CASE STUDY
Change Leadership Capability Improves Healthcare Performance
Challenge
A large healthcare system with multiple hospitals and clinics was faced with a growing roster of required change initiatives to increase the organization’s performance. The leaders were worried about not being able to deliver the needed outcomes from these initiatives in a timely and cost-effective way. They needed a better approach to leading their changes that could be embedded across the entire system. They relied heavily on Project Management and Organization Development, but recognized that these approaches were not fully suited to the complex transformation they needed to make. They wanted an approach more inclusive of the people, culture, and evolving project requirements. A multi-disciplinary team was created to explore a better change method. Being First’s Change Leader’s Roadmap (CLR) methodology was selected as their approach to increase change leadership capability in the organization.
Solution
Our intent was to transfer our knowledge, skills and methodology to their project leaders, teams and internal practitioners so they could stand on their own to increase the effectiveness of their project outcomes. We started by piloting our approach for their Home Care initiative, which was both successful and aligned with their values and culture.
Next, we introduced the CLR to their leadership, and then to the change leaders of their most important initiatives. Given the positive outcomes they achieved, the team decided to license the CLR methodology so they could take full advantage of its breadth of resources and tailor it to their needs and culture.
The newly-hired director of change spear-headed the effort. We coached her regularly to ensure she had the deepest mastery of the CLR process and knew how best to tailor and apply it on the system’s projects.
Over the course of three years, we trained all their project leaders and teams in the CLR navigation system, including their Project Management and Organization Development practitioners. All trainings were project-applied. We also offered periodic learning clinics to ensure the best use of the CLR process and resources, and to optimize their change strategies and results.
In addition, we created a Change Integration strategy and team to address the interdependency issues among their initiatives of sequencing, pacing, potential conflicts, use of resources, and optimal communication and engagement strategies.
Results
- Change projects landed successfully, with minimal disruption to ongoing operations.
- Change projects had less emotional cost to their clinical and administrative stakeholders.
- Internal Project Management and Organization Development practitioners increased their ability to support line leaders going forward, using the CLR process and resources.
- Increased collaboration across the system by using the CLR as their common approach to change.
- Increased speed of implementation and optimized use of resources.
- Improved results in procedural effectiveness, policy, structural efficiencies, patient safety, and employee satisfaction.
- Early engagement of their stakeholders generated better adoption and sustainment of results.
- Increased their change leadership capability, including improved sponsorship and ability to set up projects for success from the beginning, with increased success of all subsequent initiatives.
