Catherine Hurst 💙

Public Sector Programme Manager, wife and mum to a strong willed 12 year old! Mainly work retweets but all views expressed are my own.

[Helen Bevan @HelenBevan]

Peer influence is the single most powerful driver of change adoption.

It’s something those of us working in change practice have long known: the trusted colleague who says "this worked for us"; the visible shift in practice from someone others respect; the informal chat that carries more weight than the top-down directive. Peer influence is change experienced through relationships, not instruction. And guess what? New research from @Microsoft (Nancy Bahm & colleagues) confirms that peer influence is also the most important enabling factor in AI rollout.

AI adoption is stalling. Uncertainty makes people choose caution over experimentation, so learning goes underground. When they see trusted colleagues use AI, adapt it to real work & share learning, they’re far more likely to regularly use it themselves. Without social proof, even the best infrastructure & training can’t drive progress.

The research data shows the importance of peer influence in AI rollout. A one standard deviation increase in positive peer influence raises the likelihood of being a heavy AI user by 8.9 % points, & increases the probability of using AI agents by 10.4 points. Leadership mandates have no direct effect on usage once peer influence is accounted for.

The conditions for change are clearer than ever. Culture, psychological safety & trusting relationships aren't "soft" enablers - they’re the powerful mechanisms through which change spreads. In their absence, even the best technology investments fail to scale.

Six actions for leaders of change:
1. Create visible learning environments: We can’t scale AI by urging adoption. We scale it by making experimentation seen, shared & socially safe. Learning channels, group forums & dedicated team spaces can make a big difference.

2. Model use publicly: Leaders who demonstrate their own AI use (including their failures) give others permission to try. Seeing a leader use AI in a meeting normalises it more powerfully than any communication cascade.

3. Build psychological safety first: Fear suppresses adoption. People who feared falling behind were less likely to experiment. Safety is not a precondition: it IS the intervention.

4. Invest in social capital: Trusted peer relationships are the channels that AI learning travels through. We must actively build connection within & across teams.

5. Encourage consistently, not in “bursts”. Heavy AI users were 4 times more likely to describe their leaders as "consistent" in encouragement. Lists of approved tools & mandated training modules do not build cultures of learning.

6. Carve out protected time for peer sharing: A standing 15 minutes in monthly team meetings to share AI prompts & real outcomes creates the informal learning loops that formal training never can.

The research confirms what change practice has long taught us: people change through their relationships, not through policy. AI rollout is just the latest, most visible proof.

https://t.co/C24IDaCaaJ

[Helen Bevan @HelenBevan]

Being able to walk away from a change initiative (often something we have invested huge personal effort in and feel passionate about) is a defining capability for leaders of change.

In change work, we celebrate the leaders who “push through resistance” and “never give up”. We talk less about the leaders who know when to stop – or walk away – from a change initiative altogether.

Sometimes that decision is about the work itself:
- The initiative is no longer aligned with organisational priorities.
- The context has shifted so much that the original case no longer holds.
- The effort required now far outweighs any likely benefit.

But sometimes, the decision is about the toll on the person leading the change:
- Sponsors are absent, inconsistent or obstructive, leaving us carrying the risk but not the authority.
- We’re repeatedly asked to “spin” the story or sidestep hard truths in ways that clash with our values.
- The behaviours rewarded around the initiative (blame-shifting, pressurising, tolerating poor behaviours) are the opposite of the culture we’re trying to build.

Walking away will rarely be applauded. It may look to some people like a lack of resilience or loyalty. Yet it can be an act of deep responsibility: to our own wellbeing, to our credibility, to the people we lead & to the people we are seeking to create better outcomes for.

Actions to reduce the risk of having to stop or walk away:
1) Name the conditions we need (sponsorship, resourcing, psychological safety) and pay attention when those conditions are chronically missing.
2) Build regular check‑ins with sponsors to test commitment, reset expectations and surface misalignments early, rather than absorbing them alone.
3) Set the change process up from the start as a series of “experiments” with clear hypotheses and time‑boxes, so we can make decisions about what to do next based on real data, not assumptions.
4) Hold structured learning huddles as a change team, focusing on “What are we learning? What needs to change in our approach? What should we stop?”.
5) Invite voices from outside the core project team (frontline staff, service users, partner organisations) into periodic reflection sessions to test whether the change still makes sense in their reality.
6) Create reflective space with others (coaching, mentoring, peer support) to notice when the work is eroding your own energy, integrity or wellbeing. The first rule of being an effective change agent is that “you can’t be an effective change agent on your own”.

As leaders of change, our legacy isn’t just the initiatives we drive to completion. It’s also the ones we have the courage and strategic insight to stop. Sometimes the best move is not to push through, but to step away.

