Before a hospital can achieve clinical excellence, it must foster a work environment that values learning.
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| Lee Ann Runy |
Health care organizations need to create an environment of continuous learning to achieve operational and clinical excellence. Effective leadership and superior quality depend on the organization’s ability to foster open communication, learn from mistakes, and put systems in place to measure results and seek continuous improvement.
Health Forum convened a group of hospital executives and industry experts July 13 in San Francisco to discuss how hospitals can foster learning and growth. The discussion identified three key components of a learning culture: a nonpunitive work environment; the delivery of a clear, consistent message; and identifying effective leaders.
Developing a learning culture depends largely on a nonpunitive work environment, the participants of the discussion agreed. “We learn a great deal from our mistakes,” said Bill Gracey, COO of LifePoint Hospitals in Brentwood, Tenn. “In a punitive environment, mistakes are not tolerated and everyone is afraid to report them.”
Added Bruce Lawrence, executive vice president and COO of Integris Health in Oklahoma City, “What we have tried to do over the last five years in our patient safety initiative is to say we are going to be a blameless culture. That does not mean you can make repeated mistakes. . . . But if they do occur, we will bring them out in the forefront and try our best to get at the root cause.”
Another key piece for a learning culture is a consistent message across the organization, the participants said. “We start by making sure that we have a clear overall vision,” said Gracey. “You have to communicate your vision and your agenda as simply and clearly as possible.”
Robert Reilly, general manager of GE Healthcare in Waukesha, Wis., agreed: “Complexity is the enemy of culture. The more you can simplify things, the better.”
Noted Al Stubblefield, president and CEO of Baptist Health Care in Pensacola, Fla., “The employees learn the organization’s expectations pretty quickly. They pick up on your ideals. If you are consistent with your message, if you don’t waiver, they will follow suit.”
The development of a nonpunitive environment and a clear, consistent message should help hospital executives identify key leaders within the organization to champion the cause, the participants said. These employees need to be embraced so they will share their thoughts and enthusiasm with their peers, and they require training so they can consistently project the organization’s message.
“You give your leaders the tools they need to keep the issue at the forefront and never let it fall to the wayside,” said Stubblefield. “Investing in leadership development is something that you have to start if you are going to make [quality and performance improvement] happen.”
Added Kurt Metzner, CEO of Mississippi Baptist Health System in Jackson, “It’s amazing how many really talented people we have in our organization. We try to tap into that talent and use it to educate the rest of the staff.”
Of course, there are numerous challenges to getting these three elements in place, the participants noted. The barriers can be overcome by involving the workforce in the process. Creating a sense of ownership and understanding will go a long way toward the development of a learning culture. “In order to be effective, cultural change has to start at the top and be embraced at the bottom,” said Lawrence.
A full copy of the discussion, “Creating a Learning Environment for Quality and Leadership,” is printed in the October issue of Hospitals & Health Networks and is available at www.hhnmag.com.
Lee Ann Runy is senior editor for Hospitals & Health Networks magazine.
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This article 1st appeared on October 17, 2006 in HHN Magazine online site.
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