Core Skills in Job Planning

Be prepared, hold productive conversations and reach consensus

Effective services have sensible consultant job plans that are closely matched to attainment of important organisational objectives. However, those responsible for establishing job plans and holding discussions with their consultant colleagues find agreeing job plans one of the most stressful activities they have to engage in. This reflects the high potential for discourse in the job planning process, especially as we transition from a largely clinically-driven to a more balanced clinical-business-driven environment. This powerful programme de-mystifies the behaviour involved, takes a sensible approach to influencing and delivers a heightened ability to manage end-to-end job planning in a consistent, non-confrontational manner, giving consultants and managers alike the confidence to enter job planning discussions in an informed way with a positive attitude to creating a win-win for all.

• The context of job planning in a modern NHS
• Job planning as part of a departmental direction cascade – tying activity to goals and objectives
• Effective use of data

                 o Preparation – establishing overall workforce & programmed activities
                 o Matching the supply to the activity
                 o Looking at demand, capacity & activity
                 o How to analyse
                 o Comparable consultant effectiveness
                 o Where patterns & formulas are helpful and where they are not

• Achieving maximum benefits to all through Job Planning

                 o Commencing with a clear benefits statement
                 o Key questions to ask
                 o Resolving  common scenarios for maximum benefit

• Job planning conversations

                o Planning the discussion for the highest likelihood of success
                o Getting discussions off on the right foot
                o Holding structured discussions to improve collaborative objectivity
                o Impact of human needs and how to control for this
                o Impact of human wiring and how to adapt your approach
                o Effective influencing process – from art to science
                o Ensuring that stones are not left unturned – avoiding avoiding the unpalatable or difficult
                o Cementing agreement to ensure action and not backsliding

• Negotiation Skills for Job Planning

               o Special considerations for discussions you feel have the potential for discourse
               o Understanding the roots of discourse in job planning – more than just disagreement
               o The 4 stages of negotiation
               o Dealing with history
               o Being clear of your BATNA
               o Negotiation strategies to achieve win:win
               o Practical approaches to move them to ‘yes’
               o Overcoming ‘no’
               o Pit falls of negotiation
               o What’s right versus “I have rights”

• Job planning clinic – further issues and challenges