Confirmation Practices have made a significant difference to how I work, and replaced supervision in Wellbeing Teams. In this podcast, Andy Brogan explains the problem that Confirmation Practices are designed to solve, what they are, and how to use them. This podcast was recorded in 2020 and reflects our early learning within Wellbeing Teams.…

Sarah McGuire is the CEO of Choice Support. In this podcast we talk about why they are not using the term 'self-management' and their focus on purpose. Sarah talks about how they have been using sprints to make change, and their move towards more courageous leadership.

This is my third podcast with Edel, this time in her role of Chief Executive of Mencap. Edel introduces The Big Plan, talks about self-empowered teams and how these fit within the broad strategy. She references the 'Three F's" and what these mean in Mencap. It is exciting to hear how she has taken learning from her experience at Cornerstone in Scot…

In my second podcast with Rosie Lawn we talk about the difference self-management makes to the role of the CEO and Executives. She explains how this has led to a change in thinking, and the impact this has had on their approach to risk.

Sir John Timpson is not a name often associated with self-management. He was mentor to Avril Delaney who worked as Director of Nursing at Cheshire and Wirral Partnership Trust for over 17 years. She wanted to explore self-management (or self-driving as she calls it) as a way to improve outcomes for people, reducing red tape and encourage innovation…

Mairi played an important role in the changes made at Cornerstone in Scotland. She describes the three main ways she supported cultural change. She has a new role, in Mencap, and talks about the early changes there.

This is my second podcast looking at how self-managed teams responding to the COVID pandemic, this time in Supported Living. I talk to Mandy, a new coach supporting the first self-directed teams in Choice Support. Mandy talks about the response at the local team level. Then Jan Perkins from Tautoko Options in New Zealand, talks about how the leader…

Angela Clarke is our National Advisor for Diversity. In our first podcast together Angela helps me think about, and challenges me, around ways that Wellbeing Teams can respond to Black Lives Matter, embrace diversity and challenge racism.

What gets in the way of you doing your best work? This is the question we used with Making Space, as they move towards greater autonomy in their HQ and operational teams. We used the cards from The Ready, and started a series of 3 sprints. Phil talks about the process, the outcomes and the surprises as we start the second sprint.…

Chorus is based in Perth, Australia, and has formed from merging three organisations. Dan, the CEO explains how they are exploring better ways of working that express their values and philosophy, starting with what inspires them. Dan talks frankly about the difference this is making to his role, and to him personally. He has some valuable reflectio…

The COVID-19 pandemic has revealed the strengths and spirit of those who work in health and care, and brought into sharp focus the life-threatening cracks in the system. Three years ago, I set up Wellbeing Teams, the first self-managing teams in homecare in the UK. I wanted to create a provider organisation that brought together compassionate care …

Jackal or giraffe? Emily, from Wellbeing Teams, explains how we are using NVC (or Compassionate Communication) to help us live our values of Compassion, Responsibility and Curiosity. Compassionate Communication is key to self-management in Wellbeing Teams, and Emily explains how we learn and practice together.…

Mary participated in our 'Self-Management in Action' programmes and from this we recruited her to be a Wellbeing Leader with Wellbeing Teams in 2018. She supports our teams in Oxfordshire, and was part of the CQC inspection in 2019 when we received our Outstanding rating. In this podcast she talks about what it is like to be a Registered Manager su…

Mary Beth is one of international leaders of HSA, delivering consultancy and training in the US. My journey to self-management started when I was leading HSA in the UK, and in this podcast Mary Beth explains the path she is taking supporting her team to move towards greater autonomy and self-management. We talk about the power of values, decision-m…

What is it like to be a coach in a self-managed team? Peter is the coach and programme lead for a two-team pilot working directly with Buurtzorg in a European-funded project. This is taking place in the NHS Community Trust in Kent, with the purpose of redesigning community care. They want to build a community that supports itself and promotes good …

As you will know by now, Edel is now the CEO of Mencap. This is my third and final podcast with Edel talking about Cornerstone at the end of the second year, with the publication of the 2nd year University evaluation. One of the highlights of the evaluation is that every team member interviewed categorically said they would never go back to the old…

When I spoke to Sophie I thought I was hearing the future of social work. Sophie is a social worker who was part of Neighbourhood Cares St Ives, a social care pilot developed by Cambridgeshire County Council. The pilot finishes in 2019. Inspired by Buurtzorg, she explains the differences in working within a different context, within social care leg…

Avivo is the leading organisation in Australia moving towards self-management. Avivo has 1100 team members working in Western Australia, supporting people to live at home, with a turnover of around 65 million dollars. Self-management may be seen by some as the latest thing in health and care, but CEO Rosie Lawn explains how they started with the qu…

Neighbourhood Midwives was the first health care start-up to embrace self-management. Annie describes why and how Neighbourhood Midwives started and how they worked to create a culture of psychological safety. She describes the challenges of new ways of working within the NHS and how the midwives agreed their own rotas and self-managed. Although Ne…

At the end of their first phase, two years after they started, Michelle talks about what she is proud of and what we need to develop. She introduces the specific practices used in Wellbeing Teams, for example, the tactical meeting process. Michelle was the first Team Coach in Wellbeing Teams and later became the Wellbeing Leader, taking the teams t…

Edel talks frankly about the highs and lows at the end of the first year of their move to self-management. She describes what they learned from the first three teams and how the number of teams has grown. Hear Edel talk about challenges around communication, the role of managers, technology and productivity.…

How did self-management get started in health and care in Australia? Yumi, from Purpose at Work, has the inside story. She shares her 3 reason why this is happening and her reflections on the role of the CEO. A must listen to for any CEO's thinking about self-management in their organisation.

A radical new approach to care, Equal Care Co-op are developing a platform-based moel, rooted in co-production and organised through sociocracy (an approach to self-management). Emma Back, one of the founders, explains their vision, what has happened so far and introduces 'care coins'. Equal Care Co-op could be a major disrupter in health and care.…

Choice Support is the first large social care organisation in England to commit to moving towards self-management. The Director of Operations, Dave Jackson explains how they are getting started with two teams, their vision and early challenges. Hear his radical view of the future of HR, IT and Finance in a self-managed structure.…

Cornerstone in Scotland is the pioneering large social care charity to move towards self-management. This is my first of three conversations with the then CEO Edel Harris, right at the start of their journey. She explains why they wanted to do this, where their ideas came from, their early successes and challenges.…

It was two books and an online programme, the AltMBA, that led Wellbeing Teams. Wellbeing Teams are small, self-mananaged teams, inspired by Buurtzorg and operating in two areas of England. This first podcast explains why I started Wellbeing Teams, why the podcast is called 'a cup of teal' and how I want to learn with and from other pioneers of sel…