Organisational intelligence and successful change in NHS organisations

Abstract

Change or transformation projects within the NHS can range from an extensive organisational change, such as a new clinical model, to altered clinical processes or even the development and implementation of a new IT system. However, it is common for such projects to fail. The authors of this article used both experience and multidisciplinary group reflection to produce a Venn diagram showing the interactions between three ‘intelligences’ – intellectual, emotional and organisational – and why the use of all three together is essential to successful change projects. Organisational intelligence is not easy to define; it is something that successful systems-thinking people ‘just get’ after they have worked in their organisation for a while. This article describes what is meant by this term, provides a checklist which others may find helpful and outlines an example involving the implementation of an electronic system for triage and observations in a large emergency department.