There Is No “I” in Team: The Value of We

As they say, “There is no ‘I’ in team.”

A recent post in H&HN entitled “Creating a Culture of ‘We’ Leads to Health Care Value,” addressed this very point. The author, Jack McNamara, points out that in healthcare today, there is an overarching strategic imperative to develop and embed a culture of value throughout the enterprise. And who does that include?

It should include everyone. The concept of the “mutuality of interests,” developed nearly 100 years ago by sociologist and theorist Mary Parker Follett, states that this mutuality is built not on the Golden Rule, but on the principal that when those working together share the same interests, the quality of work improves, and there is less waste.

When the Low Hanging Fruit Has Been Picked, What’s Next? Value!

New reimbursement models have forced hospitals and health systems to go after all of the low hanging expenses they can. But cost-cutting alone—stuff and staff—will not produce the total savings needed. A recent article in HealthLeaders points out that successful healthcare organizations are taking a much closer look at their supply chain in order to create strategic savings opportunities.

In the article, Steve Cashton, director of purchasing and contracting at Boston-based Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC), a teaching hospital of Harvard Medical School, says, “You really can’t cut your way to success by reducing staff so we started looking at where we can improve our margins with the supply chain.”

Quality

There Is No “I” in Team: The Value of We

When the Low Hanging Fruit Has Been Picked, What’s Next? Value!