‘No secrets’ approach pays off in satisfaction
No secrets’ approach pays off in satisfaction
Imagine working in a health care organization where a "no secrets" philosophy guides the actions of all of its members. It would be a place where employees can simply scan a departmental bulletin board to see the latest month’s financial figures. It would be a place where the most recent data on quality measures, patient satisfaction surveys, employee turnover, and compensation changes flow freely. It would be a place where information on short- and long-term organizational goals and objectives is made readily available for all employees.
Places like this do exist. At Baptist Hospital in Pensacola, FL, and elsewhere, top managers have made internal communications a top priority, elevating it to the level of a "strategic" function within their organizations — and reaping benefits in the process.
Strategic functions embraced by all
For a function to be "strategic," it has to have two characteristics, says Lynne Cunningham, principal of Cunningham Associates, a Sacra mento, CA-based marketing research/strategic planning consulting firm serving a variety of health care clients.
"A strategic function is something that is consistently important throughout an organization," she says. There is also an individual perspective involved. "To be strategic," Cunningham says, "means that the function is important not only to the CEO, but also to all managers and employees within the organization."
When health care organizations give internal communications the status of a strategic function, they use a variety of techniques that enhance the free flow of information, she explains.
Some are subtle modifications to existing vehicles. For example, when internal communication is deemed strategic, the focus of the typical internal newsletter changes. "There is a shift from glitz to more immediate, timely, and useful information," says Cunningham, "and you are more likely to see it come out on a daily or weekly basis, as opposed to monthly or quarterly."
Other examples of how health care organizations have elevated the role of internal communication go well beyond simply making written communications more effective. They will also go to great lengths to connect directly with employees, both as a group and individually.
Free flow of all information
"Organizations like these hold frequent employee forums that all want to attend because they know that important information will be communicated," says Cunningham. And, at the same time, they will also institute programs where every employee gets some opportunity to interact with top management, she notes, such as having breakfast with the management team on the employee’s birthday.
Another hallmark of these organizations is a "no secrets" policy when it comes to information. "This means that there is a free flow of information on financial, clinical, and patient satisfaction throughout the organization," explains Cunningham, adding, "This can be a pretty scary concept for the average hospital administrator."
Baptist Hospital president Quint Studer says he isn’t frightened by the concept. It’s one of the linchpins of his management style, a way of running a hospital that recently earned him a write-up in Inc. magazine.
Baptist Hospital is widely recognized as an example of best practices in internal communications in a health care organization. "We treat internal communications exactly as we would any other strategic function," says Studer. "We’ve had more than 450 people come in and benchmark us in the past 14 months, and we go way beyond what most of them have ever even dreamed possible in terms of internal communications."
"Walk in the main employee entrance to Baptist, and the first thing you see is a banner that says, Through these doors pass the world’s greatest health care providers,’" says Studer. As employees move on, they walk past walls plastered with banners that reflect the organization’s values, such as "great attitudes make a difference." Further down the hallway are banners featuring direct quotes from patients, such as "I was treated in an outstanding manner. I tell everyone about Baptist."
Within each individual department is what Studer calls a "communications board." Every such board, he notes, features information about five key areas:
Service. Departmental employees can see the latest information on the hospital’s patient satisfaction surveys. Costs. In addition to departmental expenditure vs. budget data, this section of the board features any new cost-saving ideas submitted by the department, as well as the Baptist’s latest financials, "uncut, unfiltered, the same as the board of directors sees," says Studer. Quality. "I’m in a bedsore mode this year," says Studer. So, in this section, a running total of the incidence of bedsores by departments throughout the hospital is kept. People. Here, employees can view turnover statistics for Baptist, along with information on any recent changes in compensation and benefits. This section of the communications board is also used to help recognize exemplary performance by employees. Growth. This section provides employees with Baptist’s latest statistics on the hospital’s volume and market share.Each department in Baptist also has an easily accessible copy of its "90-day Workplan," a short-term departmental action plan, negotiated between the department leader and Studer, which sets goals, outlines means, and defines results. "We want to make sure that each employee knows what the manager is working on," says Studer. After all, "we operate under a no secrets philosophy here," he says.
Go into Studer’s office, and you will find at least one copy of the Baptist Hospital employee newsletter — a one-page weekly. "This kind of newsletter contains the very basic information employees want to know, such as which parking lot will be closed this week, that directly impacts them."
An important part of internal communications at Baptist is recognizing the outstanding contributions of employees, in a public and high- profile manner. "We work diligently to find people doing things right," says Studer, "and we do our best to make legends/heroes/champions out of them."
Encouraging new ideas, creative approaches
Once every quarter, Baptist holds what Studer calls an "employee forum," which he describes as "a combination information seminar and pep rally," that is held to disseminate information, recognize employee performance, and promote communication between departments.
Baptist employees are continually encouraged to come up with ideas to either save costs or do things better. "Every staff person who submits what we call a Bright Idea’ related to his work, or that of another department, is recognized with a certificate and a miniature light bulb attached to his nameplate," says Peggy Mika, Baptist’s director of community relations.
The communication of bright ideas internally is enhanced by avoiding the traditional "suggestion box," says Mika. Ideas are submitted to a committee, with one person dedicated to coordinating the process, she says. The manager of the originating/affected department is expected to act upon new ideas and promptly report back to the originating individual and the committee.
This process "empowers staff to look at the way they do things," says Mika. "And because it allows many ideas to be implemented right away, it makes people understand that their ideas have a lot of value — much more so than if we just used a suggestion box."
Baptist’s emphasis on the value of communication extends into the most basic of interactions. "We script’ more than anybody I’ve ever heard of," says Studer.
"Our employees have devised scripts for a variety of situations involving patients, such as what to say when you draw blood, or even leave the room," he says. At the same time, "We even script pay raises," adds Studer. "I’ve seen too many organizations where managers give out pay raises and then wonder why the employees don’t ever seem happy with them. So we script to make sure every leader is presenting them in the right way."
Like many hospitals, Baptist uses both in-house and outside resources to measure employee attitudes and patient satisfaction. Since Studer took over the reins of the hospital in 1996, "We have found that our employee attitudes have improved, while our service and patient satisfaction levels have gone up," he says. At the same time, "Our market share and bond rating have also gone up, while our risk exposure has gone down."
Studer says Baptist Hospital’s strategic approach to internal communications has made a contribution to these trends. "We definitely think there is a connection," he says. "Employees want the same things patients do. They want responsiveness. They want information. And they want it delivered with a great attitude."
Good things happen in health care organizations such as Baptist Hospital that put a strategic emphasis on internal communication, adds Cunningham. "Patient satisfaction goes up, and employee turnover goes down, while the bottom line and market share both improve." When employees feel they are valued and the administration effectively communicates that their contributions are important, they want to be a part of the team," she says. "And we all know that it is a lot more expensive to recruit and train new employees than it is to retain existing ones."
[For more information, contact:
• Baptist Hospital, Community Relations Department, 1300 W. Moreno St., Pensacola, FL 32501. Telephone: (850) 434-4893.
• Lynne Cunningham, principal, Cunningham Associates, Telephone: (916) 488-4574. E-mail: [email protected]]
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