Time For Leadership In The Health Service - Saïd Business School, University Of Oxford

Main Category: Medical Students / Training
Article Date: 15 Apr 2009 - 1:00 PDT

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'There has never been a stronger case for pausing to examine leadership issues in the healthcare sector.' said Professor Tim Morris, Director of the new Oxford Diploma in Organisational Leadership at Saïd Business School. 'The public sector is a dynamic environment with the healthcare system perhaps being one of the most complex. Leaders in healthcare organisations are facing testing times and are increasingly required to provide greater effectiveness, innovation and efficiency so there is a continuing demand for the skills and expertise to drive these changes forward.'

Four senior health service executives and two doctors have recently completed the first module of the new Oxford Diploma in Organisational, and have made time in their schedules to engage with critical leadership issues facing the health service. The programme draws together 30 participants from a wide range of roles in the public and private sectors to address the challenge of leading individuals and teams towards organisational effectiveness.

'This new programme is created very much with 21st century business challenges in mind' said Professor Morris. 'It explores the key determinants of organisational success from a leadership perspective. Its purpose is to equip practitioners with leadership skills and to help them develop a strategic approach to shaping and developing organisational structure to make the most of the leadership talent within their organisation'.

The Programme participants are drawn from 14 countries from the USA to the Gulf. All bring a significant degree of experience with them, and they are united in wanting to develop their personal leadership abilities to help their organisations achieve their strategic goals.

Ovais Badat, one of the programme participants and Specialist Registrar in Psychiatry at 2gether NHS Trust recognises the benefits to both participants and employers: 'Health professionals are often very well informed within their own skillset but are bound, through no fault of their own, into a circle of inflexibility. It is difficult to innovate when your profession thrives on stability. The first module of the Diploma has provided an understanding of how to invoke change and innovation within my organisation. Throughout the programme we have to work on a project based on one's own organisational issues, testing the theories we learn along the way. It is likely that my project will become a viable service by the time I have designed and tested it, so the programme is not only of personal benefit to me, but is mirrored by a direct cost and service benefit to my employer.'

John Lee Operations Manager, Addenbrookes Hospital reflected that the first module had already gone some way to help him achieve his objectives. 'This is an exceptionally well organised programme which feels personal, bespoke even, adapting to the needs of the students. Leaving the module I felt invigorated, motivated and ready to go back to the coal face. Armed with the arsenal of new knowledge and tools, I have already used much of what was covered in module one and look forward to the next.'

Professor Tim Morris said: 'I am delighted that the first intake has benefited so clearly from the initial module of the Diploma. It is designed for managers who want to think more broadly about their business and the strategic issues they face. It is a programme with a distinct intellectual edge, designed to embed knowledge but also to question assumptions about management practice. It combines the highest standards of academic rigour - as you would expect from Oxford - with a practical approach to the study of strategic management, organisational development and design, and leadership, built from our extensive experience of developing leaders at the Business School. The programme will provide the insight and knowledge needed to help managers realise their leadership potential and harness it for the competitive advantage of the organisation.'

The next module of the Diploma, The Strategic Mindset, runs 15-18 April 2009. You are invited to join the Programme or to speak with Professor Morris or the participants. For further details please contact the press office:

Notes

1 For further details about the Oxford Diploma in Organisational Leadership please see here.

2 About Executive Education at Saïd Business School

Executive Education at the Saïd Business School draws on the resources of the Business School and of Oxford University to offer executive development programmes that inspire individuals and create significant business impact. Individuals and organisations alike work with its leading experts to gain insights into the complex realities of global management and to anticipate and prepare for the future. Noted for its outstanding programme design, Executive Education at Oxford provides custom programmes for clients that include the government of Abu Dhabi, the UK Cabinet Office, Vodafone, Sainsbury's, MAN AG, State Farm Insurance, the Bank of China and Standard Chartered Bank. And with a fast-growing, forward-looking open portfolio of leadership and practitioner programmes that includes the Oxford High Performance Leadership Programme, the Diploma in Financial Strategy, the Oxford Advanced Management and Leadership Programme and the Oxford Private Equity Programme, it works to support and extend the business leaders of today and tomorrow. For more information, see http://www.sbs.oxford.edu/execed

3 About Saïd Business School

Established in 1996 the Saïd Business School is one of Europe's youngest and most entrepreneurial business schools with a reputation for innovative business education. An integral part of Oxford University, the School embodies the academic rigour and forward thinking that has made Oxford a world leader in education. The School has an established reputation for research in a wide range of areas, including finance and accounting, organisational analysis, international management, strategy and operations management. The School is dedicated to developing a new generation of business leaders and entrepreneurs and conducting research not only into the nature of business, but the connections between business and the wider world. It is ranked in the top 20 European Business Schools (Dec 08) and in the top 20 MBA programmes in the world (Jan 09) by the Financial Times. It is ranked in BusinessWeek's top 10 business schools outside the USA (Nov 08). In the Wall Street Journal it is ranked in the top 25 business schools in the world (Nov 07). In the UK university league tables it has ranked first of all UK universities for undergraduate business for the past five years in The Guardian and in six of the last seven years in The Times. For more information, see http://www.sbs.ox.ac.uk/

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Saïd Business School

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