Boosting Healthcare Talent Management: A Case Study of Lily Hospitals' Success

This post is an adaptation of an original article from CTS ONA Insights, the ONA newsletter by Cognitive Talent Solutions

In today’s rapidly evolving healthcare landscape, the ability to identify and nurture high-potential employees, bridge leadership gaps, and foster an inclusive work environment is paramount. Lily Hospitals, a leading private healthcare network in Nigeria, faced these challenges head-on by implementing active Organizational Network Analysis (ONA) for its employees. This case study explores how ONA helped Lily Hospitals improve talent management, leadership development, and overall organizational performance.

Understanding Organizational Network Analysis (ONA)

ONA is a method for studying communication and collaboration patterns within an organization. By mapping out the informal networks of information sharing, support, and influence, ONA helps organizations identify key influencers, potential leaders, and areas needing improvement. For Lily Hospitals, ONA was the ideal tool to uncover hidden dynamics that traditional hierarchical structures might overlook.

Goals and Objectives

Lily Hospitals had several objectives when implementing ONA:

· Identify High-Potential Employees: The aim was to discover informal leaders who drive collaboration and innovation, beyond formal leadership roles.

· Address Leadership Gaps: To pinpoint areas where formal leadership was lacking and provide necessary training and mentoring.

· Monitor Diversity and Inclusion Dynamics: Ensuring that all employees felt included and supported in their roles.

The Solution: Implementing ONA

The data collection process for ONA at Lily Hospitals involved an online survey designed to capture informal interactions among employees. This survey focused on various aspects of internal collaboration, such as:

· Information Sharing: How and from whom employees obtain critical information.

· Personal Support: The network of individuals providing emotional and practical support.

· Technical Support: Sources of technical advice and problem-solving assistance.

· Inspiration: Identification of those who inspire and motivate their colleagues.

The survey results were consolidated within Cognitive Talent Solutions’ SaaS ONA platform, Cognitive Network Analyzer?, which generated automated executive summaries that were shared with stakeholders across the organization, ensuring insights were both scalable and actionable.

Results and Outcomes

The implementation of ONA at Lily Hospitals revealed significant organizational benefits, particularly in identifying informal leaders who were crucial in driving change initiatives. These key individuals emerged as central figures in the hospital's networks, enabling leadership to tap into their influence to guide successful transformation efforts. Additionally, ONA provided insights into areas requiring stronger engagement and support, particularly among employees on the periphery of collaboration networks.

Through the ONA process, leadership gaps were also identified, leading to the introduction of targeted training and mentoring programs that bolstered the hospital's leadership pipeline. The hospital gained a clearer understanding of diversity dynamics, which allowed them to implement more inclusive practices, further fostering a supportive work environment.

The improvements in internal collaboration, leadership development, and inclusivity contributed to enhanced performance and productivity across the organization, underscoring the impact of leveraging ONA as a strategic tool.

Testimonial

Dr. Austin Okogun, Chief Executive Officer at Lily Hospitals, shares his perspective on the impact of ONA:

"ONA has helped us identify informal leaders in our organization, information we have used to drive success in many of our change initiatives. It has also assisted in measuring employees' value perception among their peers, revealing significant insights that we are using to foster better collaboration among our team. I highly recommend CTS for their valuable contribution to our organization."

Conclusion

The case of Lily Hospitals exemplifies how leveraging ONA can transform talent management and organizational effectiveness in the healthcare sector. By uncovering and nurturing informal leaders, addressing leadership gaps, and fostering a more inclusive environment, Lily Hospitals not only improved its internal dynamics but also set a benchmark for other healthcare organizations aiming for excellence.