Management Consulting In Healthcare Newsletter
Planning for Tomorrow's Success August 2007

Identify, Then Support Your Rising Stars!

 

It takes more than talk to develop a successful new manager and the cost of failure can be high for both the organization and the individual

 

Healthcare executives often face a dilemma when considering physician, nurse and other candidates for promotion to management.  They want to find people with clinical skills that will be respected by their peers and subordinates, yet they require the management skills necessary to run multimillion dollar departments in today's very competitive environment.

 

In the past, healthcare providers have had two alternatives - they could do nothing, the sink or swim approach or they could send newly promoted managers to a seminar, generally with strangers and generally with the topic of the moment heading the agenda.

 

Senior management needs a new, practical way to provide management education tailored to the organization's specific needs, utilizing its policies, taking place on site, with ongoing mentoring and follow-up.

 

Start the process with an assessment to uncover organization and individual specific needs, goals and issues.  You may want to utilize independent consultants who will then meet with the new manager to assess their needs, experience and plans.  The result should be an individualized course outline which will be fine tuned and followed for a full year.

  

Using real life examples and mini cases from actual healthcare provider organizations, the new manager will grow in confidence, testing out new techniques while being able to fall back on their internal mentor and external consultants as well as other senior managers for support and feedback.  It's a true win-win.

Quote of the month...

 

I don't want to achieve immortality through my work. I want to achieve it through not dying.

 
Woody Allen

 

 
Greetings!
 
WELCOME!  This second newsletter explores mission effectiveness. Do share your ideas, opinions and thoughts with me. You can do this by emailing me and/or by responding to this month's survey.  Please participate if you can.

One more thing... forward this newsletter to others you think might be interested.
 
Thank you.
 
Ken Bast
 

HOW DO YOU KNOW IF YOUR ORGANIZATION IS REALLY MISSION DRIVEN?

 

Are You Measuring Mission Effectiveness?

 

One of the most common sayings in healthcare is "No margin, no mission."  Although that is true, having a healthy margin is no guarantee that the organization is meeting its mission.

 

Sometimes it is good to stand back and ask what your "real" mission appears to be.  In many cases you will find that the unstated mission is economic survival or beat the other guys or something else equally vague.

 

Most organizations review and perhaps update their mission from time to time.  Very few even attempt to measure mission success or effectiveness.  Before you attempt to measure mission, you may want to take some time and ask the people who are important to you what they think the mission is.  For example, ask:

 

  • Patients, residents, families and customers
  • Employees
  • Physicians
  • Community leaders
  • Board members

 

 

You might be surprised at their observations.  Have you ever asked, not told, them about your mission?  Do they know the goals of this planning period relative to mission?  Is there a disconnect between what is stated and what is actually done day to day?

 

Say you are recruiting a new board member.  You show them the audited financials; you discuss the strategic plan and the mission.  Do you have a way to demonstrate how successful the organization has been in carrying out the mission?  Do you have current goals measures?

 

Can you show new physicians, new board members, new employees the following?

 

  • How you want patients, residents, customers to see the organization?
  • Which specific internal processes are critical to success?
  • What critical values, skills and technologies employees and the organization must possess?
  • How progress toward mission is tracked and measured?

 

Here are some first steps to take toward measuring mission effectiveness:

 

  • Translate the mission and strategy into operational terms.
  • Align the entire organization (top to bottom) to the mission and strategy.  Every department, every employee, every day.
  • Make this a continual process by linking it to information systems and budgets.

 

How is your organization measuring mission effectiveness?  Email me with your thoughts and comments.

Check the Website.
 
www.MgtConsultinginHealthcare.com 
 
Email Me.
 

 TAKE THIS MONTH'S SURVEY

Mission and mentoring in your organization.

http://survey.constantcontact.com/survey/a07e24lql1qf3z8zqz1/start

 
July Survey Results...
 
Do your employees know your organization's strategy? 
 
40% Yes, they're actively involved.
 
25% They don't have a clue.
 
5%  We don't want them to know.
 
15% Other.
 
15% No Response(s)
 
COMMENTS
It is imperative they are involved in order to successfully drive the mission of the organization.
 
We're floundering around trying to keep up with business, sell new business, and manage what business we have ... we have no clear sense of strategy
 
UNFORTUNATELY I DON'T BELIEVE WE HAVE DONE ENOUGH TO HELP OUR STAFF UNDERSTAND WHAT WE ARE STRIVING TO ACCOMPLISH OR OUR STRATEGY TO GET THERE