David Welbourn, Narrative – putting both strategy and culture in the shade!

Narrative – putting both strategy and culture in the shade!

Lecture begins at 6pm

David Welbourn

David will look at the leadership implications for a world characterised by VUCA – volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity. He will argue that these are no longer the preserves of exceptional circumstances, but are the consequences of the system dynamics of increasing interconnectivity, a permanently-on culture and accelerating cycle times. In a VUCA world, paradox becomes prevalent, and neither strategy nor the culture that ate strategy for breakfast long ago offer a credible response to this confusing world. Why should story telling be a more powerful ally?

David Welbourn gained his eclectic background in science and engineering research, corporate finance and strategy, delivery of major change programmes and management of operations and customer service, before joining the NHS as an executive director in NE London Strategic Health Authority.

Following a period in management consultancy with Matrix, David founded Eutropia, a niche consultancy specialising in the leadership and governance challenges of whole ecosystems, especially in healthcare, and at the same time was appointed as visiting professor at Cass Business School, where he developed and directed a number of leadership programmes designed specifically for the NHS. He has recently been nominated to be visiting professor at the Centre for leadership, governance and global responsibility at Leeds Beckett University where he chairs the research board in Public Sector Governance. David is also part time Chief Executive of BSHAA, the professional body for independent audiologists.

David now spends his time helping senior leaders to develop the skills and confidence to bring fresh clarity, curiosity and courage to the increasingly chaotic context in which they are operating. Through his writings, research and executive development workshops he consistently encourages leaders to recognise that turbulence and paradox are here to stay. By preparing leaders to confront, rather than shy away from the fears that these create, he believes that they can find a renewed sense of optimism and energy. This will enable them to communicate with purpose and be a source of inspiration across all groups who have a vested interest, reinforcing the importance of meaningful engagement as a means of building more resilient solutions and greater system agility.

He continues to advise a number of health commissioner and provider groups on new business models and system designs that enable better integration and stronger focus on outcomes for both individuals and populations. He is a Chartered Engineer and Chartered Physicist, and has served on working groups of the Chartered Management Institute, the Institute of Risk Management and the British Standards Institute.

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