When I tell people that I do “innovation” at Catalysis I usually get some puzzled looks. This is often followed by questions like, “what is that?” or “what exactly do you do?” I don’t blame them, “innovation” has become a buzzword with a variety of meanings depending on who you ask. I want to explain what the term means at Catalysis, how it relates to process improvement, and share what I have learned over the past year and a half while following an innovative design process.
Innovation and process improvement exist for the same purpose; to create value for the customer or patient. Process improvement efforts focus on removing waste from current processes and reduce or eliminate defects. Innovation strives to add value by creating new products or services based on the needs of the customers. Continue reading →
The lean approach to organizational transformation seeks to create an environment that is conducive to empowering team members at the frontline.
While Executives leaders are learning their role in the lean improvement process, tools and techniques for driving process improvement are being taught and implemented at the frontline.
Executive leadership is working work hard to learn its role in this new environment. Although they are in a steep learning curve, they must simultaneously lead the organization forward. It is important not to forget the team members and their middle managers who find themselves in the crosshairs of all this change. Continue reading →
One of the first components needed in a management system is a way to look at your day. We call that our status sheet. It’s a daily check-in. It could be a huddle, it could be a conversation, whatever it is that you are doing, but it is at the front line and focused on identifying what is happening in the business today. How can you proactively think about your business in a way that solves problems before they occur? Continue reading →
Catalysis Healthcare Value Network member, New Hanover Regional Medical Center (NHRMC), serves as a hub for seven counties in North Carolina. The system consists of two hospitals and thirty-six physician practices. In 2018 Forbes named NHRMC one of the top employers in America -an honor that their CEO, John Gizdic, attributes to the engagement of their staff and the organization’s culture.
A significant part of engaging the workforce is allowing them to do meaningful work that aligns with the goals of the organization. When visiting NHRMC I saw first-hand their strong alignment and engagement between staff and physicians with their strategy. Continue reading →
Every now and then we need to step back and remember why we are putting all of this effort into culture transformation and process improvement. When I lose sight, I think back to four years ago when my youngest son was born and I felt the impact of improvement work from the patient perspective. Now I would like to share that experience with you.
It’s 10:30 pm and I am sitting wide awake in my newborn’s hospital room wondering if I will ever be able to take him home. It seems like we have been here forever and nobody is telling me anything; I am not even sure how serious my son’s condition is! I feel frustrated and powerless, so I just keep watching my baby from the rocking chair next to his incubator. He looks so small and alone; I just want to pick him up and hold him. Continue reading →
As a child I aspired to be a sports journalist. I used to look forward to Thursdays more than any other day of the week. Thursday was the day that my father’s Sports Illustrated magazine arrived in the mail. The excitement and anticipation I had for this delivery would cause me to run home from school and wait patiently by the mailbox for it to be delivered. I would read the magazine cover to cover in just a few hours.
Obviously, sports journalism was not the career path I chose and as an adult it is not as common to get that same feeling of excitement and anticipation about anything (except for maybe opening day of the new baseball season). However, as I boarded a plane to head to Kitchener, Ontario to visit Catalysis Healthcare Value Network member, St. Mary’s General Hospital, I felt that same childhood excitement and anticipation bubbling up. Continue reading →
The health care system I worked for began its lean journey as many organizations do; using lean tools and rapid improvement or kaizen events. We experienced huge improvements and were excited about our results. However, after about four years our operational managers started to express frustration that we were not sustaining breakthrough improvement. We realized that we had gaps in our approach to improvement.
That is when we began work to design and implement a lean management system. Developing the lean management system required us to move away from a project mentality for improvement to a system that builds a continuous improvement culture. The overall objective of a lean management system is to develop people to solve problems and improve performance. Continue reading →
Many healthcare organizations are coming to the realization that tool-based implementations are insufficient to sustain continuous improvement. This is leading organizations to take a principle-based approach to operational excellence.
Adopting a principle-based approach can seem daunting, and many leaders are not sure where to start. Here is some advice: Continue reading →
“We did a 3P for our last project, and it was HORRIBLE. I will never do another one again!” I heard this at a networking event not long ago, and I felt the need to know more. What went wrong? How was it approached? What did the process really look like? It made me wonder how many more people might feel this way and shy away from this kind of event after hearing about other experiences like this one. How many organizations replicate this “less than ideal” version of 3P – the one without true transformation, quality results, and champions - without even realizing what they missed?
Saying 3P's aren't valuable is like saying "I hate shovels!"Continue reading →
As a leader preparing to go to gemba or connecting with staff at huddle, the emphasis is often placed on crafting that perfect question. While having a good first question is important, I would like to suggest that it is not as important as what comes next.
Your reaction to the answer could overshadow the question and will impact what those you are coaching take away from it. Continue reading →
