At the Becker’s Hospital Review 5th Annual Meeting, Chad Carden, president of The Carden Group, and Steffani Webb, vice chancellor for administration at the University of Kansas Medical Center, defined people as the first, and most essential, asset in healthcare and shared their experience of breathing life into the KU Medical Center workforce.
“We know that 71 percent of people come to work disengaged,” said Mr. Carden. “My focus is on people. They drive change within an organization.” When Mr. Carden partners with an organization to spark a change he does not offer answers, but asks three questions.
• Do the employees have a focus?
• Do the employees have clarity?
• How would the employees answer those questions?
Ms. Webb joined KU Medical Center 10 years ago and immediately observed a lack of energy and engagement on the campus. Three years ago, she stepped into her role as vice chancellor of administration and prepared to tackle the problem. “If there was ever a way to transform this organization it would be through energizing the workforce,” she said. Here is the three-pronged approach that is revolutionizing the culture of KU Medical Center.
Employee alignment
Organization-wide values and goals propel a hospital forward, but if employees do not know what those values and goals are a hospital can stagnate. “At KU we helped everyone understand how they impact the organization. We created purpose,” said Mr. Carden. “Until you accomplish this you will never move in the right direction.” Beginning at the individual level and moving up to the department level and overall hospital level, are the ultimate goals the same?
Clarity
Do employees understand what is expected of them to embody the hospital’s values and to achieve its goals? Define each step including:
• Responsibilities
• Action steps
• Accountability
• Expected outcomes
While each of these elements is necessary to elicit the desired performance from employees, demand without return is unsustainable. Hospitals need to make deposits, as well as withdrawals from employees’ emotional bank accounts, said Mr. Carden. Clarify that success is a shared vision.
Shared leadership
Ms. Webb began a leadership program at KU Medical Center. “It was absolutely essential to change the leadership culture on the campus,” she said. The program was designed to equip the medical center’s leadership with the ability to build an environment of employee empowerment.
But as the program progressed, Ms. Webb realized it would benefit everyone and the program extended to include frontline staff. “We mix people from all levels and all areas,” she said. “It builds a sense of community and a common language.”
“Organizations like ours are focused on numbers, but you can’t move numbers directly,” said Mr. Carden. “Numbers move when organizations are a fantastic place to work.”
More Articles on Employee Engagement:
Improving Employee Engagement in Healthcare: Q&A With Author Vicki Hess
3 Must Haves for Sustainable Employee Engagement
Is Your Hospital a Great Workplace? To Get the Answer, Look in the Middle