In today’s environment where people are working more independently than ever, using rules to maintain culture norms won’t cut it - in fact, it may well just end up creating the behaviours you are trying to prevent. Leaders need to resist the urge to enforce rules, closely supervise their teams and mandate moments of connection. At this exclusive breakfast event, Kin&Co will be exploring how courageous leaders are pairing essential rules with values-based leadership to engender greater trust, personal responsibility and connection to purpose - all critical factors in attracting and retaining top talent, as well as driving high levels of team performance.

Facilitated by:

Emma Tolhurst
Director of Client Services
Kin&Co

Emma Woodhead White
Senior Director, Culture Change
Kin&Co

As healthcare professionals, we have a responsibility to provide the best care possible to our patients, but we also need to recognise that mistakes and errors can happen. Instead of focusing solely on individual blame, we need to work towards creating an environment where people can learn from their mistakes and improve the quality of care that we provide.

In this session, you’ll discover some of the key elements that are necessary to build a just and learning culture in all of our organisations, including:

• Psychological safety - We need to create an environment where individuals feel safe to speak up and share their experiences without fear of retaliation or judgment. This is essential for learning from mistakes and preventing them from happening again.

• Accountability - While we should not focus solely on individual blame, we do need to hold individuals and teams accountable for their actions. This means recognising when mistakes have been made and taking steps to prevent them from happening again.

• Learning from incidents - We need to develop robust systems for reporting and analysing incidents, so we can learn from them and make improvements to our processes and systems.

• Support for staff - We need to recognise that staff who are involved in incidents can be affected emotionally and psychologically. We need to provide support and resources to help them cope and recover.

• Leadership - Creating a just and learning culture requires strong leadership at all levels of the organisation. Leaders need to set the tone for the culture and demonstrate their commitment to learning and improvement.

By focusing on these key elements, we can create a culture where learning and improvement are prioritised, and mistakes are viewed as opportunities to improve.

In this session, Jennie Heals, People & Transformation Director, BMJ and Louise Myson, Partner, Coode Associates will share insights into the culture transformation journey at BMJ and the steps they have taken to build a high-performance culture within the global healthcare knowledge provider.

Over the past two and half years, BMJ has partnered with Coode to take a multi-faceted approach to aligning and developing its culture, underpinned by data from the outset to monitor progress and adjust plans.

Join Jennie and Louise to hear about the journey so far, what they have learned and key, practical takeaways that will benefit other practitioners in shaping their culture change agendas. Particular highlights will include:

• The impact of culture-led transformation in driving business performance and efficiency.

• The value of taking a data-led approach to culture transformation, turning the intangible topic of culture into something practical that can be monitored and tracked.

• The criticality of leadership alignment, shared language and role modelling from the top in driving meaningful, leader-led change.

• The importance of not biting off too much in your transformation approach, taking a phased approach and being focused on manageable behavioural nudges.

Three years into hybrid working, the changes impacting work keep on coming - from greater flexibility to the latest AI tool. Thinking of how we adapt to this change will help us shape winning workplace cultures for the future, Bruce Daisley gives a survival guide.

In this session, Danny will share the team’s insights and experiences in implementing culture principles & purpose at Openreach, a leading UK digital network provider.

He will highlight the key elements of Openreach's culture principles & purpose, including collaboration, accountability, customer focus, and agility and explain how these principles are integrated into the company's strategy, operations, and people practices.

Through examples from their transformation journey over the last 3 years, Danny will demonstrate how Openreach has successfully transformed its culture to drive innovation, customer satisfaction, and employee engagement. He will also share the challenges and lessons learned on this journey, and provide practical tips for organisations seeking to drive change and transformation through behaviour change and organisational purpose.

Key Takeaways:

• Understand the role of culture principles & purpose in driving transformation and change

• Learn how to develop and embed culture principles in an organisation

• Discover the benefits and challenges of transforming organisational culture

• Gain practical tips and insights for driving culture-led transformation and change.

Our panel will explore how companies can attract and retain top talent by adopting innovative talent management strategies, aligned with their culture:

• Traditional talent management approaches no longer work in today's fast-paced, technology-driven economy. Companies need to adopt more innovative approaches that recognise the value of individual employees and focus on developing their skills, interests, and passions.

• To attract and retain top talent, companies must create a culture that fosters creativity, innovation, and growth. This means giving employees the freedom to explore new ideas, experiment with new technologies, and take calculated risks.

• Today's employees value work-life balance and flexibility. Companies that offer flexible work arrangements, such as remote work options or flexible hours, are more likely to attract and retain their best people.

• People want to work for companies that invest in their development. Companies that offer opportunities for skill-building, professional growth, and career advancement are more likely to attract and retain top talent.

• To attract top talent, companies must be authentic in their messaging and culture. This means being transparent about company values, goals, and practices, and creating a workplace that is inclusive, diverse, and welcoming to all.

In this session, Takeda DEI Co-leads, Amina Udechuku and Kevin Shou will walk through the challenges and steps Takeda UK & Ireland have taken in their DEI journey thus far.

3 years ago, at the height of the global pandemic and remote working, Takeda partnered with Vynamic to take a needs-driven approach to building a strategy and infrastructure to maximise the value and impact of Takeda DEI initiatives with a long term goal to embed DEI into the local organisation’s culture, into its DNA.

Today, Takeda UK & Ireland, are navigating through some operational challenges to ensure the organisation can feasibly sustain and continuously evolve their local Diverse & Inclusive Culture, in alignment with wider global company strategies & goals.

In this session, we’ll explore the importance of involving our colleagues in the growth of culture through the co-creation of organisational Values.

