Show success in numbers
Seeing may not be believing for all the skeptics on your staff, so you have to use hard data to back up successful steps toward change.
If you started recording various metrics before instigating the change, like UC Physicians did with the monthly scorecards, you’ll have a point of comparison to mark your progress.
Boat shares those results in a newsletter called Connected, which began as a monthly but was eventually spaced out to publish about every six weeks. The publication explains the re-engineering process, describes goals and uses data to offer progress updates.
The key is transparency but not so much that all of the data overwhelms your employees.
“You want to be fully transparent, but you can distill the data down into the important points and help interpret,” Boat says. “So in the communications you send out, you don’t just give them tables of data. You say, ‘We’ve collected the data, and here’s what it told us. Here is our reaction to that. Here’s how we’re using that information.’”
Within one year, for example, the company’s operating margins increased by about $4 million. They reached fiscal 2009 revenue of $231 million, up from $220 million the year before.
“Our ability to talk about where we’ve made progress has been important in keeping people engaged, No. 1, and making sure that they see that this is a trajectory they want to continue,” Boat says.
On a broader scope, simply keeping employees updated throughout the process keeps them involved, not to mention motivated.
“Once people began to see that we were able to achieve [growth], I think they felt more comfortable that we’re on track,” Boat says. “Being able to show people data certainly solidified their level of confidence.”
How to reach: UC Physicians, (513) 475-8000 or www.ucphysicians.com
