Seven keys to creating strong teams
Proven tips from successful partnerships
If you're just starting out in your physician/ administrator team (see related story, p. 117), here are some tips from two organizations that have benefited from good partnerships:
1. Have clear expectations.
From day one of their relationship, Mike Abell, MHA, MEd, FACHE, president and CEO, and Ken Cummings, MD, executive vice president for physician integration and services at Carondelet Health in Kansas City, MO, knew what to expect from each other. They spent many uninterrupted hours talking and writing out goals, position descriptions, and performance requirements. Cummings suggests you also include something of the relationship between meeting expectations and financial rewards.
2. Meet regularly.
Initially, face-to-face meetings between the team should occur weekly, Cummings advises. That allows you to check up on progress toward your goals, as well as to discuss problems when they arise. Now he and Abell meet monthly, although there are more informal meetings and plenty of telephone contact.
3. Present a united front.
One of the key reasons Abell and Cummings think they have been successful is because they present a united front. "In every decision we have made together, Mike never allows himself to be positioned between me and the medical staff," Cummings says. "If a physician has a problem with me and goes to him, Mike refers them back to me." It doesn't take long for that to get around, Cummings adds, noting that such end runs happened less and less frequently over the years, to the point where now they rarely occur.
4. Remember to role-play before meetings.
One thing which Abell and Cummings find very helpful is role-playing. "I don't see it as cheating, as getting your story straight before you go before the board," says Abell. "I see it as a way that can help both people understand all the issues which might come up. I will often ask probing questions that I know people are thinking but won't ask, and I'll see nods of heads that they were thinking it. Those questions often come out of our role-playing."
5. Do regular evaluations.
Thomas Royer, MD, chairman of the board of governors at Henry Ford Medical Group and senior vice president for medical affairs for the Henry Ford Health System, both in Detroit, says that his organization does regular 360 degree performance evaluations - where all of those with whom you work evaluate your performance - and look for areas of improvement. The evaluations often point out areas of weakness, such as interpersonal skills, management style, or issues around the timeliness of response - all of which can impact the administrator/physician relationship.
6. Celebrate the small victories.
Royer also believes you have to pause sometimes and recognize that even if you haven't hit your main goal, you have made it part of the way there. For example, when Henry Ford wanted to improve access to all the clinics, Royer knew it couldn't be done all at once. But when they reached 25% completion, the group celebrated. "We aren't running a 10K. We are running a triathlon."
7. Recognize the value of the team.
"A team is not a luxury but an essential," Royer says. "The problem is that teams are more useful in times of change and difficulty, just when they are hardest to put together."
· Mike Abell, MHA, MEd, FACHE, President and CEO, Ken Cummings, MD, Executive Vice President, Physician Integration and Services, Carondelet Health, Kansas City, MO. (816) 943-5623.
· Thomas Royer, MD, Chairman of the Board of Governors, Henry Ford Medical Group and Senior Vice President for Medical Affairs for the Henry Ford Health System, Detroit. Telephone: (313) 876-8701.
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