A key task for leaders of change is to plan for emergence. This sounds contradictory. Emergence, by definition, cannot be fully predicted or designed in advance. However, planning for emergence is not the same as planning the outcome. It means deliberately creating the conditions, structures & relationships from which new, better ways of doing things can arise. In big complex systems like health & care, genuinely new ways of working do not typically arrive through detailed plans cascaded from the top/centre. They arise through the depth & strength of relationships between people working toward shared intent. This has big implications for how we approach improvement & transformation. Interactions alone are not enough. It is the QUALITY of relationships that determines whether those interactions generate something genuinely new, or simply reproduce existing patterns. Strong, trusting, reciprocal relationships create the conditions for new ideas to surface, be tested & take hold. This reframes what we need to prioritise as leaders of change. We typically invest heavily in frameworks, methodologies & governance structures. We invest far less in the relational infrastructure that makes these elements work. Yet evidence from effective change practice shows that relationships are not the soft backdrop to change. They ARE the mechanism. How we can build a “relational infrastructure for change”: 1) Audit the “relational health” of our systems: not just stakeholder maps, but actual levels of trust, psychological safety & reciprocity across boundaries 2) Design for connection before content: create conditions for people to build relationships before asking them to problem solve together 3) Invest in boundary-spanning roles & practices: connect across organisational, professional & community divisions 4) Slow down to speed up: time spent deepening relational understanding generates faster & more durable change 5) Treat relational breakdown as a system signal: when collaboration stalls, diagnose the relational dynamics, not just the technical problem 6) Build leadership capability in relational practice (“soft skills”): deep listening, holding space for difference & facilitating genuine dialogue are core change competencies, not peripheral ones 7) Create forums designed to strengthen cross-system relationships: not just share information or report progress 8) Measure relational quality as a leading indicator of change capacity alongside traditional delivery metrics This approach to change is not a rejection of rigour or accountability. It’s a more sophisticated understanding of how change actually works in big, complex systems. A tool I use it often in my own change practice (& share with others) is the “voices” model by Bill Bannear. It helps us reorient the work of change from designing the right plan to cultivating the right conditions: @bill.bannear/the-new-zeitgeist-relationships-and-emergence-e8359b934e0" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">medium.com/@bill.bannear/…
