Understanding Politics within the NHS. Are you in the know?

The drama that unfolds as co-workers and leaders “play the game,” form alliances, take credit, manipulate, show favouritism can be interesting, entertaining, exciting or annoying – depending on your perspective.

Switched on leaders take a realistic approach to managing workplace politics in the NHS. They understand that they – and their colleagues, need to navigate competing interests, scarce resources, and ambiguity in authority, unclear rules and lack of information.

Politically astute clinical and non-clinical leaders do four key things, with diligence and thoughtfulness:

Network

Effective networking isn’t about how many people you are connected to, it’s the quality and diversity of your network that counts.
For the politically savvy, networking is about connecting with the right people so you have a greater insight – and greater say.
Networks help you bridge different groups of people and cross organisational, sites and operational lines.
What people, functions or groups are your strongest connections? Which are weak or distant ties?
Who should be in your network but isn’t? Who knows the people you want to know?
With this insight, you can strategically ask for introductions, seek opportunities to get to know and work with key people.

Think Before Acting

This is essentially impulse control.
If you are composed (especially when things don’t go your way), people are more likely to be at ease around you.
Allows you to have difficult conversations, gain support and build political influence.
Pay attention when things trigger an emotional or impulse response and learn to self-regulate.
What might be the political and relationship fallout from your actions?
What would happen if you pause to gain perspective and then choose the best response?
If self-regulation is a big challenge for you, consider working with a coach or mentor to help you identify your hot buttons and find ways to deal with them.

Leave a lasting positive Impression

Organisational politics can veer into manipulation. The antidote to this is to build trust.
Honest and sincere, politically astute NHS managers find that they inspire others to trust and have confidence in them.
A lack of integrity will weaken relationships, bring your credibility into question and undermine your influence.
Learning to manage politics is part-and-parcel of leadership development. It’s about building and strengthening relationships and acting in an authentic way.
As a result, you’ll have what it takes to get the resources, access and information you need to lead effectively.

Reading the situation

Politically savvy managers tend to be good observers.
Astuteness and the ability to read and anticipate situations allows you to prepare, adapt and tailor your behaviour.
Try to get a sense for how people are feeling in addition to what they are saying.
Actively listen, pay attention, hold judgement, reflect, clarify, summarise and share. This allows you to hear and understand where others are coming from.

How can we help?

Maguire Healthcare Training have developed a new course Understanding Politics within the NHS designed to help senior healthcare professionals broaden or develop their overall understanding of the politics which exist within the NHS ,helping them navigate and develop skills to influence and negotiate positive outcomes within their role.