Frontiers of Health Services Management - Spring 2013 - (Page 22)

active, engaged support of our board—not merely as observers but as active participants in our study of tPS (including a senior board member going on the initial trip to Japan)—we may never have been able to succeed to the extent that we have. Essential Leadership and Recruiting Tools given the enormity and complexity of the challenges healthcare organizations face, the need for strong leaders has never been greater. at virginia Mason, we are highly intentional in our development of leaders, and we rely on a series of proven processes and tools to maximize their development. as a Korn/ferry instiWithout the active, tute report found, “Human capital . . . may well be engaged support of our the single most important board—not merely as differentiator. competitors observers but as active can imitate each other’s participants in our study of products, processes, or TPS—we may never have services. ideas can be copied. What cannot be been able to succeed to the replicated is the sources of extent that we have. the ideas—the people. it is the organization’s people, or talent, that will provide a consistent edge over the competition” (orr, Sneltjes, and Dai 2010). at virginia Mason, the physician compact and the virginia Mason Production System (vMPS) are powerful recruiting tools. they make clear to prospective physicians and staff what is expected of them and what they can expect from the organization. We have found countless young physicians who see the compact, vMPS, and our strategic pyramid as pointing to a new “true north” for healthcare. the compact is a key element in both attracting and retaining the best people. in fact, many candidates arrive for inter- views armed with the compact and deeply familiar with it. clinicians at virginia Mason know they will be immersed in vMPS and go through a rigorous training program. Many leaders in all areas of the organization participate in at least one of the annual trips to Japan to deepen their learning. new virginia Mason board members are required to participate in a Japan learning trip at least once during their first three years on the board. Leadership Development and Compact our management method is an enormous strength for virginia Mason, and we rely heavily on both our strategic plan and our physician compact to support that method. But talent management through leadership development is essential, as well. We focus on aligning individuals’ capabilities with organizational needs to meet current and future business priorities, and we work diligently at talent development and succession planning to identify individuals with the potential to fill roles in the organization. talent management has not always been a strong competency at virginia Mason. We recognized our deficiencies in this area and came to view talent as an organizational resource. We felt it was our responsibility as a leadership team to identify, grow, and mentor our talent. We are committed to this work and allocate the resources needed to support our development efforts. learning from the success of our physician compact, we created a leadership compact as well, which helps shape our leaders’ expectations. the introduction to the leadership compact notes the document is “an explicit statement of the mutual obligations and responsibilities of 22 • f ro ntier s o f h ea lth s e r vic e s ma na g e m e nt 29 :3

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Frontiers of Health Services Management - Spring 2013

Frontiers of Health Services Management - Spring 2013
Contents
Frontiers of Health Services Management - Spring 2013
A Management, Leadership, and Board Road Map to Transforming Care for Patients
Pursuing the Perfect Patient Experience
Adapting to the New Healthcare Market
High Reliability: Truly Achieving Healthcare Quality and Safety
Making Lean Progress Last: Why Sustaining Excellence Requires the Right Leadership Framework

Frontiers of Health Services Management - Spring 2013