths The truest source of resources lies within each of us Steve Morgan ~ www.practicebasedevidence.com
The Depth of Strengths in Teams ‘Strengths acknowledging teams’ (the vast majority are not exposed to a specific focus on strengths, and do not do it) ‘Strengths aware teams’ (training raises awareness, but not necessarily practice) ‘Strengths working teams’ (attention to detail can only happen in the workplace, not in the workshop!) Steve Morgan ~ www.practicebasedevidence.com
Steve Morgan ~ www.practicebasedevidence.com A Team Approach There is more than one way of developing a team approach Just because you call it a team approach doesn’t mean that is what you are doing Successful team-working requires constant attention and commitment, at least to prevent the drift to ‘I’ and ‘mine’ Steve Morgan ~ www.practicebasedevidence.com
Steve Morgan ~ www.practicebasedevidence.com A Creative Approach AO is not just about doing more of the same with less (but more challenging) people… it is about doing things differently! Teams with attitude (Onyett, 2003)… challenge the norm, push the boundaries, take positive risks, look at relationships in different ways Steve Morgan ~ www.practicebasedevidence.com
A Structured Practice Development Approach Innovate and evaluate Developing a creative capability tool for capturing whole team self assessments against 13 statements of positive practice [see article & website for details] Access appropriate tools: - Individual staff members strengths assessments - Team strengths assessments Steve Morgan ~ www.practicebasedevidence.com
AO (North): A Team Case Study Commitment to team reflection and practice development: - 2001>2004>2009 (monthly/bi-monthly > 6-monthly team development) Attention to specifically identified areas of practice… strengths-working; positive risk-taking; team-working systems; links with other services; etc. Steve Morgan ~ www.practicebasedevidence.com
AO (North): A Team Case Study Reflection on values & principles… seen as essential to underpin good practice Expansion accommodated through sub-teams… to maintain the model of team approach Fluctuating between strengths aware & strengths-working See website for evaluation results Steve Morgan ~ www.practicebasedevidence.com
Future Challenges for AO teams Can we retain a focus on good practice within a target-driven management culture? What role do service users play in promoting and sustaining a capable team? Will a focus on the capable team be to the detriment of attention to the capable system? Steve Morgan ~ www.practicebasedevidence.com