Communicate the changes
You obviously can’t involve each employee in every decision. But employees must be clued in on the process that is taking place.
“You have to communicate while you’re (making changes),” Olivia says. “You have to be consistent.
“You can’t ever give up and quit. You have to communicate with people why you’re doing it and why (goals) have to be accomplishable throughout the organization. You need to get enough people on board to really move the organization forward. You’ll never have 100 percent agreement with what you need to do — nothing will ever be accomplishable if you have to have 100 percent agreement — but you have to have enough key people to believe in the direction of the organization in order for it to be successful.”
As changes were coming to fruition, Olivia presented them. To get employees to buy in to the newly formed vision, he scheduled a series of town-hall meetings and outlined a path for becoming a superior organization by the end of the decade. He pointed to specific goals, such as becoming a leader in quality and patient safety, and challenged employees.
“I appealed to them and said, ‘Do you want to be part of an organization that you can take your family member to and say this organization provides the highest personalized care in the safest environment in this country? Because that’s what I’m asking you to do — I’m asking you to do it for the patients that come in, and I’m asking you to do it for yourself and your family because you use our services,’” Olivia says. “That, I think, is a motivator. You can’t motivate people to come to work and say, as some do in the health care industry, ‘Come in here and make us as much money as possible.’
“Every business has an ennobling purpose. You have to find out what that is and get your people engaged in that because that’s really why we’re here.”
That motivator, that ennobling purpose that allows for buy-in, becomes evident when you ask employees to help you develop the organization’s purpose, mission, vision and values. And those same people who helped you define your direction, must also help you communicate it. As the leader of the organization, communication can’t be left up to you and your direct reports. You need multiple levels of key stakeholders to help spread the word, as well as multiple forms of communication. Every other week, Olivia sends out internal communication detailing the system’s progress and where improvements are needed.
“You have to be consistent, and you have to be repetitive with your message,” Olivia says. “How do you build trust? Trust builds with deeds over time. It’s built with honesty and consistency.”
Olivia continues to work toward turning around the health system. In June, the organization announced the consolidation of Allegheny General Hospital and The Western Pennsylvania Hospital, which could cost as many as 1,500 employees their jobs. The announcement came after West Penn Allegheny reported an operating loss of $11.6 million for the nine months ending March 31.
For fiscal 2009, the system had total revenue of $1.6 billion, up 7 percent from the previous year. That same year, it also posted an operating loss of $38.5 million, an improvement over fiscal 2008, when the operating loss was $88.8 million.
In all, there’s been serious financial and directional progress.
“We have a much clearer direction now as an organization,” Olivia says. “Put aside our financial improvement; we have a clear direction on where we’re headed and why.”
How to reach: West Penn Allegheny Health System, (877) 284-2000 or http://www.wpahs.org/
