When Becky Malby discovered that her local water provider was dumping raw sewage into the nearby river on a regular basis, she was outraged. So she helped setup a citizen science project to test the local water and found that it was full of dangerous pollutants, contradicting the study the water company had conducted which labeled the river water safe enough to drink.

Becky helps GPs within the NHS understand where the gaps are between those needing primary care and those who are making and getting appointments. As well as discussing bathing water status, Becky also outlines some of the systemic issues with primary care in the UK, and how she’s helping practises address them.

Takeaways from Pia and Dan

• If you approach a complex problem with a simple answer, you might end up worsening the situation.
• Humans need to connect differently to work against decisions made for the pursuit of shareholder profits.
• Adaptive challenges require adaptive leadership.

Links

• Theory U: Leading from the Future as It Emerges, by C Otto Scharmer
• Diatoms
• The Practice of Adaptive Leadership: Tools and Tactics for Changing Your Organization and the World, by Ronald Heifetz
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