Firstly, we will discuss how Employee Voice plays a vital role in shaping our culture. By giving our colleagues a platform to share their feedback, ideas, and opinions, we can create a more inclusive and engaged workplace. We'll explore how we can harness the power of employee feedback to drive positive change to enhance organisational culture.

Next, we'll turn our attention to our Values and the human behaviours within them. We'll delve into the importance of aligning our decision making with our values and how we can create a culture of accountability, trust and innovation. We'll also explore how our behaviours, both as individuals and as an organisation, can shape our culture and impact our colleagues.

A selection of freshly filled sandwiches

Scottish Smoked Salmon & Cream Cheese

Mexican Bean and Avocado
(Vegan)

Hummus and Falafel Wrap
(Vegan)

Bitesize Pieces

Garlic and Parmesan Buttered Chicken Thighs

Spinach, Sundried Tomato, Black Olice and Pesto Tarte
(Vegetarian)

Crispy Hake, Aioli and Piquillo Pepper Salsa

Homemade Onion and Spinach Bhaji
mint and coriander chutney
(Vegetarian)

Savoury Potato Churros
sriracha mayonnaise and parmesan
(Vegetarian)

Dessert

Lemon and Blueberry Meringue Tart

This panel discussion aims to shed light on the importance of coaching in driving high-performance and growth in teams and organisations. The panellists, who have extensive experience of coaching and leadership, will discuss the significance of creating a coaching culture and how this can positively impact employee engagement, productivity, and performance. They will share their insights on how to develop a coaching mindset.

 Key Takeaways:

• The importance of developing a coaching culture.

• How leaders can develop a coaching mindset and support their teams in adopting this coaching approach.

• Panellists will share their experiences and insights of designing and executing effective coaching programs that drive results.

• They’ll touch on the challenges that may be faced in creating a coaching culture, including overcoming resistance to change and establishing a coaching culture that is sustainable and scalable.

• Measuring the impact of coaching and the metrics that can be used to evaluate the success of the initiative.

This session is chaired by EMCC UK, the professional coaching & mentoring body, working to maintain, influence, develop and progress high quality standards in coaching, mentoring and supervision in the UK; supporting 3,000 members.

This discussion will explore the challenges and opportunities of building a cohesive company culture in the face of growth, change, and integration. The panellists will share their experiences and insights on how to navigate the cultural differences and synergies that arise when scaling or acquiring companies, as well as best practices for fostering an inclusive and unified culture that drives business success.

 Key Takeaways:

• Communicate a clear and consistent message, which can be reinforced by leadership at all levels.

• Understand and respect cultural differences, including differences in language, customs, and traditions, as well as differences in work style and organisational structure.

• Foster collaboration and teamwork and encourage employees to work together, share ideas, and support each other.

• Drive the critical role of leaders in modelling values and behaviours to create a culture of accountability, transparency, and respect.

• Celebrate success and recognise and reward employees who have supported the unified culture and organisation.

This session is chaired by Kin& Co, a disruptive consultancy specialising in purpose and culture led change management.

Change is tough and can sometimes even be unwelcome. Mindsets and behaviours need to be changed and it’s a gradual process which needs to take into account different segments of the workforce with different needs. During this session our speakers will discuss:

• Change and transformation initiatives in their respective organisations, impacting on their culture and people.

• How they’ve achieved buy-in from senior leaders and the employees themselves and to what extent a top-down or bottom-up approach has been favoured.

• What specific initiatives or solutions within the change process have been especially effective at engaging people who were initially resistant.

• The methods that have been used to measure the success of the change process, from behaviour changes through to business performance data.

This session is led by ProfitAbility, experts in delivering highly engaging and impactful learning experiences; proven to drive behaviour changes and performance improvements even in a resistant majority.

This session will explore how organisations can create a culture where employees feel valued, respected, and empowered to speak up, and how this can ultimately lead to increased employee engagement, productivity, and business success. The panellists will share their insights and experiences on the benefits and challenges of fostering a people-first culture, and offer practical strategies for creating an environment where employee voice is encouraged and heard.

Key Takeaways:

• A people-first culture is one that puts employees at the centre of organisational decision-making and prioritises their needs, opinions, and feedback. Employee voice is a critical component of this culture, as it allows employees to share their ideas, concerns, and suggestions for improvement.

• Empowering employees to speak up requires a supportive environment: Employees may hesitate to speak up if they fear negative consequences.

• Employee voice can lead to improved business outcomes: When employees feel heard and valued, they are more engaged, committed, and motivated to contribute to the organisation's success.

• Fostering a people-first culture requires long-term commitment: it’s an ongoing process that requires leadership buy-in, employee engagement, and a willingness to adapt and improve. Organisations need to regularly assess their culture and make adjustments as needed to harness and act on employee voice.

This panel will explore how the workplace is changing as technology becomes more prevalent and how individuals can thrive in this new era. It will focus on the importance of developing uniquely human skills and using technology as a tool to enhance, rather than replace, those skills.

Key Takeaways:

• Uniquely human skills, such as creativity, empathy, and critical thinking, are becoming increasingly valuable in the workplace as automation and AI take over more routine tasks.

• While technology can automate certain tasks, it cannot replace the human touch and the ability to connect with others. Therefore, developing strong communication and interpersonal skills will be crucial for success in the future of work.

• The panellists will discuss continuous learning and upskilling to stay relevant in an ever-changing work environment; in addition to being open to new technologies and being able to adapt quickly to new situations.

• As the workforce becomes more diverse and global, cultural competence and the ability to work with people from different backgrounds will also be essential.

• The future of work will certainly require a balance between technology and humanity. Technology can be used to enhance our uniquely human skills and create new opportunities for growth and development. Individuals who can navigate this balance successfully will be well-positioned for success in the digital world.