A series of virtual sessions is underway to support one of the Office of Population Health/VHAN’s 2020 strategic aims: Change Management for Network Engagement. The first three sessions, led by David Posch and Stephanie Brodtrick, Ph.D., focus on managing change, psychological safety and teamwork.
Change is a critical component of all organizational development and evolution, and an organization’s capacity to change in response to its environment is of vital importance to its success. Change is inherent in honing our core mission of leading transformation in healthcare delivery—improving the health of individuals and communities today and inventing new ways to serve tomorrow.
The Oct. 20 session began with thoughts from John Kotter, a thought leader in organizational change and Professor at Harvard Business School. He urges the embrace of both “hearts and minds” when working together to accomplish meaningful change. (Watch his “Heart of Change” video here.)
Session leaders underscored that psychological safety, defined as a person’s feeling or belief that a work environment is safe for interpersonal risk-taking, is fundamental to change work. The workplace should be one in which employees feel comfortable asking for help, sharing concerns, and revealing their own mistakes without fear of embarrassment or retribution. However, psychological safety does not just mean being nice to one another or agreeing with others.
To prepare the group for the breakout session, Dr. Brodtrick shared a video, Three Ways to Create Psychological Safety in Healthcare, from Amy Edmonson, Novartis Professor of Leadership and Management at Harvard Business School. The video sparked great discussion on ways to create a stronger sense of psychological safety in our interactions—even when tough issues have to be addressed.
In the Oct. 30 and Nov. 3 change management sessions, Dr. Brodtrick will further discuss psychological safety and the importance of teamwork. Psychological safety is the No. 1 predictor of team success in managing change. The discussion will center on ways to encourage and reinforce effective teamwork behaviors. The different stages of team development will be explained so that actions can be taken to increase trust, collaboration and communication.
The sessions will also focus on how effective teamwork requires inclusiveness—understanding, appreciating and embracing the differences among team members. Session leaders and participants will work to identify challenges and solutions to move us toward inclusiveness and team success. Informing the discussion will be Laura Liswood’s book, The Loudest Duck: Moving Beyond Diversity While Embracing Differences to Achieve Success at Work.
Please mark your calendar for the upcoming sessions:
- TODAY, Oct. 30, 1-2:30 p.m.
- Nov. 3, 8-9:30 a.m.
- Nov. 20, 1-2:30 p.m.
- Dec. 1, 8:30-10 a.m.
- Dec. 16, 9-10:30 a.m.
Sessions will build on each other, so plan to attend all. If you miss any, minutes and PowerPoints from each session will be accessible on Teams for your review.