“We have to expect the unexpected”

“The major global developments that we discussed in the TrendTalks may not seem that relevant to us. But things like AI, automation, staff shortages, a new generation of healthcare professionals with a more digital mindset and a desire for more flexibility are already having an impact on our day-to-day work. We may feel a certain resistance to these changes, but we still have to adapt.

An ‘agile organisation’ understands this – it perceives the outside world with an open attitude and is able to take timely action. It’s an organisation that’s prepared for the unexpected. In that sense, this trend actually links all the other trends. In fact, being agile is an essential prerequisite for realising all the organisation’s other ambitions.

Being agile also means taking a critical look at your organisation’s culture and leadership style. I found it inspiring to hear that compassionate leadership is key to ensuring a safe work culture, where there’s room for innovation and where the people who have to deliver high-quality care are themselves healthy and resilient. We also looked at examples of organisations in very different sectors and how they deal with change and innovation. It taught us to ask critical questions, like: what do we value, both consciously and unconsciously? What kind of culture do we need to have to be an agile organisation, and is our current culture good enough?”

Food for thought from the TrendTalks:

• Keep looking outward and bring together passionate individuals from very different sectors.

• Bring together successful initiatives from different departments to learn more from each other, and consult young employees and students to get a fresh perspective.

• The only thing you can really influence as a leader is your organisation’s culture: what do we focus on, how do we treat each other and how do we do things here?

• Compassionate leadership fosters collaboration and innovation, improves patient safety and strengthens the organisation’s financial resilience.

  The input from these TrendTalks was further explored in the expert sessions on Working differently: work processes and digitalisation and Labour market developments: employer of the future. The results of these sessions will be discussed during the Help Shape Our Future events and the two-day strategy meeting.