How do we create change that will have impact on complex societal challenges? The Good Shift (which used to be the Griffith Centre for System Innovation Australia) has just published a new “Learnbook”, based on practical experience. Rather than the typical approach of “understand the system first, then act”, they've adopted an approach of “learning forward” through small actions as learning probes. They define ‘learning’ not as the absorption of knowledge, but as action & reflection in practice, so that we can take better next steps forward. Some excellent content & references: static1.squarespace.com/stat…. Via Tanya Verrall @hqcsask.

Learning & change are deeply connected. Successful change requires continuous learning within an organisation or system, yet we often don't think enough about the fundamental nature of learning within our change processes. So here are seven "guiding principles for accelerated learning" from @CenterForAL: 1) Learning involves the whole body & mind: it's not not all “head” learning (conscious, rational) but involves emotions, senses & receptors. 2) Learning is creation, not consumption: It's something a learner creates, not something a learner absorbs. 3) Collaboration aids learning: a genuine learning community is always better for learning than a collection of isolated individuals. 4) Learning takes place on many levels simultaneously: the brain is not a sequential, but a parallel processor and thrives when it is challenged to do many things at once. 5) Learning comes from doing the work itself (with feedback): the real & the concrete are far better teachers than the hypothetical & the abstract. 6) Positive emotions greatly improve learning: learning that is joyful, relaxed & engaging is much better than that which is stressful, painful & dreary 7) The Image brain absorbs information instantly and automatically: learners can learn faster & recall better from visual images & summary graphics than from written or verbal information. alcenter.com/guiding-princip…. Thank you @AllysonApsey & @gcouros for introducing me to these principles.

I'm recovering this weekend after three ("mile a minute") days as the co-chair of the International Forum on Quality & Safety in Healthcare. Thousands of people from 63 countries shared & learnt together. When organisational finances get tight, the inclination of leaders is sometimes to stop people attending events like this. Evidence shows that if we want change, we should be doing even more of this. Change comes from the outside - we need to invest in being curious & learning from others: "We cannot look in a new direction by looking harder in the same direction" (De Bono). Thank you to @bmj_latest, @TheIHI & my fellow co-chair @dramarshah for an outstanding few days of discovery which I am confident will have sparked improvement in the NHS & across the globe. #Quality2024 @QualityForum