Getting It Done: Experienced Healthcare Leaders Reveal Field-Tested Strategies for Clinical and Financial Success by Cohn Kenneth;Fellows Steven A.;

Author:Cohn, Kenneth;Fellows, Steven A.;
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Health Administration Press

Senior-Level Buy-In

As a first step toward our objective, I brought the two CEOs and two members of their senior leadership teams together. The CEO of Monroe, a former physician, had been in his position for many years. He was well respected by his colleagues and approached his work as a wise statesman. Haddon employees perceived him as someone slow to make decisions and more focused on developing consensus. The CEO of Haddon was a middle-aged, strong administrative leader who was well respected by his employees. Monroe employees perceived him as calculating and less interested in the welfare of patients.

During the initial leader-to-leader dialogue, the leaders expressed their hopes and reservations about a more collaborative relationship. They openly shared their fears about the consequences of continued conflict and agreed to explore the possibilities of a more collaborative arrangement. Through this discussion, the CEOs discovered that the organizations had common values that could support a healthier bond; they both endeavored to do what was best for their patients and to preserve their hallmark high level of care. Most important, they realized the value of the other.

Both leaders agreed that greater collaboration would not happen simply by official decree. It would require leaders and managers lower in the organization chart to trust their counterparts and develop more effective ways of working together. They, too, had to realize that though the organizations competed with one another, they would also need to collaborate more than they had in the past.

During this initial leader-to-leader session, the senior leaders decided to call a joint forum of 40 managers, directors, and physician and administrative leaders from each organization to create a powerful platform for change. I was appointed as the facilitator. As they worked on the agenda for this one-and-a-half-day forum, I saw the relationships between the senior leaders grow. When they announced the forum, employees of both organizations dubbed the event as nothing more than a “kumbaya” feel-good session, believing that nothing could ever unseat the historically high levels of distrust between them.

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