Reaching Alignment to Unlock Growth

Healthcare providers end up sacrificing a large amount of revenue, hence growth, on preventable 'ego' clashes. The losses incurred often do not get directly attributed to the lack of collaboration among teams and team leaders, and hence this aspect of running an organization is mostly undermined.

If leaders do not have their finger on the pulse of various teams and functions, the growth gets stunted, and the momentum is stifled.

Hospitals perhaps lose more on account of lack of collaboration than by poor strategy. What is more worrying is that the damage is not noticed until it is too late.

A typical example in healthcare is - administrators and doctors locking horns over some issue, then overtly or covertly, denying each other much needed support.

Given the large diaspora of people and departments in hospitals, such gaps are rife across functions.

It is critical for leaders to create alignment in thoughts and actions across ranks. The journey may be long and tedious, but the results are worth.

What can be done? How can the distances be not only bridged, but amalgamated in a way that puts the organization in the fast growth lane?

Here is a simple framework:

Step I - Get everyone out of the denial mode. You cannot change a person or a team who does not see a problem in their actions. If we keep sweeping the snakes under the carpet, they will breed and soon there will be a bigger problem. The earlier it is called out, the easier it is to deal with it.

Step II?- Once the issue is on the table, it needs to be dealt with within well-defined structure. Leaders can moderate the discussion and uncover the underlying motives in a non-threatening environment. Honesty and transparency are a must for this structure. People can share openly about their own points of view, but at the same time cannot go overboard with name calling and blames. The timelines of the discussion are to be managed as well. This structure is crucial for a desirable outcome.

Step III?- If moderated well there will come a time when everyone's point of view has been heard and noted down. The leader or the moderator can recap these for everyone to know. It must be established within the group that whereas the views can be different, still everyone's views are valid.

Step IV - Now comes the time to move on to a higher purpose and establish a common, larger objective. This is where the leader or the moderator plays the most active role. The overall commitment that everyone can align on is established. It can be patient benefit, or organizational values, or revenue enhancement, or something else.

Once everyone has seen and consented on the higher purpose, they can then choose one of the three:

1. Give up their own point of view and align with the others for the sake of a higher purpose
2. Still maintain their point of view and invite others to reconsider and align with them
3. Suggest a brand new alternative for everyone to align on in order to the fulfil the common goal
4. Agree to disagree and move on. They can still keep their own point of view, but commit to keep it aside for the time being and support the other group's point of view. This is a generous and genuine gesture and not a show off. Backing the team and keeping personal views aside for a while can sometimes be the most powerful outcome in a situation.

Relentless implementation of this 'alignment framework' unlocks the much needed growth potential.

May be easier said than done, but I have witnessed and have been part of meetings where this was successfully executed.

In any case, the ultimate purpose of a leader is to galvanize people towards a common dream.

All the best.

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The author has been part of several healthcare business growth journeys for a period of 20+ years.

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