An introduction to Leading for the Future.
The programme will start in September 2025 and conclude in June 2026. This national programme consists of ten full development sessions, including six Adaptive Learning Set (ALS) sessions.
Each Group and ALS will aim to comprise of participants from different organisations, so those taking part can build their networks, support one another to work on their live adaptive issues, share insights and learning. Using tried and tested processes, applied extensively in leadership, the programme and ALS will offer participants a place and space alongside other senior leaders to work through the challenges and realities of their current issues. Their shared work will focus on finding ways forward and in doing so, building their wellbeing and resilience, and creating hope for now and the future.
Working with experienced facilitators and their peers, participants will have the opportunity to develop increased consistency in their demonstration of the Health and Social Care Leadership Capabilities and in their capacity to:
· deliver service objectives
· understand the impact of leadership within complex systems and change
· have breakthrough ideas in dealing with intractable problems and,
· manage complexity by working in partnerships across public services.
The content in the circular graphic below, with the three core elements shown in blue and with the Adaptive Learning Set at the centre of the programme are complemented and supported by an induction, skills workshop, masterclasses and consolidation event, as can be seen in the timeline graphic, underneath the circular graphic.
Note 1: The theoretical content of the programme is based on the work of: Ronald Heifetz, Keith Grint, Mark Moore, John Benington, Irwin Turbitt, Chris Argyris, and Peter Senge, amongst others. We would like to acknowledge the contribution of Malcolm Young in developing this programme and, in particular, in shaping the theoretical foundation.
Applications forms, to be received by the closing date for your area, will require completion by a sponsor, demonstrating full commitment to all events and time required.
Key Features
Cohort Composition | Up to 72 senior leaders from Social Care, Social Work, Health, Third Sector and Partner Organisations |
Group Composition | 12 or 18 senior leaders from within the Cohort |
ALS Composition | 6 senior leaders from within the Group |
What is an ALS? | Participants take part in turns to bring an adaptive challenge for exploration. They alternate between the issue ‘holder’ or working jointly with their ALS colleagues, using ALS processes to support the issue holder to decide how they want to progress their adaptive challenge. Supported by an experienced facilitator, ALSs draw upon the principles of Sharmer’s U-process. |
Facilitators | The national facilitation team is comprised of experienced facilitators from 14 NHS Scotland Boards. The Induction and Consolidation Events will be led by the programme management team, in collaboration with the national team. The 5 Modules and the Sets will be facilitated by the Group facilitation team. The Skills Development Workshop will be facilitated by NHS Education for Scotland (NES) facilitators and the masterclasses by external experts in their fields. Participants can also contact their organisations to request access to coaches or 360 feedback. |
Programme Timeline | One event per month – Induction (date September 2025), Module 1 (October 2025), Skills Development Workshop (November 2025), Module 2 (November/December 2025), Masterclass 1 (January 2026), Module 3 (February 2026), Module 4 (March 2026), Module 5 (April 2026), Masterclass 2 (May 2026), Consolidation Event (date June 2026) |
Onboarding | Prior to induction, all participants will be invited to a one-hour Onboarding Session on 14th,19th or 21st August 2025. |
The online resources are used to support personal development and develop management/leadership skills. You will be able to identify your own areas of development and to work through these at your own pace.
During registration, you completed a baseline assessment of how consistently you demonstrate 6 Health and Social Care Leadership Capabilities, which underpin integrated delivery for best public value across our system of social work, social care, health, third sector and partner organisations. There are 6 e-modules on these Capabilities, which are recommended pre-work for the programme, to deepen your self-reflection. The e-modules will not be referred to in the induction or the programme.
In addition, there are core online resources which have been designed specifically for participants of Leading for the Future to complete in preparation for each of the 5 modules, the induction, the skills development workshop and one of the masterclasses. A copy of the slides from each of these (excluding the masterclass) and optional supplementary materials for afterwards are provided also.
Throughout the programme, it is expected that you will access these resources and keep a record of your learning and reflections in the learning log, to help you sustain your learning in practice. To do that, download and save the Learning log in readiness for the induction, you will not complete this in advance. You will be asked to update this on every session and at the end of the programme, recording how you will/are 'measuring' your own achievement against your development goals, i.e.,
a) What difference will participation in Leading for the Future make to your own effectiveness in your leadership role?
b) What impact will this have on your team and on your organisation (or your part of the organisation)?
c) How are you going to support yourself to make the most of this learning experience?
You will also find a range of other resources available to you via the Leadership and Management Zone and Leading to Change which may be useful in developing your leadership and management practice.
The learning commitment is around 1.5 days per month over the ten months of the programme, which is a mix of pre-work for each event, engagement in the ten full day facilitated sessions and reflective practice afterwards. The events include:
The modules provide a blend of theory input, group dialogue, skills practice, and adaptive learning. The learning format is highly experiential. In each module, participants are introduced to concepts, such as “adaptive leadership” (see note 1 above), and then encouraged and supported, through their adaptive learning sets, to take turns at working through their live work-based “adaptive” or “wicked” issues, to put their learning of the theory into practice back in the workplace. Previous participants have found the work in the sets the most valuable aspect of the programme.
There will also be access to other national events and participants are recommended to check out Leadership Links for details of further national development activities and events which might be of interest.
Participants are encouraged to complete a 360 feedback tool based on the leadership capabilities. This will offer a useful benchmark for participants to consider how their colleagues experience them and think about what a development plan might look like for them in the context of participating in this programme. For more details on completing this tool, participants should speak to their local organisational contact or leadership@nes.scot.nhs.uk.
Access to 1:1 coaching may be available through your local organisation. Many organisations have developed their own internal register of trained coaches, accessed through your Organisational Development or Learning and Development departments. This is an optional element of the programme which may serve to complement participants’ learning and development on and beyond the programme.
Go to Induction or How to apply