Healthcare

Leadership Development at Top Cancer Center

Organization – Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York City

Issue – High potential staff retention and executive level position preparation. Need to reduce the number of high potential employees leaving the organization and increase ability of high potentials to handle executive positions in 5–10 years.

Outcome – 65% of program participants garnered promotions after their participation in the program. Additionally, results included a $4.6 million increase in revenue and a savings of several million dollars in potential lawsuits. Overall, there were noticeable increases in lateral or internal promotions, increases in staff longevity, inter-departmental camaraderie, and more employee initiative.

Process – Designed and developed the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center Leadership Development Program – a year long interdepartmental leadership program for high potential employees, including physicians, nurses, and administrative staff. The Human Element was the core of the year-long experiential program which included training, coaching, mentoring and action learning.

Consultant/Company – internal organizational development specialists and Ethan Schutz, Master Licensed Human Element Practitioner™

Country – U.S.A.

Improving Patient Satisfaction at a Large Specialty Hospital in New York City

Organization – A large specialty hospital in New York City

Issue – Patient satisfaction, as measured by one of the top two satisfaction measurement companies in healthcare, was below standards in the area of “person cleaning the [patient] room” (Environmental Services personnel). Patient satisfaction scores were tied to performance evaluation for managers. Efforts to make all equipment silent, reduce intrusions, etc. had no impact on scores.

Outcome – Patient satisfaction numbers increased following initial training to acceptable measures (90^th+ percentile of similar hospitals) and remained at or above acceptable levels for over six years following the start of the project.

Process – Two day plus one follow up day training based on The Human Element in Customer Service for all Environmental Services personnel including all managers, followed initially by monthly all-team meetings and follow up training. Later, a one-day refresher program was offered 6 months following the training program. All new employees entering the department receive the training and join the monthly meetings.

Consultant/Company – internal organizational development specialists

Country – U.S.A.

A National Leader in Mental Health Care Aligns for Growth and Service

Organization – Mental Health Center of Denver, Denver, Colorado, USA

Issue – The Mental Health Center of Denver (MHCD) needed to develop organization wide alignment and the discipline to assure the delivery of services “to every person in need.”

Outcome – By using the True Alignment framework, MHCD improved its focus on its mission, clearly defined its purpose and created an aligned longer-term vision. They developed a comprehensive training and coaching program for the development of strategically aligned leadership throughout the organization. They opened new facilities, including the innovative Center for Neuropsychiatry and a permanent supportive housing project. Additional achievements include:

• The ability to service a larger population. In eight years, MHCD grew to provide services to over 46,000 children, families, and adults and up from 15,400.
• Numerous awards, including the Top Place to Work award for four consecutive years. An Employee Well-Being program increased delivery of its mission to employees.
• Income grew over 54%, a result of the alignment of community and government entities to a mission and culture they identify with.

Intervention – This multiple year consultation included the assessment of brand intention and culture, and interventions to align the organization’s vision, strategies, and culture at the Board and executive level. As a result, for over a decade, MHCD embedded and developed its discipline of alignment at all levels of the organization.

Consultant/Company – Edgar Papke and The True Alignment Company

Country – U.S.A.

Medical Eye Center Doubles its Growth with an Accountable Work Culture

Organization – Medical Eye Center, Medford, Oregon

Issue – Partner conflict was stalling a successfully developing eye clinic’s growth as well as having a disastrous trickle-down effect on the work culture and employee engagement.

Outcome – Successful top-level interventions led to the Center more than doubling its original size and becoming the largest eye clinic in Southern Oregon. The Center now has a very high upper level retention rate — many of the C-suite staff have stayed for over 15 years. Over the past 19 years, Medical Eye Center has developed a very successful work culture that has led to a low lawsuit rate, a high employee retention rate, as well as an unusual rate of 17% “boomerang” employees who left and later returned, invariably citing the company culture as a major determinant in their decision.

Process – Accountable Communications Technology (A Human Element® based methodology) was introduced at the upper level of the organization through consulting, training, and executive coaching. The success of this led to an organization wide culture change — embedding the practice in the code of conduct, hiring, firing, and internal transitions. The central concepts of the methodology drive all partner, partner plus doctor, and manager retreats. The Center uses the approach to solve organizational problems while they are still small. It has been an integral part of all aspects of the work culture for over 19 years, producing results on all levels.

Consultant/Company – Thompson Barton, Barton White

Associates – Keith Casebolt, Licensed Human Element Practitioner, CEO of Medical Eye Center; Patty Casebolt, Licensed Human Element Practitioner, Clinical Director of Medical Eye Center

Country – U.S.A.

Organization – Guardian Veterinary Specialists, Brewster, New York

Issue – Dr. Jason Berg had a vision to open his own animal specialty hospital in a different way. It was important to him to treat people as people, not like the corporations he had worked for. He knew that by focusing on the people — both pet owners and employees, he would create a better hospital and a more successful business.

Outcome – Guardian Veterinary Specialists has grown even faster than expected over its first few years. By the end of three years, their quarterly revenue was over $5 million and growing, and they had served over 20,000 animals with referrals from more than 1500 different veterinary clinics.

Process – Dr. Berg reached out to The Schutz Company well before opening the hospital. As soon as the leadership team was hired, the whole team attended a Human Element program. By opening day, eight months later, the team had been using Human Element principles in all their meetings and strategic processes. Guardian formed a strategic partnership with The Schutz Company to ensure that the foundations of The Human Element were part of every aspect of Guardian’s operations. Since opening, Guardian uses The Human Element program as an onboarding for all new staff, and consultants sit in and consult to the executive team and leadership teams. Throughout the hospital, The Human Element is used for meetings to integrate the workings of different departments, manager training, and tied directly to the strategic planning and implementation of the organization.

Consultant/Company – Ethan Schutz, Master LHEP, President, The Schutz Company

Lorin Gold, LHEP, Principal, The Schutz Company

Country – U.S.A.