See, for instance, @AdmiredLeaders on reactive quitting versus strategic quitting: https://t.co/piWZNM7DoA.

The graphic is by the brilliant @milanicreative.

[Catherine Hurst 💙 @HurstCath]

@JustEatUK how can you accept orders and say it will be delivered in 35 mins and then once you have taken payment change the delivery time to an hour and a half…how is that quick takeaway service

[University Hospitals Dorset NHS Foundation Trust @UHD_NHS]

Huge thanks to all our amazing #TeamUHD radiography professionals for your invaluable contribution to healthcare. You are the eyes of modern medicine, working with precision and dedication to ensure diagnostic imaging is a key part of patient care. Keep up the great work! 🤩

[University Hospitals Dorset NHS Foundation Trust @UHD_NHS]

Our newly updated 'Transforming Care Together' brochure is now available!

It shows how our sites are being transformed through a £500m investment. It also includes an updated timeline of the changes.

You can read it online here: https://t.co/PZitVjT2sw.

#TransformationTuesday

[University Hospitals Dorset NHS Foundation Trust @UHD_NHS]

It was great to welcome @danielelkeles, chief exec of @NHSProviders, this #TransformationTuesday to tour our BEACH Building at RBH with @S_HarringtonNHS and hear about our transformation plans.
He also met with our elective team to discuss the future of planned care in Poole.

[Siobhan Harrington @S_HarringtonNHS]

Yesterday we had our Trust Board meeting @UHD_NHS - we have patient stories that ground us. Rochelle & Avery came. At the Board we discuss negative & positive experiences. Rochelle described her positive experience in our maternity services - incredible 🙏always more to do

[University Hospitals Dorset NHS Foundation Trust @UHD_NHS]

This #TransformationTuesday, we're thrilled to celebrate our Capital Estates team for being shortlisted for Public Sector Organisation of the Year at the APM Project Management Awards 2025!

Their hard work has been at the heart of our transformation, and we couldn’t be prouder👏

[Action for Happiness @actionhappiness]

Remember to disconnect and recharge. Time offline brings peace of mind

Image: https://t.co/L6PuotvYtV

[University Hospitals Dorset NHS Foundation Trust @UHD_NHS]

Last month, our Medical SDEC team moved into their temporary home at RBH.
The new space is already helping relieve pressure on our ED, with many patients able to return home the same day.
Thank you to all involved💙
Read more here👉https://t.co/5dvCFz5tbf.
#TransformationTuesday

[University Hospitals Dorset NHS Foundation Trust @UHD_NHS]

Together with @DorsetHealth, we’re holding a drop-in event in the Royal Bournemouth's new BEACH Building reception on Wednesday 3 September. Chat to our Maternity Team about nutrition and exercise, vaccinations, pelvic health, and much more. Hope to see you there! 🤰🏼#TeamUHD

[Steve Killen @steviekillen]

Had the chance to talk to our local radio Dorset Coast Radio yesterday with @IsabelSmith01 all about the transformational change in Dorset.
https://t.co/e9Eu0Uudt3
Podcast link available for anyone who wants to catch some great music and hear all about the changes @UHD_NHS

[University Hospitals Dorset NHS Foundation Trust @UHD_NHS]

Our Interventional Radiology Team has opened a new Day Case Unit in the BEACH Building at RBH and welcomed their first patients today! This expansion helps meet growing demand and boosts capacity for procedures. Huge thanks and well done to everyone involved! 👏

[UHD Simulation @SimulationUHD]

🚸 First look at the journey from Paeds to Theatre 5 in the BEACH building! 🌊

This is the start of our paediatric transformation work — exploring routes, improving safety, and co-designing with staff. More to come 👣

#TeamUHD #Simulation #Paediatrics #BEACHbuilding

[University Hospitals Dorset NHS Foundation Trust @UHD_NHS]

The first modules for our new endoscopy hub in Poole have been delivered today🏗️
This £21 million hub, designed by @PandHSArchitects and @Premier_Modular, will help us improve patient care, and train @NHSDorset’s next generation of endoscopy professionals.
#TransformationTuesday

[University Hospitals Dorset NHS Foundation Trust @UHD_NHS]

Milestone moment at RBH!🎊
Today marks the ‘topping out’ of the Coast Building - an age-old tradition celebrating the moment a building reaches its highest point. Once completed by winter 2025/26, the facility will transform care for our growing community.
#TransformationTuesday

[University Hospitals Dorset NHS Foundation Trust @UHD_NHS]

Thank you to our #TeamUHD colleagues and patients for telling BBC about our new Emergency Department at Royal Bournemouth Hospital. Watch the full report today from 6.30pm on BBC One, South Today.

[Action for Happiness @actionhappiness]

Happiness is not something ready-made. It comes from your own actions

Image: https://t.co/SPdOLM56ZA