Wednesday 21 May 2025 | 13:30-16:30

Format: Half-day workshop

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Collective intelligence has the transformative power to drive meaningful change amidst dynamic and ever-changing health and care challenges. This session explores multiple ways to strengthen your organisation’s collective intelligence through the intersection of empowering leadership, engaging teams, and proven improvement practices in complex healthcare systems.

This session provides practical insights from three case examples showcasing organisations that have built cohesive leadership and improvement teams capable of navigating complex changes with agility, alignment, and resilience. Whether addressing strategic goals or implementing operational changes, learn how these teams fostered creativity, problem-solving, and accountability, ensuring that outcomes are not just achieved but exceeded.

The first case example highlights the experience of harnessing the collective intelligence of a leadership team. You will hear firsthand how one organisation went beyond their expectations of a team of great individuals to a collective expectation of achieving a great leadership team. By setting the direction and tone for the organisation with a clear vision, defining priorities, and ensuring alignment across all levels, they were able to cultivate a culture where collaboration, innovation, and continuous improvement continue to thrive. Their efforts to communicate effectively, delegate responsibilities, and build relationships within and outside the organisation became essential to achieving and sustaining success.

The second example describes the pioneering efforts of Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust in the United Kingdom. Utilising the Leeds Improvement Method, improvement teams focus on enhancing specific processes, systems, or outcomes. They are typically cross-functional, drawing on the expertise of individuals from different areas to identify inefficiencies, develop solutions, and implement changes. Improvement teams rely on data, feedback, and evidence-based practices to inform their decisions, and their work often leads to long-term benefits such as increased productivity, higher quality outputs, and greater employee satisfaction. Learn from the pioneering efforts of Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust and Virginia Mason Institute, as they share their transformative journey. Discover how they swiftly implemented the Leeds Improvement Method, conducting Rapid Process Improvement Workshops across their organisation to achieve remarkable results in just two weeks, including projected savings of £16M.

Attendees will also discover strategies for fostering collective intelligence and emotional intelligence within their teams, equipping them to effectively lead and adapt in evolving healthcare landscapes. This session offers valuable perspectives for frontline, middle management, and senior leadership levels on cultivating leadership excellence and team synergy while maintaining care quality and safety.

Ultimately, the success of any organisation depends on its ability to build and nurture effective teams. Whether it’s a leadership team guiding the way or an improvement team driving change, the collective effort, communication, and commitment of individuals working together can transform goals into reality. Effective teamwork enhances organisational adaptability, promotes a shared vision, and builds a culture of trust and mutual support.

By the end of this session, participants will:

• Understand the role of collective intelligence in healthcare transformation: explore how collective intelligence can drive meaningful change in dynamic and complex healthcare environments by integrating leadership, team engagement, and improvement practices


• Learn proven strategies for building and leading effective teams: gain practical insights into fostering leadership excellence and team synergy through case studies, including harnessing collective intelligence, implementing improvement methods, and achieving alignment across organisational levels


• Apply improvement practices to achieve measurable outcomes: discover how to utilise tools to enhance processes, increase efficiency, and realise substantial financial and quality improvements in healthcare systems.

Phil Wood Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust; England

Adam Sewell-Jones North and East Hertfordshire NHS Trust; England

Wendy Korthuis-Smith Virginia Mason Institute; USA

Gregory Young LeaderShape Global Ltd; England