Healthcare Leaders Are Up to Bat!

By Beth Boynton, Jim Mecir, & Ellen Schnur

If Only Healthcare Teams Were Like Machines

Wouldn’t it be nice if healthcare was a simple, mechanical system like a baseball pitching machine?   All the parts work together smoothly to send out perfect pitches every time, and if a part breaks, it can be repaired or replaced. 

Of course, people are not machines, and any system that involves human beings and their interactions is not so simple.  They are part of a human Complex Adaptive System (CAS) and leaders who understand this will help ensure critical outcomes.

In this article I relate my conversations with former Major League baseball Pitcher Jim Mecir, and his business partner, Chief Innovation Officer at ImprovTalk, Ellen Schnur.  Together we lay out  why it is important for leaders to understand complex adaptive systems, and how Medical Improv can help. 

Healthcare Is All About Human Interactions

Hospitals,nursing homes, doctors offices and surgical teams involve humans who provide care to other humans and their friends and families who receive it.  The services are heavily based on interactions between professionals, administrators, vendors and with consumers. These interactions impact all of our critical outcomes including: patient safety, patient experience, and workforce health.

It is impossible for leaders to control all of these interactions with outdated, top-down, authoritative command leadership.  They need a new approach that empowers employees with skills that help them adapt, respond, and interact with others in ways that create the best outcomes for everyone involved.  

Even On Baseball Teams

Although baseball seems to be an individualistic sport, there is a vast amount of human interaction behind the scenes that can affect the outcome of games and even the health of players. 

During the baseball season minor injuries can turn into major injuries because of a lack of communication between the player and trainer.  If a player feels like he needs to prove himself he may play through the pain of an injury, not telling the manager about it.  Even if the player tells the trainer, the trainer might not stress to the manager that the player needs to rest because they are only worried about winning. 

When you have a culture where winning is the only objective, and the health of players doesn’t matter unless they are a superstar, serious problems like overuse and burnout often occur.

When it comes to healthcare, we know that problems with communication and behavior underlie problems with patient safety, patient experience, and workforce health. 

Leaders Have Impact

Understanding your own impact on your team is crucial.  Ignoring a staff member as you walk down the hall could send them into a tailspin of worry.  Maybe you were scowling and didn’t realize it and the employee thinks they did something wrong.  

Maybe you are running a meeting and you only have a small amount of time to impart information. You don’t take the time to allow for input from everyone on the team.  You don’t notice a few angry or dejected  faces as you run off to your next meeting.

It takes practice to become a leader who understands how their own behavior impacts others.  Applied/Medical improv is a terrific way to become more aware and to have a more positive impact on your team.  

Whether Baseball, Business or Healthcare

Whether it’s baseball, business or healthcare, understand that improving communication and promoting positive relationships is essential for best outcomes.  To understand how human complex adaptive systems work and continuously find tools that empower staff to be their best.  

Medical Improv  gives leaders and teams tools that promote healthy human interactions within complex adaptive systems.We believe that leaders who employ this strategy will be hitting the ball out of the park!