Stories

Tag: trust

  • World Health Summit: to rebuild trust in global health, invest in health workers as community leaders

    World Health Summit: to rebuild trust in global health, invest in health workers as community leaders

    Discussions at the World Health Summit in Berlin this week have rightly emphasized the role of health workers, especially those directly serving local communities.

    Health workers stand at the intersection of climate change and community health.

    They are first-hand eyewitnesses and the first line of defense against the impacts of climate on health.

    There is real horror in the climate impacts on health they describe.

    Read the Health Worker Eyewitness reports “Climate change and health: Health workers on climate, community, and the urgent need for action“ and “On the frontline of climate change and health: A health worker eyewitness report”.

    There is also real hope in the local solutions and strategies they are already implementing to help communities survive such impacts, most often without support from their government or from the global community.

    There is no alternative to the health workforce as the ones most likely to drive effective adaptation strategies and build trust when it comes to climate change and health.

    Their unique value stems from several key factors:

    1. Firsthand experience: Health workers witness the direct and indirect health impacts of climate change daily, providing valuable insights.
    2. Community trust: As respected figures in their communities, health workers can effectively communicate climate-health risks and promote adaptive behaviors.
    3. Local knowledge: Their deep understanding of local contexts allows for the development of tailored, culturally appropriate solutions.
    4. Existing infrastructure: Health workers represent an established network that is already having to respond to climate change.

    As Dr. Maria Neira from the World Health Organization emphasized at Teach to Reach 10 in June 2024: “We need to use our voice, the power of the voice of health, to convince governments to do three things. First, accelerate the transition to clean sources of energy to stop this disaster. Second, to accelerate the transition to sustainable food systems. And third, to accelerate the transition to better planning of urban areas…” Learn more about Teach to Reach.

    However, current global health investments often overlook the potential of health workers.

    Furthermore, there is a tendency to see them as instruments to implement national plans and policies and recipients for knowledge about climate change that they are assumed to be lacking.

    This fails to recognize the potential of health workers to lead, not just execute plans, in the face of climate change impacts on health.

    It also fails to recognize the significance and value of local knowledge and experience that health workers hold because they are there every day.

    A shift in focus could make health workers the most obvious “best buy” for governments and international funders.

    By investing in health workers as agents of change, we can leverage an existing, trusted workforce to rapidly scale up adaptation efforts and rebuild trust in global health initiatives.

    One innovative model developed by The Geneva Learning Foundation has shown promise in this area, connecting over 60,000 health practitioners across 137 countries and reaching frontline government staff working for health in conflict zones and other challenging contexts.

    This approach not only maximizes the impact of climate-health investments but also strengthens health systems overall, creating a win-win scenario for global health and climate resilience.

    Image: The Geneva Learning Foundation Collection © 2024

  • Renaissance

    Renaissance

    For decades, learning in global health has depended on a conventional model premised on the scarcity of available knowledge and an emphasis on establishing mechanisms to transmit that knowledge from the center (capital city, headquarters) to the periphery (field, village, training room).

    With the Internet, scarcity disappeared. But the economy of high-cost, low-volume training has persisted, with little or no accountability. Worse, transmissive training – replicating the least-effective practices from physical spaces – began to proliferate online in video-based training and webinars.

    That economy need to be rebuilt in a digital-first age. It requires a new, long-term infrastructure.

    The platforms that could do this are the ones that deeply care about the people they reach, with teams who understand that trust in boundless digital spaces must be earned. It has to come from the heart.

    The quality of content also matters, but it is not sufficient.

    The quality of conversation in the network – as well as the quality of the ‘pipes’ that connect those in it – matter more.

    So does the quality of the relationships, both between the team and its members, but – perhaps even more so – between its members. 

    There are a number of digital platforms that are trying to connect health workers. In aggregate, it is going to work. 

    The fledgling efforts have been about how to reach people. The next phase is going to be about rebuilding the knowledge and learning engine that can drive not just performance and results, but also renew meaning and purpose.

    This rebuilding will be based on trust. And on transferring ownership from those who initiated these platforms to those who need them.

    Trust does not happen because a platform is easy to use. It does not happen because great content is being offered. It is not about getting the “user” to click the “register here” or “join now” calls to action. 

    We have seen what happens when social media customers are advertisers rather than content creators. 

    What is the business model for digital health education?

    Competition in digital health education can foster a Renaissance for global public health.

    We need platforms to succeed if we do not want to remain in the Dark Ages.

  • Party time

    Party time

    “Everybody in a fun environment knows more of each other.”

    We interact at a human – not only utilitarian – level to form social spaces in which we can build friendships that foster and reinforce the trust we have in each other’s work. Despite frequent mission travel, when and where team members are in the same physical location, they report a variety of shared social activities, described as “opportunities to interact”. The value of such social activities is recognized as fostering trust and friendship. Social events organized more formally by the team during work hours legitimize the value of our social interactions. We also recognize that there may be times when we are not available for socializing.

    Photo: Party time (Thomas Hawk/flickr.com)

     

  • Learning is in the network

    Learning is in the network

    “I knew them very well. That’s why it worked. Because we do work together.”

    We take responsibility for our own learning, yet keenly aware of the value for learning of engaging with others. It is when we find ourselves alone or isolated that we may best perceive the value of connecting with others for learning.

    One of the justifications for working in a silo is a very high level of specialization that requires being fully-focused on one’s own area of work – to the exclusion of others.

    We form networks of informal learning and collaboration in our team, with other departments in the headquarters, with the field, and with people and organizations outside the organization.

    Asking people is often faster than sifting through information.

    Technology facilitates building and sustaining small networks of trusted colleagues, large formal working groups, and more anonymous forms (mailing lists, discussion forums, etc.) that keep us connected.

    In our volatile working environment, what we know (usually thought of as content-based knowledge) is replaced with how we are connected to others. That is how we stay current and informed.

    Networks are a powerful problem-solving resource that people naturally turn to when they need help. We rely on small, trusted networks to accelerate problem-solving (learning).

    Photo: Door at base of silo (Astrid Westvang/flickr.com)

  • Mind the gap

    Mind the gap

    How do we establish a mentoring relationship? What do we do when we identify a knowledge or performance gap in a colleague? This is a sensitive issue. Pointing to a gap is more likely to lead to a productive process when mutual trust is a pre-existing condition.

    When we mentor a colleague, we rely on our relationships as peers and our shared values. We deploy a range of context-specific approaches.

    We use sophisticated strategies to provide support while respecting silo boundaries, personal pride, and limitations circumscribed by institutional culture.

    When we establish a mentoring relationship, we take a careful, considered approach, respectful of the other person’s experience and context.

    Developing mentoring is easier in smaller teams.

    Because the concept of “mentoring” implies different levels of experience, we emphasize mutual support between peers.

    One recurring gap is the lack of knowledge or experience in the organization or industry. Those of us who have a long affiliation feel a responsibility to induct “outsiders” to the values and practices we share.

    We feel responsible to our colleagues, whether or not they are our direct reports. Our ability to collaborate is improved when we help others address gaps.

    Photo: Under the Bridge (Kim Hill/flickr.com)

  • Trust

    Trust

    The strategies we use to anchor and filter rely on building trust in our working relationships. Learning together is grounded in a shared culture of openness and trust. For example, we trust each other to keep communication to the point. We mobilize different networks of trust, internal and external, based on need. This mutual trust is important as it provides for fast updates, problem-solving, and other forms of dialogue and inquiry – while limiting exploration and avoiding excessive detail.

    Photo: Ahu Tongariki, Easter Island, the Navel of the World (Yulin Lu/flickr.com).