Establish core values quickly following merger
Values drive day-to-day decisions
Employee well-being is not an equal priority in all hospitals, which could cause conflicts for EHPs whose hospitals bring different core values into a merger, according to organizational consultant Bruce N. Fern, president of Performance Connections International in Bedford, NY.
Merging hospitals may have conflicting core values, he says. For example, one hospital's priority might be cutting-edge technology, while another could be more devoted to service excellence. Likewise, the role of the individual employee within the organizations could differ, as well.
"Core values are what drive day-to-day business decisions, although they often are not articulated," Fern says. "In a merger, a gap or contrast can create a conflict without people even knowing why. You can accelerate the integration process by more clearly articulating the core values of the merging organizations and focusing on a synthesis of values. If not, the employee health department and every other department in a merged environment will struggle unnecessarily to integrate their functions."
In addition to contrasting core values, another source of conflict when integrating departments is power plays, says Fern.
"In a newly merged environment, the status of people's jobs can go undefined for a period of time. Employees jockey for job security; managers jockey for power and status. They will often inappropriately take a stand on a policy that should instead be approached more flexibly," he explains.
Managers also might identify personally with policies they created and feel threatened by the possibility of change.
"In an environment where your job is not secure, for the sake of self-preservation, people often protect the policies they are most affiliated with," he notes.
Integration of policy and procedural differences is facilitated when people are dedicated to working with each other in a selfless way and agree on their core values. Fern also suggests some additional rules:
* Look at what some of the other best hospitals are doing. This technique, borrowed from the total quality arena, is called benchmarking.
* Look for continuous improvement instead of just trying to reinstate your old policy or practice. Seek a better version of it.
* Make policy decisions based on data, not on opinions. *
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