Day 1 – Co-production Translation Workshop

Improvement Work & Improvement Science from 1.0 to 3.0

Boel Andersson Gäre, MD PhD, is a professor of Quality Improvement and Leadership at the Jönköping Academy for Improvement of Health and Welfare, Jönköping University and the Senior Advisor in Clinical and Improvement research in Region Jönköping County. Her broad research interests include quality, safety, co-production and value, and is tightly linked to practice.

Synopsis

This symposium will explore the evolution of quality improvement in healthcare, transitioning from a hospital-centric model to a broader perspective that emphasises co-produced, person-centred health for all. The field of improvement science, which has developed alongside quality improvement initiatives, fosters collaboration among practitioners, patients, and researchers to enhance health and well-being. This multidisciplinary approach underscores the importance of co-production in health, necessitating the involvement of patients and populations in transforming healthcare systems. A significant shift in mindset is required from both patients and healthcare providers to align systems and leadership.

The ESTHER Network, born in the Jönköping Region in 1999, has become an internationally adapted model that features the co-production of person-centred health systems. The presentation will feature and celebrate the ESTHER Network journey from Jönköping to Singapore, and highlight key research findings of a local doctoral thesis.

Just Words?: The Socio-Cultural Underpinnings of Organisational Changes

Monika Allgurin, PhD, is a Professor of Social Work at the School of Health and Welfare, Jönköping University. Her research focuses on the processes and practices of inequality (re)production within various welfare contexts. She specialises in discourse and narrative analysis employed to understand the social worlds of people, organisations, and systems. Monika is one of the Editor-in-Chiefs for Nordic Social Work Research—a leading academic journal for social work research in the Nordic context.

Synopsis

Organisational change is often portrayed as a linear process driven by strategy, structure, and leadership. Yet beneath these formal mechanisms lie deep socio-cultural foundations that shape how change is understood, enacted, and sustained. Our discussion will explore the critical but frequently overlooked role of culture, values, shared meanings, and—most importantly—language in driving organisational transformation.

Ultimately, understanding the socio-cultural and linguistic dimensions of organisational life offers leaders and practitioners a richer, more nuanced approach to change management— one that acknowledges that transformation is not just planned or implemented, but talked into being.

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